The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1916-12-06
THE NEW COMPULSORY
SCHOOL ATTENDANCE LAW
PARENTS WILL BE GUILTY or
MISDEMEANOR IF DON'T SEND
CHILDREN TO SCHOOL.

Following is the compulsory at
tendance law, forcing the children to
attend the schools of the state, that
was passed by the legislature at the
session last summer. 1t will become
effective January 1st next:
An act to require school attend
ance of children for minimum perl
cd. and to provide for enforcement
of the same, and for other purposes
Section /. Be it enacted by the
General Assembly of the State OF
Georgia, that every parent, guardian
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 hereln-
after provided, shall cause the SAID
child to be enrolled in and to attend
continuously for four months of each
wear a public school of the district
or of the city or town in which the
child resides; which period of attend
ance shall commence at the begin
ming of the first term of said school
IN JDe wear. OuCH cGGCilbc'AANN ~ ~
public school shall not be required
where the child attends for the same
period some other school giving IN
struction in the ordinary branches OF
ENGLISH education, or has completed
the fourth grade of school work as
prescribed by the State Board of Ed
ucation, or where, because of pow
ertv. the services of the child are nee
essary for the support of parent or
other member of the child's family
dpendent on such services, or where
the parents or persons standing IN
dependent on such services, or where
parental relation to the child are una
BILE to provide the necessary books
and clothing for attending school,
and the same are not otherwise pro-
vided, or where the mental or phys
zeal condition of the child renders
such attendance impracticable or in
expedient, or where the child re-
sides more than three miles from tn
school house by the nearest Travelled
route, or where, for other good rea-
sons (the suficiency of which shall
be determined by the board of educa-
ton of the county or of the town in
which the child resides) the said
board excuses the child from such at
tendance, such boards being author
lied 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
guardian shall be compelled to send
such child or children to school out
of any other than the funds belong
ing to the ward or wards. Temper
rary absence of any child enrolled
as a pupil may be excused by the
principal or teacher in charge of the
school because of bad weather, death
in the child's family, or other rea-
sonable cause.
Sec. 2. Be it further enacted, that
any parent, guardian or other person
who has charge and control of child
between the ages aforesaid, and who
willfully fails to comply with the
foregoing requirements shall be
guilty of a misdemeanor, and on con-
viction 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