USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > West Bridgewater > Town annual reports of the selectmen, overseers of the poor, town clerk, and school committee of West Bridgewater for the year ending 1891-1900 > Part 20
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James McAnaugh,
49.50
Linus E. Hayward,
8.08
Anson E. Cobbett,
.90
Charles E. Leonard,
125.50
Frank Sylva,
16.00
George J. Kingman,
49.50
Albert Manley,
29.69
Emanuel Sylva,
4.00
Samuel Holmes,
85.00
Bradford Copeland,
10.60
Amount carried forward,
$1,486.82
22
Amount brought forward,
$1,486.82
Albert A. Packard,
3.00
C. C. Fowler,
2.00
Walter S. Tower,
3.80
Erland Thayer,
5.00
Benjamin R. Kinney,
3.60
David Frahar,
3.20
Henry Withington,
8.40
John Reeves,
2.20
Burton Fields,
2 20
James Kavney,
4.00
Charles H. Fuller,
108.80
C. H. Sanborn,
4.90
George J. Donahue,
1.60
W. H. Lindsay,
1.40
Michael Quinlin,
1.60
Patrick Quinlin,
· 1.60
George F. Ryder,
60.00
Joseph F. George,
213.40
Antone Peter.
2.10
John Sylva,
2.10
Henry O. Davenport,
11.30
Warren C. Kinney, .
15.75
Eddy P. Dunbar,
4.60
H. L. Campbell,
1.40
David Daily,
2.00
Elmer E. Howard,
102.60
John Cashman,
6.00
Harry S. Hall,
2.00
E. N. Fisher,
70.85
Joseph C. Howard,
105.85
F. J. Hambley,
8.00
Emanuel King,
2.60
Amount carried forward,
$2,254.67
23
Amount brought forward,
$2,254.67
Peter Keenan,
4.40
John Courtney,
4.00
Hugh Gombley,
5.40
John McGerry,
5.40
Mathew McGerry,
5.40
T. F. Wentworth,
4.60
Charles Wentworth,
4.60
Samuel B. Hetherington,
62.80
John J. Gilligan,
8.40
A. J. Hennessey,
6.50
James F. Hennessey,
6.50
George W. Blake,
6.40
Channing F. Dunbar,
6.80
George Hopkins,
534.70
Phylander Lambert,
6.00
Jacob Atwood,
1 40
Z. Perry,
1.40
Henry Nute,
2.40
Oscar Nute,
1.40
Milton C. Thayer,
3.20
George Withington,
8.85
Frank E. Shaw,
33.00
I. Austin Pratt,
2.00
Hiram E. Weston,
1.40
Arthur Westou,
2.10
W. S. Cox,
4.00
H. Corkham,
4.00
Patrick McGinn,
16.60
Terence Keenan,
4.60
James Keenan,
132.20
Ira A. Pratt,
17.10
Walter E. Packard,
2.60
Amount carried forward,
$3,162.82
24
Amount brought forward,
$,3162.82
Wilbur Kingsley,
67.90
Frank P. Hatch,
3.35
Michael Mccarthy,
4.60
Joseph E. Ryder,
1.00
Antone Emerall,
87.65
Patrick Keenan,
2.40
T. Prescott Snell,
116.50
Lester P. Ripley,
1.20
Enos Veara,
57.50
George W. Howard,
90.00
James P. Lincoln,
2.20
Horace Bartlett,
113.70
George W. Ellis,
35.00
Alger Brothers,
99.35
Willard Howard,
2.50
S. G. Copeland,
74.25
George Burk,
6.25
E. H. Lothrop,
8.75
G. R. Drake,
4.73
Albert L. Alger,
2.00
Oliver Brady.
.75
Thomas Kennedy,
1.00
$3,945.40
WILLIAM F. RYDER, Superintendent.
25
TOWN CLERK'S REPORT.
Marriages registered in West Bridgewater in 1899.
Jan. 5. Patrick Kent, of West Bridgewater, to Margaret O'Brien, of Bridgewater.
Jan. 26. William Brady, of South Weymouth, to Minnie Keenan, of West Bridgewater.
