Crossville chronicle. [volume] (Crossville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1921-09-21
TRUANT OFFICER TALKS
J. F. Brown Finds Much to Commend.
But Does Not Relax
VIOLENCE.

Hedgecoth, Tennessee, Sept. I8, 1921
: Editor Chronicle - want to say iust
word i'll regar to our schools. Three
weeks ago | was appointed Truan,
officer for the county Since that
time | have visited 20 schools. There
is more interest manifested by both
parents and children than | have
noticed for years. The teachers too as
a rule are doing their best. The
attendance has fallen below 80 in only
one school that | have visited. The
banner school so far visited is Big; =
Crab Orchard ,Parham's Chapel, 10
mona, Lantana, Meridian Flat Rock,
Hales Chapel, Woody, Westel, Wal
densia, Millstone and Grassy Cove
all have good attendance. The atten-
dance running from 80 to oS12 per-
cent. You can almost tell what kind
OF school you are going to visit when
you enter the outskirts of commun
lty. The first few patrons you meet
ask, What kind of school have you:
IT they say not much you will know
that they are sore because school
didnot stop two weeks for fodder, or
the children have been kept out to
pull fodder or pick beans or hol dthe
baby while the mother washed. When
; | entered the Biglick neighborhood /
began to inquire of every one I met
How is your school? and the answer
was the best school in the county.
You can make your school what it
should be by boosting it. If you have
to lie a little it would not be near so
bad as to make it worse than it really
is. First help theschool by upholdng
teacher help it by praising the work
the teacher is doing for your children,
and last help it by seeing to it yourself
that your children attend school every
day during the remainder of the entire
term. One thing that has more or
less hindered attendance were the
cards furnished the teachers by the
superintendent or Board and sent out
by the teachers which were misleading
They said in substance: That all child
rem betweent the ages of ID and 10
years not otherwise engaged in some
useful employment should attend
school. Now those cards were in
harmony with the law of 1913, but
our last legislature so ammended that
law that it reads like this: Be it en-
acted by the General Assembly of the
State of Tennessee, That every par
ent, guardian or other person IN the
State of Tenn. having charge or con-
troll of any child between the ages of
and I6 years inclusive shall cause such
,hild to be enrolled in and attend
some day school public, private or ,
for the entire term of school
n each year in the county of city in i.
which said child resides and not liv-
ng more than two miles by the near
st trarvelel road from said school"
Now this is the law that we are
rying to enforce. The first offence
or the violation of this law is a fine
# not less than $2.oo nor more than
1000, for the second offence a fine :,
f not less than $500 nor more than +
5000 and like amount for each sub
equent offence. On failure to pay Il
r secure said fine the pustice of the q
eace will order the party to jail un- .
i the fine and cost have been settled. o
he law makes it misdemeanor to f
Iii to attend school. have made e
'ur arrests during the past three ~ ~
eeks and am fearfully behind with a,
" school work. Schools are most tc
vo months gone and there will be ~
} further delay. If you have your
,idren out of school put them in and
.ep them in. No one wants to see u e'
,u spend cent. Every one is inter- a.
ted in your child's welfare. When b.
'ur head is silverel grey that boy of Q,
'urs while in Congress may send you W "
check and jokingly remind you of A. A.
e fodder you lost while he attended be
hool at Elmore, or Woody, or Me- pc
1an. W;
J. F. BROWN. u; IN
Truant Officer. N