Abbeville progress. (Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, La.) 1913-1944, 1917-09-22
$3.50 PER YEAR.
Compulsory
Attendance Law

Baton Rouge, La, Sept. 10, 1917.
To Parish SuTCrintedcnts and Prcsi-
lents of School Boards:
Gentlemen:
The purpose of this letter is 20 urge
that the compulsory attendance law DO
rigidly enforced this session.
The following are the principal pro-
visions Of the compulsory attendance:
!. The law applies to children be
tween the ages Of seven and fourteen;
hat is, children who have passed their
fifteenth birthday.
,. The law does not apply to child
who has completed the seventh grade
even if such child comes within the
tgc limits mentioned above.
3. The law affects children attend
ing private Scheols as schools as well
IS those attending public schools.
1. Children are required 10 enter
school not later than two weeks after
he opening of the session. Where
the school is divided into two terms
he children who had not reached their
seventh birthday before the opening
the first term are required to enter
school during the first two weeks Of
the second term, il in the meantime
they have reached their seventh birth
day.
Children are required to attend
;choOl one hundred forty consecutive
lays, if the session is that long; if the
session is shorter, they are required to
attend the entire session.
8. The law does not apply to a child
who is required TO work i'll order to sup
port widow mother.
Z. After the schools have enrolled
all of the children that they can accom-.
modate the other children for whom no
facilities are provided are not affected
by the law.
s. The district courts have jurisdie'
ton over all violations of the law,
Violations should be reported to the
district attorneys for prosecution.
9. Every day absent from school con-
stitutes a separate violation of the law.
TO- Truants, that is, children over
whom parents or guardians have no
control, constitute a separate class, and
should be turned over to the juvenile
courts, that is, to the district judges
for investigation and sentence.
II. Children living more than two
and one-haIf miles from a school Of
suitable grade, and for whom free
transportation is not furnished, are
not affected by the law.
| -. Parish school boards have su'
.hority to furnish free textbooks to
children whose parents or guardians
are unable TO furnish them,
| In the towns and cities which employ
police officers it should not be difficult
to enforce the compulsory attendance
eaze, q for arrangements can be made
81 v5fasAssses sst.sesr SIG ,Ast,As6A nAs
act as Attendance foffceH This can Be
done az n minimum of expense to the
between the ages of seven and fourteen
school authorities. Since the cities and
larger towns usually have adequate
school facilities, the failure of any
# these to enroll all of the children
and to keep them in school regularly
ill mean failure in the performance
an important duty by someone.
Even in the villages and country
districts, the proper cooperation between
school and district court officials should
result in securing much good form the
attendance law.
The law should be enforced, and
those parents who consider the COM
puisory attendance law an unjust in
fringement upon the liberties of free
American citizen, should be told in con-
vincing terms that it is The Law, and
that enforcement will be insisted upon.
Public sentiment will uphold the school
and court officials in the rigid enforce.
ment of this law, for the public ap.
preciates the fact that an ignorant,
heartless parent has no right to stand
in the way of the States efforts to
make a good citizen Of his child.
| shall ask YOU later for q statement
in detail Of the efforts of your parish
in the enforcement Of the provisions
af the attendance law.
Yours sincerely,
T. II. HARRIS,