Mar. 4. Edward Perkins, of West Bridgewater, to Fanny G. Taber, of Plymouth.
Apr. 15. William F. Shipman, of West Bridgewater, to Lydia H. Stetson, of Brockton.
Apr. 19. Dyke W. Tobey, to Edith Allerton Tower, both of West Bridgewater.
May 14. Louis Vermeire, of West Bridgewater, to Lucy K. Willis of Brockton.
June 11. Frederick O. Packer, to Isabelle E. Kingsbury, both of West Bridgewater.
June 14. Cyrus Washburn, of West Bridgewater, to Lucy Evelyn Moulton, of Abington.
Aug. 8. James F. Chamberlain, of Brockton, to Bertha A. Southworth, of West Bridgewater.
Aug. 12. John Carlson, of West Bridgewater, to Emily Anderson, of Boston.
Oct. 12. Charles H. Cobb, to Cora A. Stewart, both of West Bridgewater.
Nov. 20. Benjamin F. Chamberlain, of Bridgewater, to Lillian W. Pratt, of West Bridgewater.
Nov. 29. Manuel de Medeiros, of Brockton, to Marie de Almeida, of West Bridgewater. .
Dec. 25. Hosea F. Woodbury, of West Bridgewater, to Florence J. Dearth, of Bridgewater.
BIRTHS REGISTERED IN WEST BRIDGEWATER IN THE YEAR 1899.
DATE.
NAME.
SEX.
NAMES OF PARENTS.
1898
February
27
Laurence Axel Jepson . .
Male .
Axel Jepson and Angenora Dustin
1899
January February
21
Jesse George
Male
Joseph George and Mary Frater
9
Illegitimate ..
Female .. .
Female ..
April
1
Margaret ()'Brien
Female. .
Fred T. Congdon and Ida Frances Wood John H. Wakelin and Harriet Corkum James T. O'Brien and Margaret Roach James R. Robertson and Sarah J. Robertson Mike Antone and Lena Gogo
May
14
Leon A. Lothrop.
Male
Herbert A Lothrop and Jennie W. McLeod
June
16
Gladys A. Kilpatrick
Female.
J. Arthur Kilpatrick and Edith A. Carpenter
26
July
2
20
Mary Alice Brady. .
Female.
August
1
Jose Cabrel .. .
Male .
Female .. ..
Maud Parry.
Female. .
Paul Revere and Lucy L. Tisdale Henry W. Parry and Catherine McLean John L. Sullivan and Margaret E. McDonald Willard V. Crosby and Elizabeth G. Sherrick George W. Parry and Susan Middleton
September 16
Charles Arthur Crosby.
Male
22
George W. Parry ..
Male
October
23
Philip Edward Kent ..
Male . Patrick E. Kent and Maggie O'Brien
November 2
William Thomas Luddy.
Male . Thomas Luddy and Nellie T. O'Brien
James Joseph Madden
Male . .
William A. Madden and Katie A. Nash
December 29
Stephen Francis O'Neil ..
Male
Stephen O'Neil and Margaret Conneys
6
James Robertson.
Male .
30
Frank Antone ..
Male
Francis Philip Maguire.
Male
Female. .
Francis P. Maguire and Nellie A. McAnaugh George B. White and H. Avis Morse William Brady and Mary Alice Keenan Jose Cabrel and Julia A. Andrada Lester P. Ripley and Mary J. Hunter
Clara Marlene Ripiey.
15
Pauline Revere .
Female .. .
21
Mary Lillian Sullivan
Female.
17
Mildred Francis Congdon .
11
24
Eva Way Wakelin.
14
21
14
DEATHS RECORDED IN WEST BRIDGEWATER IN THE YEAR 1899.
DATE.
NAME OF DECEASED.
Y.
M.
D.
CAUSE OF DEATH. PLACE OF BIRTH.
NAMES OF PARENTS.
1899
Jan. 6
Ellen Ryan.
48
. .
. ·
Cancer of rectum
Ireland ..
George Wilbar .
·
9
Stella E. Hayward . ... ·
80
6
24
Bronchitis . . ....
Easton .
13
Mary Joseph Cabrel .. .
4
1
22
Convulsions .. . .
