The log cabin Democrat., 1910-01-14
With the Rural
Schools
(MRs. C. H. NELSON, EDIToR.)
COMPULSORY EDUCATION LAW

Be it Enacted by the General Assem-
bly, of the State of Arkansas:
Section l. Every parent, guardian
or other person in the state of Arkan-
sas, having charge and control of any
child between the ages of eight (8)
and 1xteen (16) years, shall cause
such child to attend regularly some
day school, public, private, parochial
or parish, not less than one-half of
the entire time the public school said
| child attends is in session, during any
one year, or shall provide such child
at home with such regular daily in
struction during the usual hours as
shall be, in the judgment of court or
school board having competent juris
diction, substantially equivalent to at
least the instructions given the chill
dren of like age and advancement at
the dav school in the locality in which
said child resides.
Provided, That every parent, guar
OlaIl vi oeiiCi PNi' ~ viz P'stNN Va
Arkansas, having charge and control
of any child between the ages of six
teen and twenty years, who is not act
lively and regularly and lawfully en-
gagged in some useful employment or
service, shall cause said child to at
tend school as herenbefore provided
for children from (8) to Q6) years.
Sec 2 Any child between the ages
aforesaid may be excused temporarily
from complying with the provisions
of this act, in whole or in part, if it
be shown to court of competent ju-
risdiction. or school board of said dis
trict, that said parent or guardian, or
person having charge or control of
said child, is not able, through eX-
treme destitution, to provide proper
clothing for said child, or that said
child is mentally or physically inca
whole period required, or any part
thereof, or that there is no public
school taught within two and one
half miles of the residence of said
child, by the nearest Travelled road,
or that the labor of said child is alb
solutely necessary for the support of
the family, or that said child has
completed a comon school course, in
Guiding seven CD grades, and has
certificate of same from the school
said child attended. If any child, or
children are unable to attend school,
as hereirbefore required, by not being
able to procure books, on satisfactory
proof of same, the respective school
board shall purchase said books out of
the general school fund ow said dis
trict.
See. 3. The board having charge of
public school in a city or district
shall appoint, for period of one year,
one or more attendance officers to en-
force the provisions of this act. The
fees of said attendance officers shall
be the same as that of peace officers
for similar service, and said fees shall
be paid from the public school funds
of the city or district. The attend
ance officers shall serve written or
printed notices upon the parents or
guardians, or persons who have
charge and control of any child or
children as aforesaid who violate the
provisors of this act, and shall, when
reasonable doubt exists as to the age
Of any child, require properly at
tested birth certificate or an affidavit
stating such child's age, the date OF
birth and physical characteristics
and shall have the right to visit and
enter any office or factory or business
house employing children, as afore
said; and the right to require a prep
criy attested certificate of attendanc,
of any child or children at such day
school; and power to arrest, without
warrant, all trnants and non-attend
ants as aforesaid and place them IL
some public school, unless the parents
guardians or persons in charge anc
control of said children, respectively
shall at once place them in some otht
day school as aforesaid. Such attend
ance officer shall serve the legal no
tees and slhpoenas of the court, with
out further fee or compensation thar
that paid ty the board as aforesaid
and he shall carry into effect such 9th
er regulations as may lawfully be re
quired by the board appointing him
Sec. 4. The board having chargt
of the public schools of any city oi
district having 10000 or more popu
las. pv the last census, may estab
lsh and maintain from the public
school funds in such city or district