Norwich bulletin., 1915-12-31

| over many books before they came to | town meeting Thursday night to talk | over medical inspection in the schools | of Norwich. and so primed were they | with statutes and public acts and | questions of constitutionality that the
 medical aspects of the situation were | somewhat overshadowed. At least,
 the lawyers did considerably more | talking than the doctors. who of course | are expected to do the work. The up- 1 shot of the hour and a half session ! was that the resolution to provide an | additional $500 in addition to the S10O | already appropriated was voted down | by S2 ballots to Is, after the sugges- | tiOn had been made to hold special ! meetings later to turn over by vote of | the citizens the duties of the prospec- 1 tive medical inspector or inspectors | to the health officers.
 l Resolution for $500 Additional.
 Henry H. Pettis, town counsel, act | ing as chairman of the meeting by re- | quest Of Selectman C. K. Bailey. called the meeting to order at s, and Town | Clerk HolbroOk read the call. Presi- ! dent Charles O. Murphy of the town school board gave a summary of the state of affairs in regard to medical inspection in the schools. He said that since the annual town meeting and the appropriation of S1OO every physician in the town had been ap- preached and had refused to do the | work On the other hand, the state 1 board of education will request the comptroller to withhold the state grant
 or about Sl4,OOO to the schools of Nor
 wich if the school board does not con-
 form to the laws of the state regarding ! medical inspection. Mir Murphy read
 a letter from Secretary Charles D.
 Hine to drive home this point, and he
 said that the matter had been taken
 up with the comptroller directly with
 the same ultimatum- The town school
 committee believes that when the true
 condition is known the money neces- 1 Sary will be raised to pay for inSDec-
 ton. He referred to the closing of the Laurel Hill and Bridge district schools. | bringing loss to the community that ! cannot be rCsained. Under proper
 medical inspection this loss could have
 been avoided. His resolution to ap- propriate the sum of $500 in addition
 U the sum of S1OO appropriated was i seconded by Dr. r. J. Cassidy of the school board.
 Statutes on School Inspection. , Attorney Amos A. Browning asked fo- the laws in regard to medical in SFeCtlOn in schools and Chairman Fettis read two statutes in the public acts, one passed in 1907 and the other al the last session of the legislature, The original statute provided that the
 beard of &. hsnI visitors board of edu- 9 DCint one or more school physicians I provide them with necessary facih- ties, etc, that every school physician $ 1 shall make a prompt examination oi f | children when notified or of teachers r janitors or other things that may af-
 l feet the health of the children, that q r careful examination be made once in a | every school year. and other articles n l all of which were read at length. The g second statute provides that cities ana 5 towns of over 10000 shall appoint
 l ard cities and towns under 10000 may
 | appoint, school physicians. It was tn,
 oTinion of MT. Pettis that the appoint. - ment of such a medical inspector is k l obligatory on the town of Norwich.
 Three Divisions in the Town. , In answer to a question from Mir = Browning, Supt. F. J. Graham told how IF the inspection would be carried out N He had looked up the matter in othe - towns throughout the state and hi . idea was that Norwich should be di Il vided into three divisions, with on <. physician for each division, while ther = should be a nurse to act with the doc - tor. The expense in other places | r. trCm S250 to $375. In Meriden, whicl d is about the same size as Norwich r. there are three physicians. receivinl C S@5O each, and each has from 1000 L = 1,5O0 pupils. In New Britain there ar V three divisions, and each doctor get " $G75 apiece, with about twice as man, :: pupils to examine. there being 5000 il h. l the system. If medical inspection -- would do one thing, keep us frOI n, closing our schools, the town wouI s- be warranted in establishing it. le does that in New Britain, Merider " South Manchester, where the school es have not been closed for a day eXcep m for Immigration. In Norwich. the Lau e. rel Hill school has been closed thi
 year for seven weeks and the Bridg h. school for three weeks and last yea za for four, while the Hobart avenu aI school lost a third of a year last yea IA The character of the work is prevent ad i've; the doctor does not treat the cas n, at all; the parents are simply notifie r. and may take the child to the famil
 ply Sician or to whom they pleas an Medical inspection is a great proteC in tion to the children in the schools an Is would save great deal of education; in and economic loss. There is not a cit ar in the state the size of Norwich ths ,h has not medical inspection.
 k Good Results in Other Schools. .,i .,i Mir. Graham told w. W. Beckwit ,I1 | that the system had been going fiS p years in Meriden and in South Mar 4 chester with no epidemics and oS ! Mjddletown the town schools applied is have the city inspection extended. u- Law is crudeIy Drawn.
 70 Attorney John H. Barnes said tn IT he regarded the act of the last legi m III lature as unconstitutional They hs t9' no right to say what towns over
 under 10000 shall or shall not do. Al mt there is just as much chance of pr, as tecting the child under the law of 19 lal as under that of 1915. The law doesr lth Say that the inspector has got to il ng spect a thing. Attorney Barn ay thought that the act was crude as drawn. The yearly examination do es- not specify the school inspector. I nd, thought it perfectly feasible to do ol- in New York city, where the scho ,w, children are given cards and go
 their own physician to have them Al ew ed out and bring them back to scho Ice It is up to the teacher, if the child 1t- sick, to send the child home or ere send for the physician. It is just 'he feasible to send the child home al As- have its own doctor or the health c Ln- fiCer look out for 1t. Only 3S out ent the l 50 towns of the state have talk in advantage of the statute. Let VI
 euogh alone, he said.
 Attorney Barnes read statute !
 2257 and said he would like to see ! The Hine or anyone else tell the comptroll ast what he shall do about paying t fin school grant. He asked as he s .ht. down how the physician could st