W. Bridgewater
13
Charles H. Dunbar. ..
87
6
15 Old age, la grippe Exhaustion . ·
29
John S. Dunbar ..
83
10
2
Heart failure .. . . Old age . .
Feb.
18
Isaac Winship ..
90
10
. .
23
James A. Fobes . .
65
6
8 Heart disease ... Paralysis. . . 1
Mar. 1
Jeanette Howard .. . .
60
5
2
22
Marasmus .
·
14
Daniel W. Gardner ...
71
8
12 Strangulation . . .
24
Benjamin Dillard ....
77
7
4
Paralysis . . . ....
April 19
20
92
2
28
Old age
:
20
71
6
11
Apoplexy . .
May 24
David W. Whiting ... ·
88
Heart disease. .
June 1
Walter McLeod .. .
.
. .
July 12
Margaret Healey ..
68
9
Aug. 5
Mary P. Hall. .
65
11
29
11
66
10
Henry Withington .
68
3
59
11
29
13 Chronic hepatitis Halifax, N. S. .
Sept. 4
12
85
4
74
3
Oct. 27
29 Patrick E. Keenan . . .
24
11
13
Fract. of skull .
.| Ireland .
Nov. 7 Charles T. Williams .. .
55
7
3
Apoplexia .
Easton .
18 Elizabeth F. Leonard . .
73
1
6 Cancer ...
Taunton ..
Dec. 6 Charles E. Tisdale . .. .
46
10
Influenza .. .
W. Bridgewater
31
Ralph L. Allen ..
6
4
29
Convulsions.
Thomas Ryan & Catherine O'Neil Marshal Wilbar & Phebe Leonard Alanson White & Rebecca Billings Joseph Cabrel & Julia Aguest Daniel Dunbar & Nicholis Wilbur William F. Lyon & Minnie C. Ness William Dunbar & Sarah Snow Isaac Winship & Eunice Gould Albert Fobes & Nancy A. Du rham Jon'tn Howard & Mary L. Williams Geo F. Ryder & Grace M. Adams William and Mary Gardner Benjamin Dillard & Mercy Ellis William Copeland & Mary Willis Lloyd Howard and Abigail Nathani 1 Edson & Betsey Howard Samuel Ryder & Anna Kingman David Whiting & Ruth Leach Wm. H. McLeod & Carrie E. Willis Jeremiah Healy & Julia Donovan Howland Holmes & Hannah Olden John Brimmer & Martha Parsons Patrick Dorgan & B. Mary Dewey H'ry Withington & Olive Dunakin Michael Kent & Mary Pitzgerald William Loner & Christina Frasier Wend'l Seaver & Joanna Dickerman Joseph Ross & Elizabeth Hamilton John Hurd & - Sawyer
C. D. Williams & Susan Thompson Rod'y Grinnell & Betsey Washburn Edward Tisdale & Amanda Ripley Lincoln H. Allen & Lana D. Shaw
27
· ·
. . 82
· · . .
Dysentery . . .
28 Disease of liver .. Bridgewater ... Ellsworth, Me .. W. Bridgewater Gastro enteritis. Phthisis 2 Canton. . ·
. . Retro-peri. abce-s Fracture of spine Ir land .
15
Harriet M. Jennings .. Harriet S. Perkins . . 76
68
3
6
. .
Bron. cons'mpt'n Easton . .
14
Israel H. Ross .. Katherine J. Plauche. . Mary A. Haven . . .. ..
89
5
26 Strict. of Œsoph. 23 12 Cerebral hemorr. Old age .
W. Brookfield. . Newport, Can ..
Bo ton .
Timothy Tillson & Mary Martin Peter Keenan & Mary ( lark
9
83
8
26
Erysipelas. . . . .
Maine ..
25
Unnamed .
·
Portland, Me ... W. Bridgewater
6
Mary Gannett Ryder. .
.
Dixfieid, Me .. . Plymouth .. .
26
Uriah S. Copeland .. ... S. Nelson Howard .. .. . Elizabeth H. Kingman . Samuel L. Ryder .. .
66
5
9
86
1
5
Senile gangrene. La grippe.
