The Washington times., 1914-10-26

Rule Forty-five" of the Board OF
Education is under fire.
In effect. If not in spirit, II places
an effective obstacle in the way or
women who after marriage. wish TO
continue their careers as teachers IN
the public schools.
Whether this provision, which many
in the teaching corps regard as oo-
iectionable and obsolete shall con-
tinue in force, will be decided some
time within the next few weeks by
the Board of Education's Committee
on Rules.
The rule. which is now being at
tackled, reads: Should female
teacher marry, her place snail oe-
come vacant, provided. however that
when the marriage does not take
place until the last regular scnool
day in June she shall be paio her
full salary for the month OF June.
MANY other Eastern cities. inciud-
ing New York, have similar rules al
though in both New York and Wash-
ington there are today on the teach-
ers roll several women Win n,
bands, and some OF the scnool
officials declare that, all other Things
being equal, they prefer marrieu
women as instructors.
Sentiment in Washington.
Yet in spite Of a growing puplc
sentiment in Washington and else
where that domesticity need not un-
fit a woman to instruct the young
the rule is still in existence. anu
every once in a while, by reason OF
its presence. a teacher who marrles
is confronted with the necessity OF
abandoning her position.
Washington has not seen quite so
much Of the agitation in favor or
,ermitting married women to remain
in the schools as teachers as mas
New York. The latest New YORK
case is a typical one in the broaoiy
general fight which is being mace 10
esta blish the right Of teacher 10
become a wife and mother without
imperiling her career.
Mrs. Lora NJ. Wagner is the new
York school teacher who IS even
row asserting her right to nave a
homo and children and still remain
teacher in the citY's school sEs-
tom She declares she will hfet 10
tha last ditch the refusal or the
Sou- Work. school authorities TO grant
her wears leave Of absence so that
she might become mother: 10 tne
threat of the school authorities that
IL she absented herself wlthcut IeaHe
80. Tho school where she teaches
Gernoan action would be taken
against her. and she has replied that
SIC will not absent herself. but VIII
attend to her duties as long as her
doctor permits her TO-.
The latest case in the Washington
schools. and the one whch mas
caused Rule Forty-five' TO oe
made the subject of great deai OF
special consideration, is that Of mrs.
CIodve aIine Strong Hellman. I'm
III few months ago. at the time OF
her marriage. Mrs. Hellman was q
teacher in the graded schools OF
Washington.
Issue Put Squarely.
Trnon her marriage, being cognizant
Of the rule of the board vacating the
position of any female teacher
who shall marry she filed with the
hoard a petition asking that she be
retained as a teacher in the SCHOOLS
Mrs. Hellman was encouraged by
the sentiment growing in many OIL
the other cities favoring the reten-
ton of married women, to put the
issue squarely up to the school OIL
cials.
Her petition was submitted TO the
committee on elementary schools. OF
which Mrs Susie Root Rhodes IS
chairman. aVi by that committee II
was reported back to the Board ol
Education, accompanied by a recon-
mendation that the request, in the
light Of Rule FOrty-five. be denied.
Mrs. Hellman's position. however,
was later sent to the committee on
rules whose members may, If they
desire. vote to rescind this ruling.
The public SCHOOLS of Wash, ,ngton
present a peculiar problem to the
women teachers who wish to marry
and still retain their position. be
cause. while Rule Forty-five applies
to both the graded and the high
schools. it affects each one of them
differently.
The operation of the rule, I'm the
high schools. offers a very small OBJ
stacle to the employment of married
women as teachers.
lal ole a 2 u