NORTH CAROLINA GENERAL ASSEMBLY

1963 SESSION

 

 

CHAPTER 1223

HOUSE BILL 74

 

 

AN ACT TO AMEND THE PUBLIC SCHOOL LAWS RELATING TO COMPULSORY SCHOOL ATTENDANCE.

 

The General Assembly of North Carolina do enact:

 

Section 1. Amend subsection (12) of G.S. 115-11 as the same appears in Volume 3A (Replacement 1960) by striking out the word "officers" as the same appears at the end of the last line in said subsection (12), and by inserting in lieu thereof the word "counselors".

Sec. 2.  Amend G.S. 115-36 as the same appears in Volume 3A (Replacement 1960) by deleting the last sentence of subsection (a) which reads as follows: "Boards of education, however, may authorize rural schools in certain seasons of the year, when the agricultural needs of the farm demand it, to be conducted for less than six hours a day." Further amend said G.S. 115-36 by placing a colon after the word "suspension" in line 9 of subsection (c) and deleting the words "or when the State Board of Education, or the board of education of any administrative unit with the approval of the State Board of Education, shall find that the needs of agriculture, or any other condition, may make such suspension necessary within such unit or any district thereof:".

Sec. 3.  Amend paragraph (1) in subsection (b) of G.S. 115-78 as the same appears in Volume 3A (Replacement 1960) by substituting the word "counselor" for the word "officer" in line 2.

Sec. 4.  Amend subsection (1) of G.S. 115-79 as the same appears in Volume 3A (Replacement 1960) by adding a new paragraph which shall be designated as paragraph "g" and shall read as follows: "g. Salaries of attendance counselors."

Sec. 5.  Amend G.S. 115-147 as the same appears in Volume 3A (Replacement 1960) by substituting the word "counselor" for the word "officer" in line 9.

Sec. 6.  Amend G.S. 115-166 as the same appears in Volume 3A (Replacement 1960) by striking out in line 17 of said Section the words "distance of residence from bus route or school".

Further amend said G.S. 115-166 as the same appears in Volume 3A (Replacement 1960) by striking out the word "truancy" as the same appears following the word "constitute" and before the word "as" in line 18 of said Section and by inserting in lieu thereof the words "unlawful absence"; and further amend said Section by striking out in line 20 the words "private schools as have tutors or" and by inserting in lieu thereof the words "non-public schools as have"; and further amend said Section by striking out the word "private" in line 22 and by inserting in lieu thereof the word "non-public"; and further amend said Section by striking out in line 26 the words "or tutor"; and further amend said Section by striking out the words "private school or by private tutor" as the same appear in line 29 and by inserting in lieu thereof the words "non-public school".

Sec. 7.  Amend G.S. 115-167 as the same appears in Volume 3A (Replacement 1960) by substituting the words "unlawful absence" for the word "truancy" as the same appears in line 4 of said Section.

Sec. 8.  G.S. 115-168 as the same appears in Volume 3A (Replacement 1960) is hereby rewritten to read as follows:

"Sec. 115-168.  Attendance Counselors; Reports; Prosecutions. The State Superintendent of Public Instruction shall prepare such rules and procedures and furnish such blanks for teachers and other school officials as may be necessary for reporting such case of unlawful absence or lack of attendance to the attendance counselor of the respective administrative units. Such rules shall provide, among other things, for a notification in writing, to the person responsible for the nonattendance of any child, that the case is to be reported to the attendance counselor of the administrative unit unless the law is complied with immediately. Upon recommendation of the superintendent, county and city boards of education may employ attendance counselors and such counselors shall have authority to report and verify on oath the necessary criminal warrants or other documents for the prosecutions of violations of this Article: Provided, that school administrative units shall provide in their local operating budgets for travel and necessary office expense for such attendance counselors as may be employed through State and/or local funds. The State Board of Education shall determine the formula for allocating attendance counselors to the various county and city administrative units, establish their qualifications, and shall develop a salary schedule which shall be applicable to such personnel; provided that persons now employed by county and city boards of education as attendance officers shall be deemed qualified as attendance counselors under the terms of this Act, subject to the approval of said county and city boards of education; provided further, that until qualified persons become available, county and city boards of education are hereby authorized to employ as attendance counselors persons not determined by the State Board of Education to be qualified under the terms of this Act."

Sec. 9.  Amend G.S. 115-170 as the same appears in Volume 3A (Replacement 1960) by striking out the caption and the first two lines of said Section and by inserting in lieu thereof the following:

"Sec. 115-170.  Investigation and Prosecution by Attendance Counselor. The school attendance counselor shall investigate."

Further amend said Section by substituting the word "counselor" for the word "officer" in line 4.

Sec. 10.  Amend G.S. 115-171 as the same appears in Volume 3A (Replacement 1960) by substituting the word "counselor" for the word "officer" in line 5.

Sec. 11.  All laws and clauses of laws in conflict with this Act are hereby repealed.

Sec. 12.  This Act shall be in full force and effect from and after its ratification.

In the General Assembly read three times and ratified, this the 26th day of June, 1963.