W. Bridgewater
7 Meningitis ..
Ashford, Conn .. W. Bridgewater Ireland. . . ..
28
Minerva A. Keith.
6 Frank P. Dorgan ..
14
Philip Kent ..
·
.
28
REPORT OF PUBLIC LIBRARY.
The whole number of bound volumes in the library, December 31, 1899, was 5,124, 135 having been purchased during the previous year.
The number of books issued by the librarian in 1899, and the classes to which they belong, is as follows, viz :
Agriculture,
1
Art,
3
Biography,
78
Fiction,
1,698
General Literature,
137
History,
129
Humorous Works,
37
Juvenile Works,
991
Magazines,
673
Poetry,
82
Reference Works,
4
Religion and Theology,
8
Science,
52
Travels,
83
Public Documents,
4
3,980
COST OF MAINTAINING THE LIBRARY.
Receipts.
Cash on hand,
$0.85
From Town Treasurer,
398.50
Fines and sales,
7.10
$405,78
29
Expenditures.
Chas. E. Lauriat & Co.,
$106.70
Librarian's salary,
150.00
R. B. Hassett, Warner library,
22.10
Insurance,
35.00
Magazines,
31.50
Balch Bros. Co.,
11.20
" China of To-Day,"
2.00
" Life of Dewey,"
1.50
Postage, express, oil, stationery, etc.,
5.09
Balance cash on hand,
.69
$405.78
The Cornelia Alger fund, on deposit in the East Bridge- water Savings Bank, now amounts to $876.34.
Respectfully submitted for the trustees of the library.
CHAS. R PACKARD.
4
30
REPORT OF THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE.
At the beginning of the school year of 1899 the following were members of the school committee :
MRS. A. S. LELACHEUR, C. P. HOWARD, for three years. MRS. M. K. CROSBY, MRS. C. H. COPELAND, for two years. E. E. BROWN, W. H. BOSWORTH, for one year.
The organization for the year was as follows :
A. S. LELACHEUR, Chairman. M. K. CROSBY, Secretary.
W. H. BOSWORTH, C. P. HOWARD and E. E. BROWN, Committee on Repairs.
The schools were assigned as follows :
North to Mrs. Copeland, Cochesett to E. E. Brown,
Center to Mrs. LeLacheur, South to C. P. Howard, East and Matfield to Mrs. Crosby. Jerusalem to Mr. Bosworth.
To A. S. LeLacheur, M. K. Crosby and C. H. Copeland was assigned the approval of teachers selected to fill vacancies. M. K. Crosby was appointed agent for school supplies.
W. H. Bosworth, I. E. Wheeler, and B. F. Brooks were chosen truant officers.
31
FINANCIAL REPORT. TEACHERS.
Miss G. A. Smith
36 weeks,
$360.00
Miss E. A. Morrow,
36
500.00
Miss I. S. Wood,
34
340.00
Miss R. L. MacDonald,
27
414.11
Miss M. W. Haskell,
20 weeks, 3 days,
200.36
Miss W. A. Holmes,
36
432.00
Miss E. M. Dunn,
36
360.00
Miss M. A. Dewyer,
36
468.00
Miss A. M. Seyser,
36
360.00
Miss M. W. Wentworth,
7 weeks, 3 days,
70.00
Miss B. H. Dickerson,
36
303.00
Miss E. H. Richardson,
15
135.00
Miss M. Smith,
2
66
16.00
Miss L. E. Merritt, drawing,
10.00
Miss A. M. Barnes, music,
154.75
Conveyance of music teacher,
64.75
$4,187.97
JANITORS.
Paid for Jerusalem,
$14.00
Cochesett,
26.00
Center,
34.00
66
South,
8.00
66
East,
14.00
66
Matfield,
14.00
North,
14.00
$124.00
FUEL.
