All Children Aged 8 to 14 Must Attend School, Oct. 17, 1919

From the front page of The Hertford County Herald, “A Paper Worth While”, Friday, Oct. 17, 1919

Schools Will All Be Open in November. . . County Schools That Have Not Opened Will Do So on November 1^st. . . Parents’ Attention Is Called to New Law. . . Children Between Ages of 8 and 14 Are Required to Attend School

By N.W. Britton, County Superintendent of Schools

All the schools of the County that have not already opened will begin the first Monday in November. Parents are urged to put their children in school the first day and keep them there if possible every day for the full term of the school. That is a matter of prime importance to both the children and to the school; for no school can accomplish what is expected of it when the children are entering all along during the session, and no child can do his best work if he starts a week or two after school begins.

The law requires all children between 8 and 14 shall enter the first day and continue for the full term whether it is six months or more. The State of North Carolina has provided that any person willfully violating the compulsory attendance law shall be punished. But I am persuaded that very few of the parents of this County will, when they have a knowledge of this law, disobey it. Therefore, I call upon the teachers and all the friends of education to do their utmost to give people proper information concerning this matter.

We have a county superintendent of welfare whose principal duty is, during the time that the schools are in session, to act as attendance officer. It is his duty to see that the compulsory attendance law is carried out to the letter, as far as is possible. It is the lawful duty of each teacher to notify the parents or the guardians whose children are not in school the first day, and also to notify parents and the attendance officer of all unlawful absences, at the end of the week. These reports are to be made to the county superintendent of welfare.