The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-06-07
DON'T DO IT.
School Board Shouldn't Try to
Justify
Any Kind of Clicking" ofPupils
in Public Schools.
EDUCATION is PAST
Ihat Sort of Thing in School
or Anywhere Nowadays.
Any Person Who Strikes a Child
is a Barbarian.

The Topeka board of education last
evening in regular session became in
volved in one of the most stubborn
tangleS since the days of textbook dis
putes. The business of the board went
along smoothly until Mr.. S, c. Miller
as chairman of the committee which
investigated the Laptad whipping case
from Harrison school. offered the fol-
lowing report which precipitated the
discussion:
Your committee on teachers and
salaries to whom was referred the Lap
TAD case for their investigation, begs
4eaEe TO report as follows: That after
ruiz and complete investigation, in
winch all the witnesses produced by
both sides were heard, we unanimous
ly agree that the punishment admin
1stered py Mrs. Sturgis was not unduly
severe, and we therefore recommend
that the teachers, Mrs. Price and Mrs.
Sturgis, be exonerated'
Mrs Henry Laptad was present at
the meeting with her attorney, Mrs
Lucia o. Case. When this report had
been read and President Priddy asked
II there were any remarks to be made
Mrs. Case stepped forward and said:
gentlemen, there seems to have been
a mistake here. Mrs. Laptad is a. lone
woman. She did not understand about
this. 0 fathers, 1 ask you, would you
see your little S-year-old child, for a
childish act, whipped by a teacher I'M
til its little flesh was bruised and swoI-
len? Would you allow such an inhu-
man thing? Mrs. Laptad supports
these children by working. She is
janitor of the court house. 1 hone
you will do what is right in this matter
Should these teachers be exonerated
for violating the rules of the board
and the express orders of the parents 20
Rev. NJ. c. Long: Il wasn't going to
say anything, but I believe that there
hasn't been a fair shake in this case
made some investigations in the mat
q nd al rio
ing to vote against this report"
Judge L. S. Ferry: THE committee
has tried to investigate this case fairly
I am sure the board would come to the
same conclusion had they heard the
evidence"
S. c. Miller: MY brother here on the
left Grew NJ. G. Long, would have
you think that the committee had been
dishonest in this case. That is unfair.
We conducted the case very carefully
ana 1t is wrong to accuse US of it."
Rev NJ. G. Long: Il didn't accuse
the committee of being unfair. Our
rule says that a pupil shall not be
punished unless the consent of the
parent is obtained. Now, there was
a violation of this rule. It is an out
rage
S. c. Miller: This was not a. special
case"
William McFerran: well when
this whipping was done and the prin-
cipal was not present it was a violation
of another of our rules
s. c. Miller: Some would have you
think we wanted to make these chill
dren out bad. That is remote from our
intention"
Rev. NJ. C. Long: Now. Mr. Miller,
in the capital city do you think it is
right for our teachers to start to whip
the child and then go and ask another
teacher what she would do, and then go
back and whip the child? 1t looks as
if they got angry and We're now
ashamed to admit their mistake
The matter was decided by contin-
uing the hearing of the case at the next
meeting of the board It was limited
that the case might be opened up and
more testimony taken. This brought
forth from the members of the investi-
eating committee groan, and they
each spoke their thoughts
3 c. Miller: DO you mean before
the committee or the board? If it's the
committee. then I'm done with it,
Judge I. S. Ferry: I'm done with
it,
w. H. Wilson: I'm getting tired of
this. I'm done"
With this the Laptad case was
dropped until the next meeting Mr.
I. 7. Gage was appointed by the board