The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1913-09-04

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80.
IA years 6 months to 15 years, n.
Is years to Is years 6 months, SO.
Is years months to 16 years II.
Permits issued during school session,
-o8; during vacation, 80 (not vacation
permit).
Violations in which the school system
was liz some way concerned:
School record Of birth different from
certificate of age given by school prin
cipal, 46. (This does not include all,
as data was very incomplete from the
parochiai and country schools.) IL of
these were proved to be wrong on the
certificate consequently on the permit).
In two other cases the permit was
proved to be wrong.
Children working withou5 permits or
claiming to be 16 years of age, whose
school records gave age rs under 16
years, 81. This could have been avoid
ed if the children were followed up aft
er leaving school, mostly during the
school year.
% children were not found in con-
tinuation school, 9 of these were work
ing under false age; most of the others
were out of employment for short
time, or they were supposed by the fac
tory to be going to school.
10 children were out Of employment
for long period OF time, and should
have been in all-day continuation school
or in the regular schools.
The above conditions would have
been avoided if there could have been
sufficient supervision on the part of a
truant officer.
There has been a great improvement
in the public school records within the
past two years, the permanent card sys-
tenn of individual records covering the
entire school period, being excellent.
This will, in the course of several years,
result in having available data that is
correct, or almost so, as far as the pub
lie schools are concerned. My inves-
tigation showed very clearly the need
OF great care and accurate data in
the schools for the issuing of school
certificates for working permits.
The most practicable solution Of the
present difficulties seems to be to have
a central card record in the Office of
the superintendent of schools, covering
all the public and parochial schools of
the city,-these records to be contin-
uous individual cards, to be used for
checking up the census reports, ETC., and
for the convenience and information of
the attendance officer The card sys-
tenn in use for two years in the Office
of the superintendent, contains the re-
cord only for the current year, new
set OF cards being made out each fall.
| The greatest need in Kenosha seems
to be an attendance officer whose whole
time can be given to this work The
work incident to looking after the at
tendance Of pDblic, parochial, and con-
tinuation school children would be suf
ficient to warrant the employment Of a
person for full time, at a good rate of
pay. The continuation school has great
ly added to the problem.
There is no question that violations
OF the child labor law would be greatly
reduced if the proper truancy work
could be done. In the first place, a
thorough and conscientious census Of
school age children should be checked
up with the school records to ascertain
the children who are not in school and
are not working on permit. The delin-
| quents should then Immediately be fol
lowed up by the attendance officer.
Children working Illegally would be dis
covered, also others who should be at
tending school, now staying out on in
sufficient grounds. The children who
should be in the continuation school and
are not attending regularly, should be
looked up Immediately. They may be
working under false age, or should be
in the all-day continuation school or
back in the regular schools. A great
many instances of this kind of violation
were found.
Trusting that the above data may
be of some service to you, / remain,
Sincerely yours,
(Signed) E. o. Lundberg,
Deputy, Wisconsin Industrial Commits
/ sion.
Miss Lundberg's criticism of truancy
work should not be considered as an
evidence of ineficiency on the part of
the present officer. He has done all he
could do under the circumstances, but
since his duties include many other
forms of service, such conditions came
to exist as were disclosed by Miss Lund-
berg careful survey. I believe that
he should have an assistant for the tru-
ancy work, and prefer that this assist
ant should be woman.
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