Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-04-10
A TEACHER CENSURED.
A Little Boy Who was F1ogged-Action
of the School Board.

Trustee Cornish made a report to the school
board last evening respecting the complaint
made by George ]. Beans against Principal
John Nalle, of the Lincoln school, that Mr..
Male had punished with undue severity his
grandson, George J. Beans, pupil in the col
ored schools. Il inspected the body of the
child" said Mr.. Cornish's report, ''and found
that marks Of very severe whipping were
plainly visible. The written statement of Mr.
Nalle admits that he had whipped the child
three times consecutively for showing insubor-
dination in his manner of leaving the room in
which he was punished. but denies that the
child was punished severely; the parents of the
child affirm that the whippings were severe
and brutal, and that the child was injured and
made sick by the punishment inflicted.
The punishment administered by the
teacher, according to his own written adInis-
sion, herewith appended. was in violation of
the letter and spirit of the rules of this board
as Will be readily observed by reading rules
Nos. 50 and 80. Rule 80 says the teachers shall
practice such discipline in their schools as
would be exercised by a kind and .judicious
parent in the family, always firm and vigilant.
but prudent Rule 33 says the avoidance of
corporal punishment as far as maybe, with
due regard to obedience on the part OF pupils,
Is enjoined on all teachers
The local committee. in view of the powers
rules of this board to suspend any pupil in his
or her school at any and all times (rule III Is
constrained to say that the punishment in
hlcted upon Geo. B. Curry on the 18th of Feb
ruary last was too severe and entirely unwar-
ranted by the alleged offense of the child. and
not justified by any rule of the board. The To-
cal committee does not find any mitigating cir
cumstances which in any manner justifes the
whipping of this small child. now in the third
grade, three times consecutively, and is of the
opinion that the action of the teacher deserves
the seveTest condemnation of the board. In
view of the power lodged with the teachers to
suspend from the school any pupil. and thus
compel parental cooperation to maintain good
discipline, and to secure proper and full prom
ise of future good conduct and ample apology
for past misbehavior on the part of the pupil,
the local committee Is OF the opinion that no
teacher should be permitted to infict such
severe punishment upon pupil as Dir. Male
Is justly charged with having administered"
CORPORAL PUNISHMENT IN THE CoLORED SCHOOLS.
superintendent Cook, of the colored schools,
when called upon for information, stated that
this was the only complaint of the character
against Mr.. Nolle, who had been engaged in
the schools for ten years.
Mr.. Fisk asked how the number of cases Of
corporal punishment in the colored schools
compared with the number in the white
schools.
Superintendent Cook said he thought there
were more Cases in the colored schools than in
the white. This was due in part to the cOndi-
ton of large portion of the race. He did not
think as a mass they maintained the same de-
gree OF home discipline as was maintained
among the white people. The number of cases
OF corporal punishment was decreasing as the
colored people advanced.
The report made by Mr. Cornish. with the
censure it contained, was adopted, the board
deciding to take no further action on account
OF MIR. Males previous good record
HOLIDAY FOR CoLoRED PUPILS.
A letter read from Chas. H. Marshall,
president, and W. H. Jordan. secretary. of the
emancipation day committee, asking that the
colored schools be closed on the 10Th inst, the
of emancipation day. The request
was granted.
Miss Harriet c. LASER was promoted as a
teacher from the second to the fourth class, to
take effect from the 1st inst. and Miss Flora NJ
Allen was appointed a substitute teacher
1t was decided to hold an examination of APP
plicants for teacherships May II and IS.
The board ordered that the schools be closed
on the 30th inst, the Washington centennial
day.
The reports of the superintendent for
March showed the whole number of pupils en-
rolled to have been 3O,695, of whom 20, 1872
were white and 10,5l6 colored. The average
daily attendance was 26,6S6. There were ten
cases of corporal punishment reported, of
which eight were in the colored schools.