The Marietta journal and courier. (Marietta, Ga.) 1909-1918, 1916-12-22
Compulsory Attendance Bill

AN ACT to require school attend
ance of children for minimum pc
riod, and to provide for the enforce
ment of the same, and for other pur-
poses.
Section l. Be it enacted by the
General Assembly of the State OF
Georgia, that every parent, guardi-
an or other person having charge
and control Of a child between the
ages of eight and fourteen years,
who is not exempted or excused as
hereinafter provided, shall cause the
said child to be enrolled in and to
attend continuously for four months
of each year a public school of the
district or of the city or town in
which the child resides; which pc
Rod of attendance shall commence
at the beginning of the first term
of said school in the year. Such at
tendance at a public school shall
not be required where the child at
tends for the same period some
other school giving instruction in
the ordinary branches of English
education, or has completed the
fourth grade of school work as pre-
scribed by the State Board of Ed
ucation, or where, because of power
ty, the services of the child are nee
essary for the support of parent
or other member of the child's fam
lily dependent on such services, or
where the parents or persons stand
ing in parental relation to the child
are unable to provide the necessary
books and clothing for attending
school, and the same are not other
wise provided, or where the mental
or physical condition of the child
renders such attendance impracti-
cable or inexpedient, or where the
child resides more than three miles
from the school house by the near
est travelled route, or where, for
other good reasons (the sufficiency
of which shall be determined by the
board of education of the county or
of the city or town in which the
child resides) the said board eXcus-
les the child from such attendance,
such boards being authorized to
take into consideration the seasons
for agricultural labor and the need
for such labor, in exercising their
discretion as to the time for which
children in farming districts shall
be excused. Provided, that no guar
dian shall be compelled to send such
child or children to school out of
any other than the funds belonging
to the ward or wards. Temporary
absence of any child enrolled as a
pupil may be excused by the princi-
pal or teacher in charge of the
school, because of bad weather, sick
ness, death in the child's family or
other reasonable cause.
Section 2. Be it further enacted,
That any parent, guardian or other
person who has charge and control
of a child between the ages afore-
said, and who wilfully fails to com
ply with the foregoing requirements
shall be guilty of a misdemeanor,
and on conviction thereof shall be
punished by a fine not to exceed
ten dollars for the first offense, and
not to exceed twenty dollars for
each subsequent offense, said fines
to include all costs; but the court
trying the case may in it's discretion,
suspend enforcement of the punish
ment, il the child be Immediately
placed in attendance at school as
aforesaid, and may finally remit the
same if such attendance has contin-
ued regularly for the number of
months .hereinbefore prescribed for
attendance School attendance may
be proved by an attest certificate OF
the principal or teacher in charge of
the school. No person shall be pros
ecuted for violation of the forego-
ing requirements unless the board
of education of the county or NUM-