Delaware gazette and state journal., 1896-06-25

pointed to Serve as Principal - bids for
Supplying Coal and Constructing a Drain.
In the absence Of President Baird
Samuel Fl. Baynard presided at the
meeting Of the Board Of Education Mon
day night, and at the conclusion of the
session be was congratulated for the
maDner in which he conducted the
affairs of the meeting.
Mr.. Morrow, chairman of the com
mittee on No. "a School moved that
the unfinished action concerning the
recent trouble at the school, which was
deferred at the last meeting, be in
definitely postponed. The motion pre-
vailed
Secretary Jones read the following
letter;
To the President and Members Of tho
Board Of Public Education. Gentle
men: Herewith you will find my
daughters school books, as under the
circumstances we shall not return her
to the public schools Of this city. |
dosire also--this being the first oppor-
tunity pre- snted-to enter my protest
against the report of the committee OF
Investigation submitted to you at your
last meeting, and against the action of
your board in relation to the same.
The charges Of cruel treatment to my
daughter were, in my opinion, fully
proven not only by the testimony offered
In behalf OF the prosecution-and in no
respect shaken after most exhaustive
; cross examination--but BY the confes-
sions aud equivocal testimony of tue
accused teachers themselves. Is your
board aware of the fact that two Of the
teachera-MiHs Miller and Miss Speak
man--acknowledged carrying the child
by the arms and legs from a class room
to hall, there forcibly wrenching her
hands from tho baluster to which she
clung for safety and from that point
taking her TO the assembly room and
placing her on chair in view of 600
children2
board, who would, if euch thing
were practiced upon his girl child, not
call it cruelityY / would also submit
that undor ross.examination, Miss
Miller testified to doing this not for
punishment, but to humiliate the child
~ to show her authority. Does your
board mean to imply that it sanctions
such treatment as this and that child
has no rights which public school
teacher is bound to respect?
ls your board also aware of the fact
that the same teachers when pressed
for positive answers TO direct ques-
tions sought refuge under the cover
which the guilty nearly always resort
to, OF 81 don't remember" and " |
didn't see," and positively refuse to
give a more direct answer? These fail
uree to answer pertained to the other
specific charges Of cruelty. and were to
my mind combinations strong as
proofs OF holy writ of their entire
guilt. The above confessions and
equivocal answers Of the teachers seem,
for some unaccountable reason, to have
been entirely overlooked on the part of
the investigating committee Believ.
ing, as | do, that you desire the best
service in our public schools for the
amount of money expended on
tbesame, and that you have not boon
made fully aware of the damaging ad-
missions on the part of the teachers, l
present this protest
Permit me also to say, and | am sure
that you will all agree with me, that
the retention of teacher in any OF our
public schools who misuses the English
language is not ustidable. In this
connection / desire to inform the board
and to refresh the memory of those
members who we're present, concerning
y" few OF the specimens of the mi treat
mt OF the English language ii it Miss
akman furnished us vita when
g her testimony: EUR" for
was freely used; "We sit her
:" 'She sit down, T" "I can't say
iye," &C., &c, were some of these
Imens.
lat these apses were not an tun-
al but daily occurrence is fact
+ your board can easily ascertain by
uiring of any of the older children
o have passed out of her department
.r by personal conversation with her.
: am sure that it is only necessary to
inform the board OF these evidences of
illiteracy in order to have you correct
the same.
In conclusion l would say that, in
my opinion, corporal punishment
should have no place in our public
school system. Indignant parents and
an enlightened public sentiment have
driven corporal punishment entirely
from New York City schools, and what
has been done there can surely be done
successfully here. Some years ago
your board deprived all subordinate
teachers OF the authority to punish the
person OF child, bur reserved the
principal of School No. "a, | submit
that she is not the proper person to be
entrusted with this responsibility in
view OF her own confession that ~ she
did not know how to manage girls, and
~ that In forcibly dragging and carry
ing my daughter from the baluster to
the assembly room, she was 80 calm
.t!l that she did not see Miss Speak
man, who was the width OF the child's
shoulders from her, and was again so
calm y that she did not know who
assisted her in the work, although
Miss Speakman testified that she was
tho other participant in the assault.
In view of these facts, | assert that
parents and parents alone OF other law
ful guardians are the ones whom the
laws of God and man endow with this
power, and that even they should exer-
else IL sparingly. Ii this case should
accomplish nothing more than to drive
entirely out of our public schools system
corporal punishment, Lfeel that shall
have been compensated for the sorrow
and anguish have undergone on ac-
count OF the cruel treatment to my little
one. Yours, &C.,
j. Frank Ball.
Wilmington, June 22d, 1896.
Dr. Shortlidge moved that the letter
be consigned to the waste basket.
Mr Morrow thought, however, that il
should be recorded, and on his motion
IL was decided to receive and file the
communication. The matter will prob
ably terminate here.
communication from Charles Sim
mons was read atatino tbat ,,,,.o. -.