Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1919-03-04
MUST GO To SCHOOL
General Assembly Agrees On Com.
puISOry Attendance Law
MORE OFFICERS TO GET SALARIES

All Children Between Eight and Four
teen Years of Age Required TO At
tend School at Least Four Months
] Out of Each Year-Provision for the
Punishment of Parents and Guard
.ians Dsresarding the Act.
The general assembly has agreed
upon a compulsory attendance law
which applies to all children between
the ages Of eight and IA years. No
truant officer Is to be paid in excess
of $1,000 per year, and women are ELI
gible for this position. Where indi-
gent parents are unable to purchase
books for their children it is incum-
bent upon the county board of educa-
tion to purchase these books for the
children. Any child living more than
two and one-half miles from q school,
or any child under IL years Tof age
living more than two miles from a
school is exempt from the provisions
Of the act, unless a school wagon route
runs within one mile Of the home. Par
ents or guardians who violate the pro-
visions of the law are punishable by a
fine of not less than $5 nor more than
$40 for each offense. It Is incumbent
upon teachers to assist in the enforce
ment Of the law. Failure to so assist
is punishable by fine of $5 for each
offense, to be deducted from the sal
airy of the teacher thus convicted.
The senate amended the bill so as
to allow districts wishing compul-
sorry attendance period in excess Of
four months to apply the compulsory
feature of the qualified electors 80
petition. The senate amendments were
adopted by the house by vote of SO
to 33. The bill reads:
Section 1. That every parent, guard
ian or other person having charge Of
any child between eight and IA years
Of age must send such child to a pub
lie, private of parochial school, or to
competent tutor, subject to the ap-
proval Of the county superintendent Of
Education, for four consecutive months
or 80 days during the scholastic year
| that the school attended Is in session,
except as herein after provided: Pro-
vided that in case the term of any school
Is less than four months or 80 days
attendance for the full term Of such
school shall be sufficient to meet the
requirements Of this act
Sec. 2. Upon the written petition a
majority of the qualified electors re-
siding in any school district request
ings the attendance of pupils on school
Throughout the full term, the county
board of education shall order such at
tendance hereunder. This act. shall
~ k.shortenat the period ef schoofS6t-
tendance in any district where a
longer school term than four months
is now maintained and attendance Is
required under the local option law.
Sec. 8. That any child whose physi-
cal, mental or moral condition units
it for attendance at school Is exempt
from the requirements Of section /;
that such child must be designated as
unfit by a person competent to judge
and appointed to do so, by the board
appointing the attendance officer for
that territory.
Sec. 4. That any child living more
than two and one-half miles from any
public, private or parochial school and
any child under IL years of age liv-
| ing more than two miles from such a
school, may claim exemption from the
requirements Of Section 1: Provided,
that any pupil living within one mile
of any regular route of school wagon
may not claim exemption.
Sec. 5. That any private or paro-
chial school attended by any child be-
tween eight and IA years Of age shall
be first provided by the state board Of
education. Such school must give its
instruction in the English language,
and it must teach such subjects as are
required in a similar public school in
South Carolina
Sec. 6. The county board Of educa-
ton shall appoint such attendance Of
fcer or officers as the needs of the
public schools of the county may re-
uuire: Provided, that the board OF trus-
tees of any district containing an In
corporated town or city Of 1000 In
habitants may nominate to the county
board of education the attendance Of
fcer for their district and may fix his
compensation from the special tax
funds of their district. The duties OF
such attendance officers shall be to
take annually school census Of all
the children in each district between
the ages of six and IA years, and to
file with the county board of educa-
ton a report giving by school districts
the name Of each such child, the race,
the sex and the names and local ad-
dress Of each child's parent. This
census shall be taken during the
months of July and August. Any child
ineligible to attend the public schools
shall be reported by the attendance Of
| ncor TO the county SupclihlShoShSt "AS
shall transmit such report to the exc
cutive head of the proper state school
for such special child.
Sec. Z. Women shall be eligible for
employment as district or county at
tendance officers.
Sec. s. That it shall be the further
duty of each attendance officer to re-
ceive from the superintendent or prin-
cipal of any school within the district
or territory the name of every child
between eight and IA years Of age alb
sent from school, and to ascertain from
the parent or guardian of such child
the reason for such absence. If such
absence is due to any other than provi-
Dental cause or causes as would SER
iously endanger the health of the child
such parent or guardian must be noti-
fled to appear before the nearest mag
istrate at a special time to show cause
why he or she should not be punished
| DrnUi6n6 that