Data obtained at the Cumberland office of the board of labor and statistics.
Twenty-fifth Annual Report of the Maryland State Board of Labor and Statistics,
Evening School 1916
Western Maryland counties.—Applicants for general employment
certificates in me western Maryland counties are required to present
school records which show completion of the seventh grade before
they are granted such certificates, because this is the standard of the
county compulsory school-attendance law, which is higher than that
of the State certificate law. The issuing officer, however, always
accepts the school records presented without giving a further educational
test. The only literacy test given is the requirement that
the applicant sign his name on the information card. No particular
number of days' attendance during the preceding year is required
if the child fulfills this grade qualification.
The board of labor and statistics, however, through an agreement
with the county school authorities, permits children over 14 years
of age who have not completed the seventh grade to secure so-called
vacation certificates which allow them to work throughout the entire
year provided they attend evening school regularly until they
have fulfilled the educational requirements. As for a general certificate,
the literacy test consists in the writing of the child's signature.
Twenty-fifth Annual Report of the Maryland State Board of Labor and
Statistic»,
1916, p. 113.
In Allegany County evening schools have been established in
Cumberland, Frostburg, Lonaconing, and Mount Savage. They are
maintained by private enterprise, and each child is charged $2.50
per month tuition. The classes which they must attend are held on
Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from November 1 to June 1
for at least two hours each evening. The children are instructed
in fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth grade English, arithmetic, geography,
history, hygiene, and penmanship. In Hagerstown in Washington
County there are two pay evening schools where a tuition fee
of 75 cents a week is charged, and also a free school maintained by
the public-school authorities. The classes of the pay schools are
held four evenings and of the free school five evenings a week for
sessions of two hours each. The required attendance is the same as
that in the evening schools in Allegany County. The courses given
are adapted to children of from fourth to seventh grade standing.
All these evening schools, both public and private, are conducted under
the supervision of the county board of education. As there are
no evening schools in Frederick and Garrett Counties a child living
in either of those counties can not obtain a certificate permitting him
to work throughout the entire year until he has completed the
seventh grade.
From January 1 to November 1, 1917, vacation certificates of this
kind were granted to 84 children in Cumberland, 20 in Mount Savage,
15 in Lonaconing, and 15 in Frostburg, in Allegany County.
Approximately 190 were issued in Hagerstown in Washington
County. A number of these children had not completed the fifth grade.
A child who is granted a regular vacation certificate allowing him
to work throughout the year except during such time as the education
law requires his attendance at day school must sign his name on
the information card. No other educational test is given. If he is to
work during school hours, however, he must bring a school record
showing that he has fulfilled the required school attendance of 100
days during the current school year.
Because children who have not fulfilled the educational requirements
for general certificates are allowed to work during the entire
school year provided they attend evening school, the issuing officer
has not had occasion to deal with the problem of mentally defective
children.
During 1916, 138 children were refused employment certificates because they did
not meet the educational requirements.
This number includes both children refused before the plan of
granting
certificates on condition of attendance at evening school was adopted and those
refused
because they would not agree to attend evening school.