Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-03-06
School Dangers.

The Cleveland school disaster has re-
suited already in general searching out
OF conditions in all the cities, with the
view of ascertaining in what respects the
local school equipments are safe. Some
disquieting results are being here and
there developed. In the news columns of
The Star today, for instance, appears
case in point. The Morgan School, an
eight-room building. Is at this time not
merely badly overcrowded. having eighty
more pupils than were originally estimated
as its capacity, but it is dangerously
faulty in the arrangement of the classes
the weakest children, the kindergartenerS,
who would in a time of excitement be
the most helpless. being located at the
top of the building. and in the middle.
farthest removed from the stairways.
This condition at the Morgan School re-
suits in part from the midwinter pro-
arrangement of pupils throughout the
District and have worked numerous cases
of hardship in the separation of children
from the schools which they were accus-
stoned to attend In the readjustment the
kindergarten classes were shifted about
from point to point being assigned at
oiic tilIIt " TIC bdSciuSlil anu
upon the advice of the health officer, given
two small rooms on the second floor. little
more than closets, each room being 10 feet
by 22 in size In case of fire these tots
would be blocked off from the stairways
by the classes from the four corner rooms,
which would reach the steps first.
The condition in the Morgan School in
this respect does not bear out Supt.
Stuart's statement quoted in an inter-
view that in the District the little chill
dren are all on the ground floors, whereas
in Cleveland the smaller pupils were on
the upper floor of the building that
burned. A correspondent, whose letter is
printed today, points out that in the
Johnson Annex School, also, the kinder
gardeners on the second floor, and
this in a wooden building heated by
stoves.
In a general way the school authorities
appear to be satisfied that everything
has been done that is possible to lessen
the fire danger but the instances cited
suffice to INDICATE the need of prompt
remedies. There should be temporary re-
lief for the overcrowding, which in the
case of the Morgan School amounts to an
average of ten pupils to a room. There
should be vigorous efforts to apply the
permanent measures of relief. The school
authorities are impatient with the dila-
tory building practices of the District
government, and at the last meeting of
the school board an inquiry disclosed the
fact that nothing was being done to ex-
pend the appropriations available for a
number of buildings, badly needed to ac-
commcdate the increased school popula-
ton. For example, an appropriation has
for a year been available for a new six
teen-room building in the close vicinity of
the Morgan School. Yet no work has
been undertaken To execute this project
With money in hand for extensions,
additions and new structures, these cases
of overcrowding should never occur. In
any case, there is no warrant for putting
forty kindergarten children on the top
floor of schoofhouse. in such position
that in a rush for the doors they would
be the last to reach the stairs. The
Cleveland disaster plainly points to the
necessity of all immediate change in at
least this respect.