SCHOOL ATTENDANCE.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXI, Issue 69, 4 November 1911, Page 8

SCHOOL ATTENDANCE.

necessity for exemption CivKT'Ei CATES. A number of parents appeared at the Magistrate’s Court y cstorday mo. ning on charges of failing to send children to school, and in the majority of cases illness was pleaded as an excuse. The necessity for procuring exemption certiticatoß was dealt wily at sonic length in the case in widen Walter C. Clement was charged witn having failed to send Ins hoy to the Ngnc-ro School.

, Mr. Wako appaared for defendant, and pleaded guilty. Defendant, he said, should properly have got an exemption certificate, as the hoy was subject to periodical attacks oi sickness. However, counsel produced a medical certificate which stated that between the dates named in the information the hoy was too unwell to attend school. The S.M. (Mr. Konriek) said parents should make a point of getting the proper exemption certificates. The medical certificate in the present case

did not specifically state what was tee matter with the child, and he always demanded that this should ho done. Tie had received a large number rf such certificates. In one case it was proved that while a child was “ill” it had been at races with its father, while another hoy had attended a football match. In all cases of iliums of children exemption certificates should he got, after the schoolmaster had been satisfied that it should he issued.

Mr. Wake said that in a case like the present it would he a great hardship on the parent to have to get a certificate every time his hoy was taken. ill. in view of the fact that the troy v/ns pm iodieallv unwell.

Mr. Hooker, Truant i nsnoctor. w-n> conducted the prosecution, raid itws not accessary for a fresh certificate to ho procured far each diners. A certificate could lie £;ot for the, whole year, ord the child could attend sell-''.-,] whenever it was well onourdi. and _t’’e narent could not ho proceeded against for its absence.