The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1917-01-19
SANITATION IN
RURAL SCHOOLS
Recommendations Made BY tho
Public Health Services.
IMPORTANCE OF HYGIENE

A Sanitary and Medical Survey Of Per.
ter County, Ind, Was Made Last Year
by tho Government Service and Was
Embodied In General Rules Of Wide
Applicability.
Because Of the recognized impcr-
lance Of school hygiene to public
health and on request Of the Indiana
state board of health and the Porter
county Qnd.) health and school on
Gals sanitary and medical survey Of
the rural schools of Porter county was
made by the United States public
health service last year. This invesh-
CATION included sanitary survey Of
school locations and buildings, study
of the physical fitness Of rural school
children and mental tests OF these chill
dren. On the basis of the results OBJ
tanned recommendations were made to
the health and school authorities of
Porter county. Since these recommen-
dations are of general applicability
they have been included in United
States public health bulletin No, II,
issued under the title Rural School
Sanitation" They are as follows:
Especial effort should be made to
consolidate an additional number of
rural schools Of the county wherever
this may be practicable.
In cases where consolidation cannot
be accomplished a number Of rural
schools should be remodeled so as to
render them sanitary.
Greater attention should be given to
the daylight illumination of a number
Of classrooms of the county. Windows
should be rearranged and the interior
decorations selected to meet the re-
quirements of light diffusion most de-
sirable for visual comfort.
All Of the schools of the county should
be provided with sanitary privies for
the protection Of the school water sup
ply and as an example in personal and
public hygiene.
Each school in the county unconnect-
ed with general water system should
be provided with individual sources Of
water for drinking purposes. These
should be properly protected against
surface drainage. Furthermore, the
practice of obtaining the water for
school purposes from neighboring farm
houses should be discontinued.
The heating Of classrooms by closed
stoves should be prohibited and great
er attention given to the upkeep and
installation of heating plants.
Ventilation by the routine opening Of
windows should be requirement, and
the installation of protected openings
to the outside air should be provided
in all classrooms heated and ventilated
by the gravity method.
Better cloakroom accommodations
should be provided In all schools and
the use of classroom walls and en-
trance halls for this purpose prohib-
tied.
Greater security against fire In the
larger consolidated schools should be
obtained through the installation Of
fire fighting apparatus, properly ar
ranged fire escapes and the institution
Of regular fire drills.
The duties of medical inspector of
schools should be combined with those
Of local health officer.
A full time officer should be required
to be appointed for the discharge of
these combined duties, thereby prevent
ing the spread of disease In the schools
and improving health conditions in the
county.
1t would be desirable for the above
mentioned officer to be affiliated also
with the juvenile courts or other courts
having jurisdiction over juvenile delin-
quents to make mental examinations
of such offenders for the purpose Of
mental classification In the interest of
justice.
Steps should be taken to secure insti-
tutional treatment for the mental de-
fectiyes in the county.
Measures should be taken to secure
special classes and individualized In
structiOn for children who are simply