Role of the Truant Officer

Truant officers were appointed under the Indian Act to enforce the compulsory attendance section of the Act.

Section 10 (2) of the Indian Act of 1919-20 reads "The Superintendent General may appoint any officer or person to be a truant officer to enforce the attendance of Indian children at school…."

The Act gave the officers the power to arrest children who were not attending school and to convey them to school, and to charge the parents of truant children.

Parents who had been charged were subject to 'a fine of not more than two dollars and costs, or 'imprisonment for a period not exceeding ten days or both'.

From time to time students ran away from the schools. In some instances they were lonesome, or they missed home, but in other instances they may have left because they were being mistreated.

As one example, a Principal called upon the police to act as a Truant officer and bring back some children who have overstayed their summer vacation and the parents refused to send them back.