Perth Amboy evening news., 1918-09-16
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IN n. j. SCHOOLS
State Board Would Take Steps
Where Local Boards Are
In Wrong
Bu speciaI correspondent.

TRENTON, Sept. 16:-The State
Board of Education has decided to
ask the House of Assembly Commit
tee on Education, which is holding
meetings for the purpose of discuss
Ing improvement to the school laws
of the state. for authority BY legisla-
ton next winter to deal summarily
with local boards of education which
are found to be remiss in their duty.
At the suggestion of Professor John
G. Van Dyke of New Brunswick. a
member of the Advisory Committee
OF the state board, several concrete
cases have been submitted to the leg
ton. One of these relates to the
charges of seditious utterances by a
member of the Haledo6 Board in
North Jersey, and a petition to the
state board to remove the accused
member, if guilty. DIR. Van Dyke de-
clared that, even If guilty, the official
could not be removed by the state au-
thorities because they have not the
authority under the school law.
The action of~the Oakhurst Board
of Education in refusing to permit
Miss Helene Conroy to teach, after
she had been engaged by the school
principal, because she professed the
Catholic faith, was cited by Principal
Van Dyke, as another instance, and
was referred to the legislative com
mittee, with the recommendation
that a law be enacted providing that
whenever any local board of duca-
ton shall discriminate against a
teacher because of her religion, that
board shall be guilty of a misde-
meanor. The advisory committee of
the state board sent a letter to the
Oakhurst Board advising them of a
previous resolution adopted by the
State Board of Education on this
question of discrimination, which
read in part that such conduct by a
board of education is dramatically
opposed to the constitution of the
state and detrimental to our institu-
TONS" The committee further de-
clared 1t deprecated such conduct and
opposed 1t.
Another instance cited and referred
to the legislative committee was that
Of the Weymouth Board of Educa-
ton, which, according to information,
had paid out 5000 to the counsel who
represented what had been termed
the illegal" board of education OF
the district in a dispute some time
back as to which board was really en-
titled to Office. In this case the state
board of education Is powerless, under
| the present law, to punish those who
paid over the taxpayers money.
The house committee on education
held the first of a series of confer
ences with education officials of the
state here on Saturday. Assemblyman
John E. Gill, of Mercer county,
chairman or the committee, presided.
The county superintendent of
schools were in attendance and gave
their views as 10 how the school laws
might>be strengthened.
| The State BOARD Of Ed1Caff0n
plans to investigate the situation in
New Jersey t the effect hat many
OF the younger school teachers do not
fulfill their agreements with the state
to teach two years in the schools as
a consideration for the training in
the normal schools. AS a war emer-
gency measure 1t was decided to
create an additional supply of teach
ers by permitting seniors Of the nor
NAL schools to teach during the last
half of their senior year., provided
they are certified by their principals
as efficient and there. is a demand for
them.