Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1918-01-28
SCHOOLS AND CHILD
LABOR AS OBSERVED
CITY OF WATERV|LLE


Inc iono"'ns repoi' y" o
child labor is part OF the social survey
of the city made recently by Francis
80 >-a,,. vo,,,
Inc ruo''c ochoo's
SECTION l. SCHOOL AIIEN ~ Il.
One OF the most important points %
social interest ABOUT any scnoo! system
Is the care Witn which attendance ~
Natched. 1t mas again ana aga" oee"
revealed that it is the children IN fAniilies
which are more or less disorganized VINO
figure heavily amoaS the retarded. those
behind their normal grades accordfnS
to their ages. Thus tie Children o! par
eflts who ar ha-6i apr"d are h@n~l-
..rla,3 in ttc.;' t.r 20. receiri bat
r. Of the educational iraing "nlcr
s. aid be their.
S~hoal Attendance IN Wa.crviile Is most
C,ro:'llly w%t"N2d oIOas the children
.rrplled in IN pebic schools SOM
r caSuro OF cv.r -ieht is ESQ given to th'
pArochial and private school.
There is q ce..tral record of every enid
who has ate, ded school al the beginning
u
class rolls from both public and private
schools. A child must be registered
somewhere or an inquiry is Immediately
made. The only possibility of lapses Is In
connection with families who have no
children and have just moved into the
city BUT in one>way or another the chill
dren of new families not Immediately en-
tered are sooner or later brought to the
attention of the attendance of officers or
principals.
When a child is once registered In n
class in the public schools it cannot be
absent for day without inquiry about II.
This may be by the teacher or principal.
II it is the case Of a boy or girl who is
prone to be absent, it is turned over for
attention to the attendance ohlcer. Tie
attendance officer is also at the service or
the private schools, but is not used to the
same extent. Transfers between public
and private schools are also kept up to
date and carefully watched.
Since the beginning of the fall term last
September there have been $50 cases
looked after by the attendance officer. In
about So of these there was danger Of re-
peated absences and some small or large
family problem were involved. In fact
the families Of 10 Of these were already
known to social agencies in the city.
In case the claim is made that the
family cannot furnish necessary shoes or
clothing the Associated Charities is
asked to visit IF the need is q real one.
the necessary things are furnished If the
parents could, If they would, supply the
,need the school department takes action
against them. During the last school
term five court actions were brought
! SECTION 2. MEDICAL INSPECTION
| Medical inspection is at the present
time dealing with the more obvious phv-
steal defects of children.
SECTION 3. THE NEED OF SPECIAL
| lied EXAMINATIONS FOR PRE-
| TUBERCCLO TENDENCIES, AND
| ANEMlC CONDITIONS.
The value of the present medical in
spection cannot be over-estmated. l,
needs however, to be supplemented by
specializing examinations as to pre-
tuberculosis tendencies. Some years bacl,
such an examination made in one school
re'ealeo IL VINO were beyond the pre-
- - "*o cSSh Sidllieu Ny
some that there was over refinement ir
these examinations and that the number
actually suffering from the disease was
exaggerated thereby, but even il it was
exaggerated by 30 per cent. the result
would still show the necessity of this sor,
Of examination.
Moreover. the specializing examination
should cover more than 1t did before. In
the last five years particularly, II has
been revealed that not only pre-tubercu.
lar children but anaemc children, require
special school attention. This has been
provided through special open-air school,
rooms and I should like to see the pro.
gressive schools of Waterville be the frs,
IN Maine to plan for such rooms "
course 1t must follow not proceed tho e~.
animation suggested One difficulty abon,
the last experiment was that the exau,.
nation revealed a number of children who
we're publicly separated as tubercu,o,,s
children and excluded from the scboo,
The mess which followed in which tba-o
were conflicting diagnoses from dirsarar.
physicians, was due largely to this c.s,g.
nation of the children and their exc,,sior
III. however. the community knew thu,
certain number of delicate children re-.
curing special attention were being trars.
ierred to an open-air school room, ma,