The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1915-07-02
REFLECTS
TRUANT OFFICER
David A. GIascoff Win Serve School
Board In This Capacity For
Another Year at Same
Salary.
HIS REPORT ON WORK
Cooperation of All Agencies Is Need
ed If Truancy Is to be Proper
Iy Dealt With
He Says.
HIS REPORT ON WORK

David A. Glasscoff was reelected
truant officer for the coming school
year, at the annual meeting Of the
board OF education held yesterday at
ternoon. He was reelected unanl-
mously after being nominated by
Member Roberts. The salary remain
ed the same as last year. Mr.. Glas-
coff prepared report Of the activi-
ties of last year. which was read by
the superintendent. 1t was figured
by one Of the board members that the
truancy work cost about 10 cents per
capita. Over one thousand calls were
made by the officer.
In commenting on the report, Supt-
Aldrich said that the causes of tru-
ancy were apparent in the report
read. He said that the truant prob
lem was one of the big problems, and
that it was far from satisfactory. One
thing which was needed was better
cooperation from the courts handling
the matter. 1t was easy enough to
tell the pupils to go back to school,
Mr.. Aldrich said, but the pupils and
parents realized that even if war
rant was issued, there would be moth
ing serious come Of 1t.
Board members thought perhaps
better cooperation from the legal
side of the matter.
Many Calls Are Made.
Following is the report from the
truant officer for the year:
When / took up the work of truant
officer, or as he is many times called,
the attendance officer, it was with no
preconceived notion of what condi-
tons would confront me, although l
knew something of the home life OF
many of these people. l had but one
idea in mind namely, Children must
be kept in school," AS the result OF
the years work have been able to
compile some facts and, by COMPARE
son with similar conditions else
where, reach some conclusions. These
| I wish to present for your considera-
ton at this time
During the school year 1407 calls
were made at the request Of the sew
eral principles with whom I came in
touch at least once a day except on
rare OCCASIONS. In nearly every in
stance visit to the home was made
during the same session the absence
was reported. This work took me in
to 272 homes in all parts Of the city
and brought me in contact with the
problems of 416 pupils. 1t might be
well to note here that the white tru-
ants outnumbered the colored four to
one. With but one or two exceptions,
there were no truants among the
girls The truant problem of the
Keokuk schools is real live boy
problem with all Of it's ever increas-
ing perplexities. .t..r
The Causes of Truancy.
Study of the cause Of truancy in
the 272 families brings out some rath-
er startling facts. First, and perhaps
foremost, Of these is that almost
without exception the truant boy is
addicted to the use OF tobacco in
some form. Many Of them not only
smoke pipe or cigarettes, but chew.
Some Of the worst have their beer
along with their parents. Twenty
five per cent are mentally atypiCal.
Home surroundings have much to
do with irregular attendance OF many
children. There are any number of
homes where the family never gather
about the table for their meals but
snatch their food f4om the stove or
table, eating it in some other part of
the house CT out of doors.
Irregular and poorly prepared
meals do not fit child for the exact
ing work Of the school room nor do