Paid E. H. Lothrop, 9 tons coal,
$62.25
" B. Copeland, 4 cords hard, 2 pine, (labor)
34.00
" E. H. Thayer, 2 cords pine,
8.00
32
Paid C. G. Manley, 4 cords hard, 1 pine, 22.00
" C. P. Howard, 32 cds. hard, 12 cds. pine, (labor) 35.00
" E. T. Snell, 1 cord hard, 1 cord 3-ft. pine, 10.50
S. H. Marshall, 5 cords hard, 1 pine, 29.00
" C. C. Thayer, 22 cords hard, 12.50
G. Ellis, labor,
10.25
H. Withington,
4.75
66 S. B. Hetherington, " 4.50
C. Berquist, 66
9 75
L. A. Maynard,
7.00
Philip Fay, 2.00
" Ernest Edlund, 66
2.00
" C. E. Miller, 66
10.00
$254.00
TRANSPORTATION.
" C. H. Fuller, coach,
$160.44
" D. R. Simmons, " 114.58
" Electric car tickets, 171.50
$446.52
REFERENCE BOOKS AND APPARATUS.
Periodicals from E. W. Nutter, 1899,
$9.09
One copy "Youth's Companion,"
1.75
$10.84
EXPENDITURES.
Teacher's wages,
$4,187.97
Fuel, ,
254.00
Janitors,
124.00
Transportation,
446.52
Reference books and periodicals,
10.84
$5,023.33
33
RECEIPTS.
Town grant, $4,450.00
Income of Massachusetts school fund,
294.43
On account of district supervision,
166.67
Tuition of state wards,
47.50
$4,958.60
REPAIRS. General Repairs, Desks and Incidentals.
Paid Jarvis Burrell, printing and stock, $19.03
66 J. H. Fairbanks, labor and stock,
19.55
" L. Richmond & Co., “ 68.03
" N. W. Bradford, labor and stock,
50.68
6 G. R. Drake, painters' supplies,
32.16
" F. Conlon, labor, Centre, North, South, etc.,
106.50
Isam Mitchell, lumber, (Centre)
69.95
66 C. P. Howard, lumber and labor,
68.71
J. M. Howard, stock for well, (Centre)
13.84
American Furniture Co., desks and chairs,
213.12
Freight on furniture,
4.23
" W. E. Cole, labor,
3.58
" G. Ellis, labor,
4.00
" Express and postage,
10.66
$684.04
Small Repairs, Cleaning, Etc.
Cochesett,
$15.17
Centre,
15.88
South,
5.15
East,
6.80
Matfield,
5.55
North,
3.55
$54.10
34
SCHOOL SUPPLIES.
Paid E. E. Babb & Co., text-books and supplies, $1.33
Silver, Burdett & Co., readers and music, 15.12
Ginn & Co., text-books, 28.50
" Wm. Ware & Co., text-books, 3.30
" J. L. Hammett & Co., supplies and text-books, 144.46
" Express and supplies, 2.62
$234.97
Whole amount of repairs,
738.14
Cost of school supplies,
234.97
Total,
$973.11
Sale of text-books,
2.62
Town grant for repairs and supplies,
500.00
Special grant for repairs and furnishings,
300.00
$802.62
New Supplies on Hand Dee. 31, 1899.
Readers, geographies, arithmetics, etc.,
$21.44
Paper, copy books and general supplies,
10.30
$31.74
Inventory of stock, Jan. 1, 1899,
$62.65
Amount drawn from treasury,
232.35
Inventory of new stock, Dec. 31, 1899·
31.74
Supplies furnished schools,
·265.88
1
35
CALENDAR FOR 1900.
WINTER TERM, January 8 to March 23, 1899. Eleven weeks. Vacation, two weeks.
SPRING TERM, April 9 to June 15. Ten weeks.
Vacation, thirteen weeks.
FALL TERM, September 10 to December 21. Fifteen weeks.
Recess. Thanksgiving week after Wednesday.
Vacation, two weeks.
WINTER TERM, 1901 January 7.
Changes may be made in this to accommodate different schools.
The month for taking the school census has been changed from May to September by the State.
On September 1st, there were 291 children in town between the ages of 5 and 15 years.
During the month of September 270 of these children entered school, 12 (over 14 years of age) were at work, 5 moved from town and 4 were not in school for other causes.
We would ask your ready compliance with the requests contained in the notice issued by our Superintendent to aid in securing regular attendance in our schools. This notice has been sent to the homes of all the pupils with the full approval of the School Board.
