The Mena weekly star. (Mena, Ark.) 1904-1977, 1917-08-30
SCHOOL NEWS
FOR ARKANSAS
Tao New State Laws, Compulsory
Attendance and Uniform Text
Rock. Are Effective for the
Fall Terms.
soeeiai to The star.

Little Rock, Aug 23.- Beginning
with the fall term Of the public
schools. two new and TO some extent
revolutionary laws will become eff
fective in the educational system of
,he state. There are the Uniform
Text Book and the Compulsory At
tendance statutes. which educators
believe are epochal in their relation
to the schools of the state. The APP
pIication of these laws will do more
to standardize the public schools
than anything else done in many
years-and there has been some
most important school legislation
during the last ten years.
The advantages of uniform SER
les of text books. interchangeable
among the districts of the State, and
not subject to change at the whim
of school boards, have been so thor
oily discussed that they are we'll I'M
derstOod. The system adopted by
the commission after weeks of ex-
animation consideration, seems to
have met with general approval, as
no opposition has been heard to the
books chosen. No change will be
made for six years, and in counties
where uniformity had previously
been adopted, the textbook now in
use will be used until the contract
expires, when the state adoption
will obtain.
Probably even more important is
the compulsory attendance law,
which becomes effective September
/. applicable to all counties in the
state. 10 had been a law in some
counties for several years, but the
last legislature made it a general
law. 1t will require every child be-
tween seven and fifteen years of
age, both inclusive, to attend some
public, private or parochial school
at least three-fourths of the SEES
siOnas annually in which the child
resides. They must enter school not
later than two weeks after the OPEN
ing Of the school. Exemptions are
allowed the following classes:
Children mentally or physically
lncapacitated to perform school du-
ties.
Children who have completed the
common school course of study. in
Guiding the seventh grade as out
lined by the State Superintendent Of
Public Instruction.
Children whose services are need
ed to support a widowed mother.
IL is the duty Of the attendance
officer to investigate all cases of
non-attendance and notify the par
ents and guardians when the chill
dren fail to comply with the pro-
visions of this act.
The penalty for non-attendance
falls on parent or guardian--max-
imum fine of ten dollars and costs
for each offense.
1t shall be the duty Of the Prose-
cutting Attorneys of the state, or
their deputies TO prosecute all vio-
lators of this act as in the case of
any other misdemeanor.
II shall be the duty OF the grand
Juries to investigate all cases of
non-attendance at school and re-
TURN indictments in accordance with
the evidence and the facts.
II shall be the duty of all school
boards to provide ample means of
publicity, by posting notices or by
public announcements, as to the
date on which any session Of school
shall begin such notice to be given
at least ten days before the begin
ming of the session.
II is believed that this law will be
The means Of greatly increasing the
attendance in the common schools,
and that it will eventually have the
effect Of materially reducing the de-
gree of illiteracy in the state. Com
pulsory attendance prevails in near
~ all the states, Arkansas being
among the last TO adopt il.
Directly in line with these re-
forms is another that is still subject
To county option-that of county
superintendency. A dozen new
counties were added to the list by
the people at the May election
and when superintendent is adopt
ed, it cannot be repealed, but if il
rs defeated at any election, ii can be
re-submitted until il carries. But
wherever it has been given an hon.
est trial. experience shows that the
people have no desire TO make any
change, or to return to the old hap
hazard manner Of conducting school
affairs.
A. B. Hill, for several years prin-
cipal of the Little Rock High school,
will, on September 4, enter upon
his duties as State High School in
spector. He succeeds B. w. Torrey-
son, who on that date becomes Pres
ident of the State Normal School at
Conway. Mr.. Torreyson succeeds
Prof. j. J Doyne, the first president
OF the Normal, who retrrns TO Ion
oke, where he taught years ago.
The educational interests Of the
state are decidedly on an upgrade.
= new day is dawning.
MARRIAGE LICENSES GRANTED.