The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1912-04-30
SUB-NORMAL PUPILS
SCHOOL TRAINING
Educators Name Committees 10
Consider CIaSsifiCatiOnS.

Meeting with some fifty county and
city superintendents at the Industrial
Art school in Trenton, the state board
of education discussed a proposed
building code for public schools and
the methods to - pted for carry
ing out the plos ls of the law of
last year providing Tor the classifica-
ton and special training of children
who are below the normal.
Although offering many suggestions
for changes in minor details, the
county and city superintendent agreed
in the main with tas building code
which had been O. fitted at the in
stance of the state board. The ques-
ton of training subnormal children
presented a more complex problem
and one upon which a variety of
views were expressed In the first
place there was a difference of opin-
ion as to the intent of the law, in
volving the definition Of subnormal
children, and this initial difference
naturally led to diverse views as to
their classification and treatment.
The immediate outcome of the ses-
sion, following very frank inter-
change of views, was the appoint
ment of two committees to consider
the different propositions brought up
and submit recommendation to the
state board in accordance with the
concensus of opinion expressed at
the meeting. Former Senator ,Jo-
seph s. Fre1inghuysen, who presided
in the absence of President Schauffer,
named as the committee on building
code City Superintendents Henry Sny-
der, of Jersey City; Vernon l.. Davey
lantic City, and County Superintend-
ents B. G.. Wooster, of Bergen; j. S.
Hoffmrie, of Burlington, and j. Fl.
Hulsart, of Morris. These superin-
tendents will confer with the advisory
committee of the state board.
AS committee to further consider
the subject of subnormal children,
the chair appointed City Superintend-
ents A. B. Poland, of Newark; James
h. Bryan, of Camden; S. e. Scull, of
Perth Amboy, and j. H. Carr, of Bay
onne, and County Superintendents j.
j. Savitz, of Union; John Enright,
of Monmouth, and H. G. Krebs, of
Somerset. They will serve with Con-
missioner Kendall. Assistant Com
missioner Mirick and the committee
on Deaf Mute school OF the state
board
Commissioner Calvin N. Kendall
outlined a general scheme for carry
ing on the investigation to determine
what children in each community are
below the normal to an extent re-
quiring the formation of special
classes of instruction under the law.
His report was made the basis for the
deliberation of the conference. It
was generally concnrred in by the
educators present. 1t was proposed
by the commissioner that the state
department, cooperating with the
local boards, should furnish requisi-
ton cards go arranged as to indicate.
in a general way, how many pupils
iii each school are retarded in their
studies, and to what extent.
1t was suggested that the state de-
partment, upon request of local
board through the city or county su-
perintendent, should send trained
with the local teachers to the end
that the problem of the proper Sc
lection and care of the mentally sub
ltOi mai I1dy De WISELY Hdlluicu.
In general way, Commissioner
Kendall said that children three years
or more below the normal, to whom
the law refers, might be grouped in
tc three general classes; namely, mis-
cellaneous, incorrigibles and mentally
subnormal. The first class might
consist of foreign-born children who
do not know the English language,
children who have entered school
late, or have been irregular attend
ants, and physical detectives.
In the second class the commits
sioner included the habitually lawless
These children he described as the
ones whose influence is harmful to
the moral health of the school.
In the third class Commissioner
Kendall placed the mentally subnor
NAL children. The study so far given
to this class, he said, has disclosed
the subtlety and difficulty of the edu
cational problems that they involve
DR.. Kendall quoted description oi
mentally sub-normal children made
by superintendent Johnstone and DIR
Goddard of the Vineland Training
school. which had been used success
fully by Superintendent Maxson, oi
Plainfield, and his teachers.