The expenditure for conveyance of pupils has not exceeded the appropriation, and the present indications are that the same amount will cover expenses in this department for the present year.
The increase of population along the line of the electric road clearly points to a need, in the near future, for additional accommodations for pupils at the Center.
More than sixty single desks were procured for the reseat- ing of the Center grammar schoolroom, and these fill the room to its utmost capacity.
36
The small primary building is already much crowded, and it may be impossible to seat all the new pupils next autumn.
As soon as your committee can decide upon some judicious and practicable way of meeting the almost certain need for more room at the Center, they will present a plan for consid- eration and acceptance by the town.
The repair account was much increased last year by the necessity of extensive repairs upon the fence at the Centre, which now seems in good condition to last for many years.
No appropriation for special objects is asked at this time, as the ordinary grants will probably suffice for current expenses.
We recommend the following appropriations :
For the support of schools, $4.000.00
repairs and incidentals, -
300.00
text-books and supplies. 200.00
conveyance of pupils, 450.00
At the annual meeting it will be necessary to choose two members for three years.
Respectfully submitted,
A. S. LELACHEUR, )
M. K. CROSBY,
School
C. H. COPELAND,
W. H. BOSWORTH,
C. P. HOWARD, Committee.
E. E. BROWN,
37
REPORT OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS.
To the School Committee of the Town of West Bridgewater :
As Superintendent of Schools of the town of West Bridge water, I have the honor of presenting herewith my second annual report, which is also the eighth of the series of annual reports since the formation of the union district.
Heretofore the school statistics have covered the calendar year from January 1st, to December 31st, inclusive. For the past year, in accordance with the request of the State Board of Education, who wish to establish a uniform statistical period throughout the state, the statistics will cover the period of the school year from September, 1898, to June, 1899, inclusive. This period will lap, therefore, upon the last four months (September, 1898, to December, 1898,
The time of inclusive) of the previous statistical year. taking the school census has also been changed from May to September, and items are made of the number of chil- dren between the ages of seven and fourteen, instead of eight and fourteen as heretofore, to accord with the com- pulsory attendance law of 1898.
The following statistics have been prepared in accordance with the above explanation.
Number of schools, 9
Number of teachers required, 10
Number of teachers employed during year, 11
Number of pupils in town between the ages of 5 and 15 years, as shown by the census of
Sept. 1899,
291
May, 1898, 291
May, 1897, 263
38
Number of children in town between the ages of 7 and
14 years, Sept. 1st,
207
Number of pupils enrolled on school registers during year, 292 Number of pupils enrolled between the ages of 7 and 14,
years,
193
Number of pupils enrolled over 15 years,
8
Average membership,
257.72
Center Grammar,
52.47
North,
25.83
Center Primary,
30.41
South,
26.39
Cochesett Grammar,
24.95
East
19.9
Cochesett Primary,
22.7
Matfield,
40.61
Jerusalem,
14.46
Average attendance,
237.64
Center Grammar,
47.91
North,
23.7
Center Primary,
27.92
South,
22.64
Cochesett Grammar,
23.83
East,
18.4
Cochesett Primary,
20.63
Matfield,
38.68
Jerusalem,
13.93
Per cent. of attendance,
.922
Center Grammar,
.916
North,
.92
Center Primary,
.917
South,
.84
Cochesett Grammar,
.933
East,
.909
Cochesett Primary,
.906
Matfield,
.95
Jerusalem,
.962
Per cent. of attendance, 1898,
.929
But one change in the corps of teachers has occurred since the last report. At the close of the school year, Miss M. W. Haskell resigned her position as assistant in the Center Grammar School and Miss Elizabeth H. Richardson of Brock- ton was appointed to fill the vacancy.
The necessity for special direction of drawing in the schools led to securing Miss L. Eveline Merritt, Assistant Drawing Instructor of the Bridgewater Normal, to outline the work
39
each term for the teachers and to criticise the results obtained. Thus, for small expense, more unified and definite work is possible in this important subject.
The work in music the past year, as in the preceding year, gives evidence of the characteristic skill and enthusiasm of the supervisor whose interesting report is appended .
