The Prescott daily news., 1915-02-01
RURAL SCHOOL SANITATION

In 1911 the National Council of Education of the National Education ASocation appointed a committee on health problems in education. At the same time, the Council on Health and
 fuolc Instruction of the American Medical Association appointed a com mlttee to cooperate with the National Education Association on this subject.
 lheSe two committes, acting as joint committee, have for three years been working in this field The signif- canoe and practical value of the CO., ordination of the efforts of the teach ing and medical professions of the United States is apparent. The pos slbllltles of such cooperation can hardly be overestmated. After care ful consideration, the committee was unanimous in feeling that possibly the most important and certainly the most neglected field in school hygiene was the problem of rural school sani- tatlon. When an effort was made to formulate plans and remedies, how ever, 1t was soon realized that al though everyone was agreed as to the paramount importance of this field, there was little, if any, definite infor- maton available regarding actual con-
 ditions. It seemed necessary, there fore, that before any remedies were proposed or even discussed, a reason able amount of data should be se- cured. Fortunately these conclusions were completely in harmony with the views and policies of the United States Bureau of Education As Hon. P. P. Claxton, the commissioner, was member of the joint committee, it was possible to develop a plan for the study of rural school conditions in which all the forces interested could unite. During the spring of 1913, field secretary employed by the joint committee made careful statistical and photographic survey of about one hundred rural schools in four eastern states. At the same time, Prof F.
 B. Dresslar of the Peabody College for Teachers of Nashville, Tenn, spe- cial agent of the federal Bureau of Education, was collecting a large mass of material on country school houses in different states. Additional material was secured from various sources, principally through state boards of health. All of this infor- nation has been carefully collated, with the result that Bulletin 12 of the United Stats Bureau of Education, en- titled Rural Schoolhouses and Grounds" contains in it's two hun dred pages probably more informa- tion on this subject than has ever be- fore been collected For the details of this survey, the large mass of il- luminating facts brought out and general conclusions drawn therefrom
 the reader is referred to the report itself, which can be secured from the Bureau of Education at Washington
 As result of this study, the joint committee of the National Education Association and the American Medi- cal Association has prepared state ment of minimum requirements for rural schools being a summary of those conditions of location, construc
 tion and equipment which are the very least that should be tolerated in rural schools, being a summary of those conditions of location, construction and equipment which are the very least that should be tolerated in rural schools. This pamphlet can be se- cured from the Bureau of Education at Washington, from Dr. Thomas D. Wood of Columbia University. New York City, or from the American Medical Association. For the first time in the history of education and sanitation in this country, a reason ably comprehensive collection of facts regarding the sanitary condition of rural schools has been made and a standard of minimum sanitary re quirements formulated. Parents, teachers, school boards, health off cers and the general public have now been given a standard easily applied and within the physical and economic possibilities of any community. Ad- option of this standard says The Jour ,,o+o q, ,., ;,,c+ +l,o ro+on+io,, of tho ,ub