The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1919-08-12

q times she has practiced this method G
: punishment. Possibly some of tn
/, stories have been exaggerated, bu
e enough has been shown to substantial
e the charge that Miss Mannion ignore
the law forbidding corporal punish
/. ment, and she has admitted the trutl
of at least one allegation.
: Parents made complaints, but i
took one case that was brought direct
ly to the attention of the Board O
: Education to get action on the part O
e other parents who had grievances
The alternative of getting rid of tn
, teacher or to have her arrested wa
: presented, and the Board finally tool
! notice of the affair. Then ignoranc
, of the law seemed to step in. Notice
! had been sent out to teachers Stain,
they had been elected at a certain
salary with the request that the,
signify their acceptance or rejection o.
the Offer These notices were signed
by the president and district clerk anC
, when it came time for definite actor
: the Board found itself in the position
of having signed ~hat was apparently
contract, to get rid of which required
charges to be preferred against the
teacher. There was not any trouble tC
get these and the matter drifted along.
. In the meantime it was shown thai
the law set forth just how contracts
must be drawn and what specifications
must be put in and therefore the paper
sent out to teachers announcing their
election before they had even applied
for d position was of no account. But
it was enough to cause uneasiness.
So meeting was held and it was
decided to make out legal contracts
and one was sent to the teacher, in
which the time it could be annulled by
either party was set forth. This was
supposed to be all right, and matters
still drifted along.
Now comes the ''muzzling" bust
ness. The News, for various reasons,
had declined to make any mention of
the affair with the hope that it would
be settled without undue publicity.
Last Tuesday evening there was a
meeting of the Board of Education,
and the editor Of this paper, having
been inform ed by members of the
Board that it was an adjourned meet
ing, and necessarily open to the public,
went to the schoolhouse. He knew
that the teacher in question was to be
present and was to be heard on the
subjects in controversy, and he wanted
to get his information at first hand,
rather than listen to street stories.
He went to the scnoolhouse, and it re-
manned for Clarence HI. Polhemus,
president of the Board, to put the
muzzle on and to ignore as plain
law as there is on the statute book,
and in addition violating the rules OF
the body over which he presides, the
first of them being 1.-THE meetings
shall be public. according to law"
On presenting himself at the door OF
the Board room the newspaper man
asked if this was public meeting and
Mr.. Polhemus replied that it was not,
that it was meeting for confer.
ence" with Miss Mannion. On being
asked how the minutes of the previous
meeting read President Polhemus said
he would have to qualify his state
ment as the minutes provided that
this was a postponed meeting for the
] purpose of having conference. F"
Still being denied admission to the
room the newspaper man left. Later
three citizens who had complaints
against Miss Mannion went to the
J schoolhouse, and they, also, were
denied admission. And this is wher,
the president, either ignorant of tn
, law, or disregarding it, made his mis-
take.
The school law says that all meet
! ings of the State Board of Education
5 as well as those of every Board o
Education under it, shall be public. A
postponed meeting is not differen
from the regular monthly meeting
and there is not any provision for s'sta
: chamber conferences. What wa
!. done at the meeting on Tues
+. day is merely hsarsay, for the mem
bers, with the desire to maintain
/ secrecy that has guided all of thei
4 doings in this affair. agreed not to dis
S close the doings of the evening, a
# though it has leaked out that tn
teacher has been notified that her cor
tract will expire in thirty days, wit
the privilege given her of resigning-
privilege that nobody could kee
from her. The strictest secrecy is keE
d over the vote cast, although it is r,
mored that it was not unanimous.
q This question Of the time of holdiu
meetings and having them public h,
= been ruled on by the State Board
Education in more than one instanc
n In one case Board met at o'clock
n, the afternoon and then adjourned III
til S.15 in the evening. The Sta
r Board said:
ID mo question has been raised as
the legality of this meeting, whiC
r. commenced after p. NJ, contrary
g, law, and in view of the conclusie
we have read it is necessary for us
L. rule on it. Needless to say if a Boa
ig can convene at four and then lawful
take recess until Sis there won
seem to be no reason why it could n
Is, do so until 9.15, 1915, Ills, or eve
s. midnight, and the spirit, if not Il
Nv letter, of the law would be lust
clearly broken as if a meeting we
called for any such hours The law
very clear. Meetings of the Board
~ Education shall be public, and sh;
On commence not later than eight p. \
The object of the law, viz: full publ
oil ity, can be defeated almost as well
ed holding meetings when the great NJ
iority of the public is asleep as by
star chamber proceeding"
mt Another ruling says:
'Ih This resolution gives the power
ny act summarily in case of an emerge
Nv. cy, and leaves to the committee or
president the right to determine i.
a emergency. In certain matt,
Did vote of majority of all the me
OBJ, bers OF Board of Education is
RS quired, and in all other matters
- iyote OF majority of quorum