Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1910-07-20
THESE ARE BUSY DAYS
FOR TRUANT OFFICERS
Arrests Being Made for NOn-At-
tendance at School
Keeping Children of School Age At
Home to Work is Proving I'm
profitable

The sheriff and district attorney are
particularly busy nowadays with
prosecutions under the compulsory at
tendance laws. The statute requires
parents and guardians to send chill
dren between the ages of seven and
fourteen years to school regularly at
least 100 days in the school year in
towns and villages, and for other
periods in cities for the several
classes. The sheriff and his deputies
are truant officers in the towns and
villages, while the board of education
appoints truant officers for the cities.
The school year 19O9-191O being now
over, the county superintendent has
turned over his records of attendance
to the district attorney for prosecu-
tion of offenders against the COM
pulsory attendance law. All told,
there are in the neighborhood of one
hundred cases. many of which have
already been disposed of, in which the
attendance falls below the minimum,
without legal excuse. The statute
recognizes only few excuses for non'
attendance. 1. The law does not
apply to any child not in proper ply
steal or mental condition to attend
school, who shall present the certi-
fcate of a reputable physician in
general practice to that effect. -
2 Nor to any child who lives in
country districts more than two miles
by the nearest travelled road from the
school house in the district where
such child resides. 3. Instruc-
tion during the required period else
where than at school by teacher or
instructor selected by the person
having control of such child shall be
equivalent to school attendance.
provided that such instruction receiv.
ed elsewhere than in school be at least
substantially equivalent to instruc-
tion given to children of like ages in
the public, parochial or private school
where such children reside - 4
The law does not apply to any child
who shall have completed the course
Of study for the common schools of
this state or the first eight grades of
work as taught in state graded or
other graded schools of Wisconsin.
and can furnish the proper diploma,
certificate or credential showing that
he has completed one Of said courses
of study, or it's equivalent. -
Any person violating the law is to
be punished by fine of not less than
five dollars nor more than fifty d1llars,
together with costs of prosecution. or
by Imprisonment in the county Jail
not exceeding three months, or by
both such fine and imprisonment in
the discretion of the court, for each
offense The law further provides that
s it shall be the duty of the district
attorney and his assistants to prosecute
in the name of the state al violations
of the provisions of this section.
1t is only to be expected that the
parents who are being brought in
nearly every day under arrest, should
feel aggrieved at what they consider
an Infringement of their right of
judgment and control However, the
law is, on the whole, salutary, and
while 1t may work occasional hard
ship, more often it fill distinct need
The county superintendent records
Ioo+ III
kept out of school and put to work
at home, and for the parent who
prefers the saving of few dollars to
his childs future welfare but little
sympathy is demanded. In some
cases there appears good and legal ex-
cuse presented at the eleventh hour,
after prosecution begun, which should
have been made to the teacher, so that
sufficient reason for the non attend
ance would appear of record. Mis-
takes as to age, and other vital
matters, also creep in. The prUsecu-
tion officers are perhaps not enjoying
our hot summer months as much as
they would if this mass of difficult
and delicate cases did not demand
their attention. By next year, how
ever, the present prosecutions will
doubtless have resulted in better
understanding and observance Of the
law.
LOST :-Child's neck chain with
gold cross, heart and ring attached
Finder please return to F. F. Heidel.
Teachers Examinations.