Putnam patriot., 1914-11-13
MONTHLY REPORT
Superintendent MOwry Gives Account of
 Schools
Closed Schools Opened. Epidemic of Dis-
 ease Ayerted
To the School Committee:

23 over the registration reported at your meeting October !. The present membership, 663, is fl less than was reported last month. This decrease is due to removal from the membership list of the children who are quaran- tined at the Childrenis Home in the Sawyer District. The average mem- bership for October was Sol, the aver age attendance GIT. 747 1.2 absence of pupils and 110 cases of tardiness are re- ported by the teachers, increases res- pectively of 2s7 l.2 and 76 over similar figures for September. The present re- port, however, covers a period of five weeks while the preceding report was for three weeks. BIT pupils have had a record of perfect attendance for the month.
 The Sawyer District school, which was closed with your sanction October ?, because one of the pupils was sick with scarlet fever, was reopened, ex. cept for the children living at the Children's Home, upon October l9. In the meantime the school building had been thoroughly fumigated and clean. ed. The spread of scarlet fever in the Children's Home has proven the wis dom of our action in closing the school.
 1 have reported to you, individually, that Miss Clara Burrill, teacher in the primary room at the Smith Street school, is i'll with diphtheria. With your approval the building is closed and will be fumigated. As it is possi- bic that some of the pupils have been exposed to the disease, it is very advis. able that the school remain closed for ten days or two weeks.
 I have watched the prevalence of dlphtheria in the vicinity of Israel Putnam school with considerable con- cern. Fortunately only two of the children afflicted have been members of the school. We have promptly ex- cluded from school, not only the chii- dren in the same family with the dis eased person, but also all children liv- ing in the same house. 1 am pleased to report that the quarantine has been removed from all houses in the vicini- ty of the school. 1 hope there may be no further spread of the disease.
 Putnam is apparently not alone in he of pnnfauinnG among school children at this time. l am told that schools in several other sections of southern New England have been closed because of it. 1 want to strongly recommend the adoption by the school board of definite rules bearing upon the exclusion from school of children whom the teachers may suspect of having some contagious or infectious disease, or who live in the same home or the same house with persons who have such disease. This will enable prompt action to be taken by the teacher and will tend to safe- guard the other pupils. We compel tllt ot ch oNhOOt Ahf accc rdance with the laws of the town and state. l believe it is our duty to these children and their parents to protect the health of all pupils by every precaution. 1 hope, too, that Putnam may in the near future adopt definite system of medical inspec- tion, a measure which is proving it's value in a rapidly growing number of cities and towns of our country.
 During the past month have, with the cooperation of your supply com mittee, purchased the years stock of paper and other school supplies. This does not include all the books that may be needed, but does comprise the bulk of other material which the schools will use in the routine work. In accordance with your vote at the last meeting the old Underwood type writers at the High school have been replaced with new ones and two addi- tionaI new machines purchased. This arrangement has supplied us with eight new Underwood machines at total cost of Sl30. The remaining equipment at the High school consists of ithree Remington machines and smith Premier, all in good condition.
 The annual state teachers eonven- ton was held in Hartford October g. All the teachers of this town attended the sessions except few to whom l gave permission to visit schools and two whom 1 excused because of poor health. 1 understand it is the purpose of the state teachers association to hold it's meetings next year in four places instead of two. One of these will be in eastern Connecticut, at Nil. limantic, Norwich or New London. Such an arrangement would be very much more convenient for Putnam teachers than the one which now pre-. vails. 1 question whether the inspira- tion and the very little practical help which such conventions afford the teachers compensate for the long jour- ney and the considerable expense which attendance at meeting in Hartford necessitates.
 Respectfully submitted,
 Wendell 4. Mowry,
 superintendent of schools.