That a more satisfactory system of writing might be secured, a change of books was deemed advisable. An exam- ination of the leading vertical system sterminated in the adop- tion of the Vertical Round Hand Books prepared by H. W. Shaylor and published by Ginn & Co. While we found other excellent systems including those having newer " wrinkles " and alleged improvements in the mechanical construction of the page, as to guide lines, etc., in the judgment of the superintendent and of the several committees of the district. the books chosen combine most satisfactorily the qualities of simplicity, beauty and possible rapidity of execution - manifestly essential characteristics in a good system of writing.
Last spring the superintendent endeavored to check the carelessness with respect to school attendance which mani- fested itself in certain sections of the district. In some instances children were kept from school upon almost any pretext and frequently no reason was assigned for a child's absence. In order to make clear the serious nature of this carelessness, the teachers were instructed to explain the state law to the children and to impress upon their minds that the law allowed the school authorities to excuse only cases of necessary absence.
To prevent misunderstanding as to the interpretation of the law and as to what constituted a necessary absence, this fall the superintendent prepared a notice quoting the latest state law upon the subject of attendance and giving the reasons which would form legitimate excuses for absence. These notices received the approval of the school committee of each
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town of the district and a printed slip containing the notice which follows was sent to the parent or guardian of every child in the schools.
Please keep for reference.
NOTICE TO PARENTS AND GUARDIANS.
The attention of parents and guardians is called to the following sec- tions from chapter 496 of the State laws of 1898.
SECT. 12. Every child between seven and fourteen years of age shall attend some public day school in the town or city in which he resides dur- ing the entire time the public day schoools are in session.
provided, that the superintendent of schools, or, where there is no superintendent of schools, the school committee, or teachers acting under authority of said superintendent of schools or school committee, may excuse cases of necessary absence. * *
SECT. 31. Any person having under his control a child between seven and fourteen years of age who fails for five day sessions or ten half day sessions within any period of six months while under such control, to cause such child to attend school as required by section twelve of this act, the physical or mental condition of such child not being such as to render his attendance at school harinful or impracticable. upon complaint by a truant officer and conviction thereof, shall forfeit and pay a fine of not more than twenty dollars. Any person who induces or attempts to induce any child to absent himself unlawfully from school, or employs or harbors while school is in session any child absent unlawfully from school, shall forfeit and pay a fine of not more than fifty dollars.
It is obviously the duty of the school anthorities to enforce the State laws printed above. In order, however, that cases of " necessary absence " may be excused, it will be readily seen that the teacher must know the reason for each absence recorded.
Hon. Frank A. Hill, Secretary of the State Board of Education, says: " It is made by statute the duty of the school committee to enforce the attendance law in cases of unauthorized absence. It is likewise their duty to protect children who are absent from school for good reasons ag inst that operation of the compulsory attendance law which might work hard- ship to children, if the reasons for their absence were unknown. *
While parents and guardians have to decide, in the first instance, upon the validity of the reasons for detaining a child at home, the final decision must rest with the school authorities who are charged with the duty of
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enforcing the attendance law. The admission of the principle that a child within the compulsory years may be kept away from school without any assignment of reason therefor would nulify our compulsory attend- ance law."
In consideration of the foregoing the superintendent asks the earnest co-operation of the parents and guardians in carrying out the following regulations.
In every instance where it is possible, the parent or guardian of a pupil intending, for any reason, to absent himself from a regular session of school should, before the opening of said session, make application, either in person or by letter, to the teacher of such school, for permission for the pupil thus to absent himself, and in such application should state the reason for the proposed absence.
Whenever it is impossible to make the application previous to the absence, immediately upon the return of the pupil to school, the parent or guardian should render an excuse either in person or by letter to the teacher of the school, and in such excuse should state the reason for absence. To exclude possibilities of mistake, an excuse by letter should contain the date upon which it is written.
The following reasons will constitute legitimate excuses for absence.
1. Death in the family of the pupil.
2. Illness or physical disability on the part of the pupil, or illness in the immediate family, which positively necessitates the presence of the pupil at home.
3. Weather so inclement as to render it imprudent for the pupil to attend school.
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