The Waco evening news. [volume] (Waco, Tex.) 1891-1894, 1892-01-29


houses was offered, but was substitut-
ed by motion 10 recommit the ordi-
nance for report at the next meet
ing. Carried.
The proposition of the Proctor
Springs Company to sell the city
park grounds was ordered dropped
from the minutes.
l.. zapidenski petition was by mo.
ton laid on the table.
The scavenger ordinance was laid
on the table.
An effort to lay the Recorder ordin-
ance on the table failed and the ordin-
ance went over,
The school committe handed in the
following report which was adopted:
To The Hon Mayor and City Council of the
City OF Waco.
Your committee on public free
schools to whom was referred certain
matters mentioned orally in open
council at regular meeting of the
council on Thursday evening Jan. 2lst
would respectfully report that a meet
ing Of the com mittee was held on
Friday afternoon Jan. 22nd, at the
central school building at $3.50. That
besides the committee there were
present Aldermen Payne and Wlllig
also the superintendent, the princl-
pals of all the schools and four other
citizens. AS there were no written
charges made against any one, the
committee together with all present
held free discussion of such matters
as were mentioned in the council and
such other matters as any one present
desired to mention, aud this report
will briefly refer to each thing dis
oussed.
1t. AS to children being kept
outside of the house on arrival in cold
and severe weather. The rule is that
the teachers shall be at the school
room twenty minutes, and the prin.
cipals thirty minutes, before the time
to open and the practice has been to
address note to the parents request.
ing them to let the children start
from home at such time as will allow
ample time to reach the school house
before the school opens and yet not
so early as to reach school before the
teacher or principal arrives; this gives
a margin of thirty minutes to cover
differences of time pieces and distances
the object being that the children
shall not collect before the teacher ar
rlves, so that there shall be as short
an interval as practicable for the child
to be out of sight of both teacher and
parent.
On this rule each principal stated
that every child was expected to come
into the house Immediately on arrival
and that if any child at any time had
been bept out of doors against its will
in inclement weather such fact was
unknown to them.
End. AS to the statement that chill.
dren were required to eat their dinner
or lunch out of doors in bad weather,
the rule has been at the central school
to require the pupils to eat within the
building in separate rooms, each room
being presided over by a teacher, or
in the hall, and whenever this rule
has been varied it has been done in
pleasant Gather and upon the request
Of the pupils themselves. AS to the
other schools each principal stated that
the children were allowed to eat in the
house and if anyone ate outside in
bad weather 1t was not with the con
sent or knowledge of the principal
and they heard of no such case.
Bird. AS to excuses being referred
from teachers to principals, this mat.
ter was not fully discussed owing to
the lateness of the hour but the COM
mittee understands the rule to be that
any written excuse signed by the par
emit is accepted without requiring
statement of the reasons for
absence, but that owing to
the large percentage of
absentees and consequent falling off
in the average of general attendance
the rule has been adopted by some of
the principals to inquire of the pupils
after dismission as to the cause of
absence and detention, SO as to get at
the facts as far as practicable In order
to remedy the defect not in any sense
to punish the child or to reflect on the
parents. 1t is impossible to attend
to this during school hours and when
many excuses are sent it sometimes