The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1917-07-17
Use Of School Buildings

Use of School Buildings
At recent meeting of the North
, ampton Board Of Education there wa
request from lady for the privilege
} of having the auditorium of the higI
school building opened whenever sh,
might request such action, by merely
giving notice to the ianitor, providing
always that nothing was booked fol
the date she might select. Mrs. A. s
L. Doughty was theapplicant, and she
to give demonstrations in canning.
Her object in asking that the room be
opened at her request was to avoid de-
! lay in seeking the chairman of the
building committee and then being
compelled to await the transmission oil
the order to the ianitor.
After the reading of this letter the
Board discussed the objects for which
the auditorium might be opened and
also considered what price must be
charged for the use of the room. In
the case in question, the application
for authority to order the opening of
the auditorium as requested was re-
fused, and the lady was notified that
application must be made each time,
to the Board, and was also informed
that arrangements should be made to
pay for the light and janitor service
when the room was used for the pur.
pose mentioned.
Mrs. Doughty did not let the matter
drop here, and she wrote to the De-
partment of Public Instruction, at
Trenton, relating the entire proceed
ings and asking for decision in the
matter. In reply she received the fol-
lowing letter:
Trenton, July IL, 1917.
Mrs: Emma R. H. Doughty,
Mount Holly.
Dear Madam-Your letter in refer
ence to the use Of the rooms in school
building by the community committee
for demonstration purposes is received.
am sending you a copy OF the law
enacted last winter. This law saws
that the Board of Education of any
school district shall, subject to reason
able regulations, permit the use of
any schoolhouse and rooms therein for
any of certain purposes. These pur.
poses, enumerated in the law, should
say include instruction in canning as
set forth in your letter. The law is
mandatory. The Board of Education
mas no option in the matter if the
thing for which the school is to be used
is comprehended in the several sections
named in the law. AS you state the
purposes for which you are to use the
building l am clearly of the opinion
that the Board OF Education has no
option in the matter. The law pro
yides that the Board must grant per
mission to use the building.
Very truly yours,
John Enright,
Assistant Commissioner Of Education.
The law to which Mr.. Enright refers
reads thus:
THE Board of Education of anv
school district shall. subject to reason
able regulations to be adopted bv said
board, or upon notification by the
commissioner of Education, permit
the use OF any schoolhouse and rooms
therein, and the grounds and other
property OF the district, when not in
use for school purposes, for any of the
ioilowlng purposes: By persons assem-
Dung therein for the purpose OF giving
ana receiving instruction in anV
branch OF education, learning or the
arts, including the science of agricul-
lure, horticulture and Horticulture; for
Pupiic IiDrary purposes or as stations of
public Libraries; for holding social,
CIVIC and recreational meetings and
entertainments and such other pur-
poses as may be approved by the Board
OF Euucatlon; for entertainments,
meetings and occasions where admis
SION ices are charged; for polling places,
Ior holding elections and for the regis |
tration' OF votersand for holding politl-
cal meetings."
Just as Mr.. Enright states the Boards
OF Education are compelled to allow
the use OF the school buildings, and
his remark that the Beard of Educa-
ton has no option in the matter" may
be right to the point; but it will be
noticed that in his letter he quotes
from the law to the effect that the
Board OF Education shall, subject to
reasonable regulations" permit the
use. And that provision Of the law.
with another that will be referred to
later, clearly places the entire matter
in the hands Of the school authorities.
The Board of Education must grant
the use Of the school building, but it
has the right to make the reasonable
regulations" which the law contem-
plates, and that gives the Board the
right to say what charge shall be made
for opening the building, or whether it
shall be opened without charge. The
second provision refers to the hold
ing OF social and other gatherings, and
on this point the law says, such other
purposes as may be approved by the
board of education. After carefully
reading the law and looking at the
little loopholes that may be found in
every statute we do not see where Mr..
Enright's letter and opinion changes
the matter very much, as the Board OF
Education has the right to make
reasonable regulations and approve of
the form of entertainment to be given.
-O