The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-02-14

telephones for the school physician to
pass Judgment as to whether the child
can come back to the class rooms
without danger 10 the other pupils.
Furthermore, as a rule much more
attention is paid to sanitation in
large cities than in rural regions.
Up to the present time the reg
ulations regarding communicable dis
eases in rural schools have been COM
paratively lax: and as a consequence
wave after wave of whooping cough.
diphtheria. measles, &c, has swept
through one school after another.
Parents have been told OF the danger
OF allowing children to return TO
school too soon, of the probability
OF injecting others, but such warning
has not been sufficient. Therefore the
state Health Department, under urg-
ing from Dr. Biggs, has included in
the new Sanitary Code a list OF reg
ulations regarding the matter wilful
violation OF which by parents IL n
misdemeanor s1ibjecting them to i'm
prisonment not exceeding one year or
fine not exceeding 81 600. or both per.
allies Parents have been warned
that the new code will be carried out
that the Health Department is deter
mined to stop recurring epidemic
which often leave the children with
weakened hearts, kidneys. lungs as
well as impaired circulation, and
thereby render them susceptible to
fatal consequences which In former
times were not considered except
by physicians.
Among the provisions Of this new
law is one that no person may per-
init any child, minor. or other person
in his charge who Is affected with
diphtheria, measles, scarlet fever,
smallpox or typhus fever to assoc
ciate with others than his attendants
/ II Billy Smith Of Poundridge IS down
with measles and his mother is nurs-
ing him his own father may not 20
( into the room every day to spend a
Z little while with the boy II Susie
Brown of Dunkirk stays away from
/ school because she has whhoping
/ cough she may not play out on the
! street. where other children may he
I encountered II she does so both her
/ father and her mother Will have a
I fine and term Of imprisonment star
| ing them in the face.
Furthermore. no child who has had
such illness or others included In the
! list can be permitted to 20 back TO
| school without certificate signed by
I the health oiftccr or by the childs
/ family physician. And in the latter
event the family physicians certii-
/ cate is not sufficient; It must be IN
dorsed az correct by the local health
officer. Should a school principal or
/ teacher neglect this important pro-
viso such principal or teacher like
/ wis.,. may look forward 10 punishment
So serious is the situation consid-
cred that some of the more advanced
I OF rural schools have furnished parents
with u printed digest of the new reg
! ulations. These notes, compiled from
| both health and school laws. state
with emphasis that in case OF sick
ness in the family a child can only
be kept at home for day or two
until other help can he secured To
perform household duties The clergy
are notified that church services
should be arranged so as not to in
terfere seriously with school work. II
a child comes back to school after
an absence of even one day, and does
not bring proper excuse or certificate
signed or countersigned by the local
health officer. that child must be ex-
amined by the school medical inspec-
tor. This applies whether the child
has been absent on account OF Illness
or from an unknown cause.
The special notifications from health
and school laws SEN, To parents in
some instances declare that excuses
are not legal II they say simply that
tn. child was absent from school be-
cause he had to work that day; or
because the child was away from
home. or was visiting relatives, or
had been taken out Of town by the
parent 10 spend the day.