The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1882-11-30
The Public Schools.

To W. A. Boaoles, ESQ.,, Setpt. City Pub. Schools.
In reply to enquiries addressed to the City
School Board, you say "the School Board has
the right to adopt rules and it Is the duty OF
the Superintendent to see that these rules are
enforced" Grant that they have the right to
adopt a rule which will expel a pupil for the
offence ofbeng absent for three consecutive
days. and that our Board have adopted such
rule, then where do you get your authority to
expel one child for offending this rule, and let
ting others 90 unnoticed who have committed
the same offence ~ a-rf-,. llf- ..fr--e.
When this rule was adopted was it Intended
as general rule or was it made TO apply only
to such pupils asr the superintendent or teach
ers might selectgi M e fvlflsa5l.s9
We know of pupils who have absented them
selves for a week or more and they aoerS not
eayeAed. I'VE do not understa nd where you
get your. power to discriminate for or against
particular pupils. & tlat sill o5 ssl,t-, s.,
We understand, ALSO that you have rule
giving parents the right to furnish their chill
dren with written excuses when they are alb
sent, and yet you said, in the classroom, FAC
cording to the testimony of pupils, that you
would not give the snap of your finger for
these excuses" Now ii there is such rule,
haveyou the right to thus publicly offer insult
to the parents who furnish them sg ~
Ou say tuftt Liz hQOptiOu vi Vic lUlC Tue
expulsion of children 'has been followed by
such excellent results, upon the daily average
attendance of pupils, that we hope, in the tu-
ture, to have it more. rigidly enforced" If it
is rule, and it is your duty" to see that it is
enforced, why is it that you have let guilty
pupils escape without even word OF reproof?
Why don't you tell all the guilty ones to "take
their books and 60 home and stay there d?
There are widow ladies in this town who
have children and they are compelled TO keep
them at home sometimes in order to be able
to supply the family with the necessares of
life, and yet, according to your idea, they must
be expelled and deprived of the benefits of the
school because they are aiding their widowed
mother to secure an honest living for herself |
and family HHt7 d
In the establishment of the Public Schools |
we don't believe it was eyer intended or ex- |
pected that superintendent or school board |
Should be invested with power to deprive any |
child of the privilege of attending them, SIM /
ply because the child might be absent tor three |
days, the reasons for which alb 4
sences might be perfectly legitimate and prop 4
er We believe the public schools were estab- |
lished for the benefit of the public, and that the
officers and teachers are paid for the purpose
of conducting them for the benefit Of all pupils |
and not according to what their ideas OF a pri-
vate school ought to be-. An individual con-
Quoting school for his or her own profit or
benefit would have perfect right to adopt
any rule be or she might desire, and require
strict obedience and impose any penalty they
might see proper to inflict, and the patron, ii
his child disobeyed any of the requirements
would have no right to complain. But the
public schools were Intended more especially |
for the benefit of the poorer classes who are
unable to encourage private schools, and we
therefore do not think that the Superintendent
should have the right to exclude any one for
the simple offence of three days absences.