Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1910-06-17
| MOTHERS PETITION
WAS TURNED DOWN
Board Refused Their Re-
quest BY Vote of 7 TO 4
Rumored Mothers May
FioId Meeting to Con-
slider Matter.

BY a vote of seven to four, two
members being absent, the Board OF
Education turned down the unani-
nous petition of the mothers of the
girls attending the High School and
adhered to the original determination.
to place a teaching force composed
entirely of men in the II gh School.
The petition or protest was signed
by the mothers of practically ali
OF the girls attending the High
School, 1t was an earnest, digDified,
yet forceful request ghat there be at
least one OF two lady teachers in the
High School, pointing out that the in
terests of the g rls demanued this.
The vote on the proposition to
amend the resolution recently adopt
ed so as to permit ofe the engagement
of one or more lady teachers was
voted down. The vote stood as fol-
lows:
For entire male force: J. E. d.
8hipp, e. b. Everett, j. e. Hightower
]. w. Hightower, w. c. Sullivan, Ed.
ward Sheffield, Arthur RyIander-7.
For employment of one or more IA
dy teachers Messrs. John A. Cobb,
Frank P. Harold, w. A. Dodson, John
b. Felder-4.
Absent-Messrs. G. w. Glover, ]. f.
Mathis.
There was an animated discussion
over the petition. Those in favor of
granting the request of the mothers
of the girls attending the H gh School
insisted that the Board owed a duty
to the mothers of the city, that their
wishes in this respect should be grant
ed. and that it was but reasonable
that there should be at least one lady
engaged in the High School service.
Those opposing were equally posi-
tive in their opin on that no necessity
| existed for a change in the rule thai
had been adopted providing for an
was pointed out that there would be
one lady teacher in the building, Miss
Sarah Cobb, of the Rees Park pli-
mary grade, which will be quarterea
in the build ng, and that this was
adequate.
y On the other hand the supporters
of the mothers petition pointed out
that it would be destructive to dis
cipline to have a teacher in lower
grade put in a position where she
must have daily relations with the up
per grade school, that the recess
hour and the closing hour of the pri-
mary department were not the same
as those of the H gh School. and that
T>would not be possible for the teach
er of the Rees Park primary school
to give attention to the girls of the
High School.
The discussion is said to have been
quite animated, but the result was a
defeat for the mothers petition and
its supporters.
The statement is made that the
mothers of the High School girls W Il
not rest content with their effort CT
Wednesday night, but will wage the
battle further for a lady teacher in
the High School. 1t has even been
intimated that a meeting of the moth
ers will be called to consider the ad-
visibility of declining to permit the =
daughters to attend the school unless
| at least one lady teacher is engaged.
There is no doubt that the question
has aroused considerable more feel
ing than was at first anticipated and
that there is a likelihood of consider
able bitterness over tie matter as It
now stands, the mothers believing
that tlfeir interest in their daughters
should have been a sufficient reason
for the Board of Education to ha
recognized their petition and acquies1-
ed in their wishes.