The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-12-18
MIX BAD WITH THE GOOD
SCHOOL BOARD TO HAVE NO PAREN-
TAI HOME FOR INCORRIGIBLEs.
Miss Hart VIII Not BE Reinstated-NOr
VIII Board Buy Sanitary PEN
ell Distributors.

The Indianapolis School Board, at its ses-
sion last night declined to act reso-
luton providing for the reinstatement of
Miss Stella Hart, young colored teacher,
who was suspended two years ago for in
subordination. The young woman is a
member of the Hart family of musicians
She has "a number of influential friends
who in the last year, have endeavored to
get her reinstated.
Miss Hart was of the teachers at
school No. &c. Two years ago she dismissed
her school to attend the funeral of a rel
alive, and the matter was reported to the
School Board, the committee on teachers
and salaries taking up the case. AS claimed
by the young woman, she tried to COM
municate with Superintendent Goss by
telephone on the evening before the funeral
and called up Mr.. Gosss office two or three
times. Being unable to get the ear of the
superintendent, she dismissed her pupils
next day and attended the funeral. The
committee decided she guilty of in
subordination, and suspended her tenn
porarily. She came back again and taught
until the end of the year, but in the fol-
lowing June when the board made out the
new list of teachers, the superintendent
failed to recommend Miss Hart for reap
pointment. The matter came up again last
| night in the form of a resolution submitted
| by Commissioner Sloan 1t was urged that
| inasmuch as another colored teacher is re-
| uuired that Miss Hart having been suff-
| GENTLY punished for her breach of the
| boards rules, be re-employed. The resou-
| ton provoked IL good deal of discussion.
| Commissioner Vonnegut, chairman of the
committee on teachers and salaries, said
| he did not like the way in which the board
was going behind this matter. He did not
| think the commissioners understood the real
| facts in the case. Mr. Vonnegut seemed
| to think that characterization not the
only charge against Miss Hart. He init
mated that the word 'fncompetency'' had
| been used at the time the matter first came
up Mr.. Adam said this was not his under
| standing of the case. If he remembered
correctly Superintendent Goss, in reporting
the facts, had said nothing about Miss Hart
| being incompetent as a teacher. The COM
| missioner had understood she was inclined
| to be bit fiippant and her conduct in
| the schoolroom was not just what it should
| be. Mr.. Goss interrupted the commissioner,
| stating that he had used the word Gin
| competent" Mr.. Adam insisted that moth
! ing had been said about Miss Harris ability
| as teacher. and afterward the superin-
tendent admitted he may have said i'm.
pertinency' instead of "incompentency.
|
| mittee teachers and salaries 1t was said
| by a member of the board that one of the
| principals at 49, objected to Miss Hart.
NO PARENTAL HOME.
| The board turned down recommendation
| of the committee on teachers and salaries
on the parental home question in con-
| nection with the new truant law. Recently
| number of complaints have been made by
| patrons of the school concerning the incor-
| rigihlaS bpipp forced MT no NV
| the truant officers. 1t is claimed that many
| of these youngsters, brought in from the
| streets, are unfit to mngle with the more
| respectable children. Some of the boys
| smoke cigarettes and are generally vicious.
| The law provides for a separate in
stitution for this class of children 1t is
called a Parental Home" and may be
| erected out of the special tax levy imposed
| for the purpose of carrying out the pro-
| visions of the compulsory education law.
While the members of the board have I'M
| derstood such an institution could not be
| erected this year, temporary school of de-
| tention has been talked of to meet the i'm
| mediate needs in this direction. The reso-
| luton last night recommended that build
| ing be rented for this purpose in the central
part of the city and that all the 'tncor
| rigibles' be sent there. Commissioner Roth
| was one Of the first to attack the resolution
| He said ii was out of the question for the
| board to talk of establishing. this sort of
| not permit it. Mr.. Roth moved to table the
resolution, and the majority of the board
voted with him.
The question Of supplying the schools
with sanitary pencil distributors and ster-
| ilizing ovens to prevent the spread of dis
| ease was settled finally by the board
| These purchases will not be made. 1t was
proposed to buy $3.50 pencil distributors at
So. rs each and twenty large. sterilizing ovens
at SIPS each. This would necessitate an
outlay of funds amounting to about 81, 400
Commissioner Sloan opposed the plan. He
said that pencil holders could be placed on
the desk of each pupil, and these would not
cost more than two or three cents each
He believed they would answer the purpose
as well as the distributors. Commissioners
Scott rather favored the distributors He
thought Mr.. Sloan's plan impracticable
from the fact that the ordinary schoolboy
will insist on Swapping his pen or pencil
with his neighbor. Mr. Vonnegut was not
in favor of spending 81 400 in this way, and
suggested that one hundred distributors be
purchased Commissioner Maxwell said
there were hundreds of ways in which
itary measures could be observed in the
schools without great expense The board
after u long argument, came to the conclu-
sion the schools could. get along with the
ordinary observance of sanitary rules, and
declined to adopt any of the numerous
schemes suggested.
The university extension course. in which
| the board took some stock Il few weeks ago.
also proved a fruitful source of argument
| When the course was organized. early this
winter the superintendent of the schools
with the permission of the board arranged
| with the University Extension Club for d
| ries of special lectures for teachers. The
| School Board appropriated an amount to
| aid in defraying the expenses of the course
| All teachers of the public schools who de-
| sired to hear the lectures We're invited to
| purchase tickets at 81. These tickets en-
| titled the holder to hear the entire series
| of lectures. Many of the teachers took adj
| vantage of the offer and have been at
tending the lectures. Last night it was an
| nounced the board had an uneXpended ball
ance of SITS of the fund appropriated for
| the lecture course. 1t was derided to donaie
| this money to the University Extension
| Club on condition that all teachers who
| have not held tickets to the lectures be per-
| mitted to attend the remainder of the
| course.
| On the recommendation of the committee
| on teachers and salaries. Thomas Sims was
| elected to the position of assistant professor
| in physics at the High School. He will sue
| coed Bertrand Downey, who has resigned.
| Leonard W. Wohlstrom was appointed an
| assistant at the Manual Training School,
| his appointment to date from Jan. g.
| TEACHERS EXAMINATIONS.
| The board went into a committe of the
whole and adopted Commissioner Bakers
| resolution regulating the examination of
| teachers, which is as follows:
The superintendent of schools is here
| by directed to hold examinations for all
| grades of certificates issued by this board
| in the Industrial Training building on the
! last Saturday in April. 1898. The superin-
| tendent is further directed to hold in the
| Industrial Training building the last
| Saturday in August, 1895 beginning a $3.50
! a. m, examinations for temporary and high
| school certificates. All teachers at present
employed in the high and Industrial Train