The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1915-01-16
DESIRABLE STANDARDS
FOR A GOOD SCHOOL
Extracts from an Article Published
in the New England School
Journal on Sanitation.

~ vi L aOAl( a Ddll-
phlet Desirable Physical Standards
of a good School" Copies OF these
may be secured by addressing the
County Superintendent of Schools,
Henry M. Gresham, Egg Harbor
City, N. j.
Recently DR.. Thomas D. Wood of
Columbia, Chairman on the Commit
tee of Health Problems of the Ma
tional Council of Education has writ
ten an article for the New England
School Journal minimum Sanitary
requirements for Rural Schools"
We have copied therefrom statements
here and there that may be well
worth considering by those who are
interested in the Improvement of our
town and rural schools.
Location and Surroundings
Accessibility-Not more than two
miles from the most distant home,
if the children walk.
Drainage-School ground must be
well drained and as dry as possible.
Ii natural drainage is not adequate
artificial subsoil drainage should be
provided.
Soil-As every rural school-ground
should have trees, shrubs and a real
garden OF experimental farm, the
soil of the school-grounds should be
fertile and tillable. If the soil is
muddy when wet, a good layer of sand
and fine gravel should be used to
make the children's playground as
useful as possible in all kinds of
weather.
Size of School-grounds
For the schoolhouse and playground
at least three acres are required.
Playground is not a luxury but a ne
cessity.
Arrangements of Grounds-The
schoolgrounds should have trees,
plants and shrubs grouped with ar
tistic effect but without interfering
with the children's playground.
SchOolhouse
The schoolhouse should be made as
nearly fireproof as possible. Doors
should always open outward and the
main door should have a covered en-
trance; a separate fuel room should
be provided, also separate cloak-rooms
for boys and for girls.
A basement or cellar, if provided,
should be well ventilated and abso-
lutely dry.
The one-teacher country school
should contain, in addition to the
classroom:
(a) A small retiring room, not
less than eight by ten feet, to be used
as an emergency DON in case of i'll
ness or accident, for a teachers con-
ference room, for school library and
for health inspection, a feature now
being added to the work of the rural
school.
(b) A small entrance hall. not less
than six by eight feet.
tc) A small room, not less than
eight by ten feet, for a workshop,
for instruction in cooking, and for
the preparation of refreshments when
the school is used, as it should be,
for social purposes.
Classroom should not be less than
thirty feet long, twenty feet wide
and twelve feet high. This will pro
vide space enough for a maximum of
thirty pupils.
Ventilation and Heating
The schoolroom should always re-
ceive fresh air coming directly from
out of doors in one of the following
arrangements:
(a) Through wide open windows in
mild weather.
(b) Through window board venti-
lators under all other conditions, ex-
cept when, with furnace or jacketed
stove, special and adequate inlets and
exits for air are provided.
Heating-Unless furnace or some
other basement system of heating is
installed, at least a properly iacketed
stove is required. (No unjacketed
stove should be tolerated in any
school.)
The jacketed stove should have a
direct fresh air inlet about twelve in
ches square, opening through the
wall of the schoolhouse into the jack
ct against the middle or hottest part
of the stove.
The exit for foul air should be
through an opening at least sixteen
inches square on the wall near the
floor, On the same side of the room as
the stove is located.
Temperature-Every school should
have a thermometer, and the temper
ature in cold weather should be kept
between sixty-six and sixty-eight Fab
renheit.
Lighting
The schoolroom should receive an
abundance of light, sufficient for dark
est days, with all parts of the room
adequately illuminated.
The area of glass in windows should
be from one-fifth to one-quarter of
the floor urea.
The best arrangement, according to
present ideas, is to have the light
come only from the left side of the
pupils and from he long wall of the
classroom. Windows may be allow
ed on rear as well as on the left
side. High windows not less than
seven feet from the floor may be per-
mitted On the right side as an aid
to ventilation, but not for light
ing,
The school building should so face
with reference to the windows that
the schoolroom will receive the di-
rect sunlight at some time during the
day.
Shades should be provided at tops
and bottoms of windows with the dark