The Newport plain talk. (Newport, Tenn.) 1909-1939, 1913-08-14
CHILDREN MUST
ATTEND SCHOOL
County Superintendent O. L. McMahan Explains Some of
the Features of the Compulsory Education Law and Asks
That the Patrons of the School Give Him Their Cooper
alton in the Enforcing of the Law.

In order that the patrons of the pub
lie schools of Cooke county may have
a clear understanding of the new
State wide Compulsory School Law,
passed during the last session Of the
General Assembly. ] desire 10 give
synopsis of the applicable parts of this
bill, which are required TO be and must
be enforced in the several localities of
this county where il is al all practic-
able. The "title'' paragraph of the
bill is given as follows:
"An act to regulate and require the
attendance of school children upon
schools in all the counties of the Stale
OF Tennessee, and TO provide means
| for the enforcement of this act.h
SYNOPSIS
Section of this bill clearly sets
forth, THAT every parent, guardian
or other person, in the counties of the
State of Tennessee, having charge or
control of any child between the age
of eight and fourteen wears, inclusive,
shall cause such child to be enrolled
in and attend some day school, pri-
vateo parochial, for eighty consecu-
| tive days, or when the school term is
less" than eighty days in length for
the full term. in each year. PRO
| VIDED FURTHER, "That any par
ent, guardian or other person, having
charge or control OF any child between
tlie ages of fourteen and sixteen years
who is not actively and regularly and
lawfully engaged in some useful em-
ployment or service, or who is unable
10 read and write, shall cause such
child to attend school as herein pro-
vided for children between the ages Of
eight and fourteen.n
The requirements of the above sec
ton are that every single child be-
tween the ages Of eight and fourteen
must attend some school, public, priv
ate or parochial, eighty consecutive
DAYS providing the school is eighty
days in. The word consecutive means
one day after another, from week TO
week until the eighty days have been
putt in. Further, according to the last
| no artp of tho ahpxta scot ion oil ahi n ron
between the ages of fourteen and SIX
teen must attend regularly, unless
engaged in some regular and lawful
useful employment. Those between
the ages of fourteen and sixteen who
cannot read and write are not excused
by the above reasons but are required
to attend regularly, as in the case of
those between The ages OF eight and
fourteen.
THE ONLY LAWFUL EXCUSES
Section Estates that children between
the ages aforesaid may be excused temp
roarily from complying with the pro-
| tlSioho Va WHO <lSps ia WhOiC vi HI potp,
if it be shown to, a courtoi competent
jurisdiction or County or City Board
OF Education having control OF the
school to which said child belongs,
that the parent, guardian or other
person having control of the child is
not able, through extreme destitution
to provide proper clothing for said
child; or that the child is mentally or
physically incapacitated to attend
school for the whole period or in part.
Or if the school to which the child be-
longs is more than two miles by the
nearest travelled road. private or pub
lie, from the residence of the child,
| Continued on Page y