The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1914-04-09
BAMBERG, S. c., THURSDAY, APRIL 9, 1914.
SOUTH CAROLINA ONE OF SIX.
This State, Georgia, Alabama, Miss.
and Texas Without Law.

Washington, April 5.-Although
six States in the Union are still with
out compulsory school-attendance
laws, and four others have laws that
apply only partially, definite progress
during the past decade is reported in
bulletin just issued by the United
States Bureau of Education. Since
1905 eight States previously without
compulsory laws have adopted them,
and it is thought to be matter of
only a few years when compulsory
school attendance will be in effect in
every State and territory of the
United States.
The six States still without compul-
sorry school laws are: South Carolina,
| Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississ-
| ippi, and Texas. The four local-option
States, where the law is in effect in
certain counties only, are Maryland,
Virginia, Arkansas and Louisiana.
The bureaus investigation of the
subject reveals a close connection
between lack of compulsory attend
| ance laws and illiteracy. The States
rank in percentage of illiteracy very
much in accordance with the length
of time compulsory schooling has
been in effect and the completeness
with which it is enforced.
The States vary widely in number
| of years and amount of attendance
| required each year. The period OF
compulsory attendance is from to
- in North Carolina and Virginia. In
most States it is s to IA or Is. The
present tendency is to raise the up
perlimit of compulsion. In II States
| the compulsory age limit is 16 years
| or above;i in Idaho it is IS. AS a
general rule, however, children in all
these States are allowed to leave
school at IA years of age if they Sc
cure employment or have completed
the Sth grade in school. There is a
constantly increasing effort to safe
guard the child between IA and 16
years of age, the period of special i'm
portance for the vocational prepara-
| tion of most children.
AS little as IL weeks of school at
tendance during any one year may be
required in Virginia, Oklahoma, Della
| ware, and Nebraska, while in Ver-
mont and other States there must be
$50 or more days of actual school at
tendance every year. Many States re-
uuire attendance during the full
time school is in session. which may
mean anything from Al to 1874 days.
Some States secure attendance during
long terms by conditioning State ap-
propriations upon the number of
days of actual school attendance.
A variety of exemptions are found
in the laws of the different States.
Connecticut and Arkansas will not
enforce the compulsory attendance
law "if the parent is not able to
provide proper clothing for the
child. Physical or mental incapacity
| is a general exemption; another GUS
tomary exemption is remoteness from
school facilities. Occasionally ex-
emptions are made on religious
| grounds. Thus the Michigan law ex-
empts children from compulsory at
tendance between the ages of IL and
IA while in attendance at confirma-
| ton classes for a period not to ex-
ceed 5 months in each of the two
years.
Necessary factors in the enforce
ment of compulsory attendance laws
are summed up as follows: An an
nual school census taken by the
school authorities; prompt reports or
unexcused absences by teachers in
public and private schools; properly
| qualified attendance officers; State
agents to see that the laws are en-
forced; special schools for truants
and pupils irregular in attendance;
relief for INDECENT parents having
children of compulsory age; a dehnlte
annual period of attendance; we'll
enforced child-labor laws; employ
ment certificate made out to the en-
ployer; and proper penalties for all
concerned in the enforcement OF the
law.
SENDS BULLET INTO HEAD.