The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-10-08
| office:
| BURKE
| BUILDING
PEPPERY TALK
OVER SCHOOL LINES

Warm Discussion at School Board
Meeting over Crowding Of Certain
Pupils and Alleged Discrimination
Against These Same Scholars,
An Exchange Between President
Hughes and Superintendent Carr.
Raft Of Bills, Amounting to Over
Two Thousand Dollars. Ordered
Paid.
Thc first meeting of the school board
since the opening of the present school
year. took place last night. There wa"
Just a quorum present. President
Hughes, SECRETARY kerwin and Dircc-
tors Gallagher ana Evans answering
TO the roll
Following the precedent of the
board, matters over which there might
he an issue were not taken up. routine
business only being disposed of.
Increased Attendance.
The first monthly report of schools
fol! tho year 1901 was presented by ST.
perintcndent Carr. An interesting
item Of the report was the increased
attendance of pupils over the month Of
Scptembcr, 1900. The increase. how
ever. was not large. The attendance
during September, 1900. was 2.45l. and
this year. 2.AIS. The average attend
rncc was also higher last month than
in September of last year. ?3 per cent.
for September. 1900. and % per cent.
for the month just closed.
Superintendent's Recommendations
Superintendent Carr made few
recommendations. which the board be-
lieved to be worthy and which were
adopted.
The most important was that teach
crs of the same grade he directed to
visit among each other, that they
might make observations of the meth
ods of instruction that would be help"
full. Another recommendation was
that suitable Songs be provided for
each school. so as 10 bring about
more uniformity in dismissing pupils.
The board then took up IA raft of
bills, amounting to over two thousand
dollars. which We're directed to be
paid. These claims We're chiefly for
school supplies. desks. books. the new
chemical labratory at the High school.
etc.
President Hughes came forward in
the cause of the teachers. suggesting
TO the board that no deductions be
made in their salaries for days which
they might be absent by reason of
sickness or other causes for which they
were not responsible. His suggestion
was acted on. and it was decided tC
rely on the Judgment of Superintend
ent Carr to determine whether the
cause of absence was Il good one.
There was quite a spirited discus
sion when the matter of the attend
ance of pupils at schools where they
do not belong, and of alleged crowdiny
out of other children from their proper
schools, was placed before the board
for action. Nos. l. >, 3 and . were the
schools involved
Nj. Carr urged that. to avert n dis
turbance, no change be made in the
situation. 1t was question. he said
OF caring for tn" pupils or turning
them out in The streets. President
HuShcs strongly declared that there
vas discrimination and insisted that
the rules of the board would have to
be oheyed in the cause of justice.
Mr.. Carr suggested that the children
were now being comfortably cared for
and that the rules should be made
flexible, to suit the public good. ''rhe
schools he concluded, are for the
public good.
Complaints of the alleged discrin,-
nation had been received from parents.
and this explains why the matter was
taken up. The purpose was to maxi.
provision for the scholars who were
suffering.
Some Warm Talk.
There was Il sharp exchange between
President Hughes and Superintendent
Carr towards the close of the discus
sion. Mr.. Carr vigorously opposed any
change III the situation. Mr.. Hughes
was equally firm in his opinion that
there was gross discrimination and re-
Sented what he declared was dictation
ON the part of the superintendent.
Matters We're beginning to get decided
~ choleric, but gradually cooled.
though not until Mr., Carr took the op-
portunity to say something about
Knowing what his duties We're; of his
having discharged them 50 far and of
his purpose to continue doing so.
The matter ended with the UNDER
standing that steps would be taken to
have the rules OF the board. with re-