Evening star., 1919-04-13
M|SS.W00D ASKS
,.HEAR|NG BYBOARD
Teachers, Personal Request
WM.Be Considered at Wed
!! nesday's Meeting.
PAMPHLET TO TELL CASE

PAMPHLET TO TELL CASE
The board of education. at its reg
uikr meeting Wednesday afternoon
will consider the new request made
yesterday for a formal hearing on the
care OF Miss Alice L. Wood. the teach
sr'who was suspended for week fol
statements she Is alleged to have
made while teaching current topics
The first request for a hearing was
made by the High School Teachers
Union and was refused by the board
The second appeal was made by Miss
Wood in a personal letter yesterday
because the board stated in its com
mNni4ation . to the union that the
teAcher concerned raised no objection
to, being suspended. In her request
Miss Wood tells the board she author
t8Ad, the union to act for her orig
inaliy.
MT. Hamilton Has Letter.
school board. said last night that he
had not had time to study the letter
sent by the teacher yesterday. He add
ed that in all probability it would be
latd before the board Wednesday.
Miss Alice Deal. president of the
High School Teachers Union. an
nounced last night. that the organiza-
tion is having printed in pamphlet
form the history of the case from the
beginning, which 1t will circulate for
the purpose Of convincing the city that
Miss Wood was not given justice.
The pamphlet will conclude with an
appeal to public opinion to support the
teacher in her efforts to have the
boards action rescinded.
WIN Appeal to Public.
The pamphlet will end with the
following appeal to public opinion:
"Inasmuch as the board of educa-
tiOn Is supreme in questions of gen.
.oral policy affecting the public
schools Of Washington, and no ap-
peal, lies from its decision on such
questions, except to public opinion.
We submit to public opinion these in
Us It for tho good of the schools.
pupils and public
So. That a teacher should be disci-
plined by a suspension for ono week
without pay?s A teacher Is in q po-
sition requiring the exercise of au-
th6rity and the enforcement of disct-
pline over her pupils; punishment or
humiliation known to her pupils les
sens her efficiency as teacher. Are
the same methods Of discipline ap-
propriate to her as to an operative
employer Does discipline by suspen-
sion improve her teaching? Does it
improve her relations with her pu-
pills? Does 1t improve the morals of
0thAr teachersh
a That the board should punish
teachers for assuming to discuss with
pupils subjects clearly within the
general scope Of courses which they
have been directed by their superiors
to teach. upon the ground that the
board considers them to have been
incapable Of discussing the subjects
tnt question:
t"3. That teachers assigned to teach
economic, Industrial and social sub
5ects should be retained from free
dom OF expression by fear Of disci-
pline should their views not be ap-
proved by the members of the board
wApse views and desires have not
been made known to the teachers?
Refers to Bolshevism.
-. That bolshevism and similar
phrase, should be excluded from dis
cussion by. trained teachers. with
pupils OF an average age Of sixteen to
eighteen years. for whose Intelligent
understanding of government, econ
omics and current events the teachers
are responsible?
IS. That 'bolshsvism and similar
the unfairly fertile field that ignor-
ance on the part Of our future citi-
sens can alone prepare?
S That the teachers Of such pu-
pfls should fear to aid them to an
understanding Of social and political
or even inimical to our own, as
though knowledge Of them would not
lead the product of the American pub
lie school the more to cherish and
enable him the better to preserve and
defend the heritage of our institu-
tfons?
'T. That the views Of tho heads Of
departments (of instruction, such as
English, history, mathematics, etc.)
and Of principals Of schools should be
the work Of teachers?
As to Evidence in Case.
-. That the views Of a few (per-
i,aps two or perhaps three) Of many
PARENTS. founded upon information
Seom a few OF many pupils, should be
accepted by the board. and a hearing
denied, In the face of a positive
denial from the teacher supported by
the unanimous request Of the teach
erg union for hearing?
-. That teacher should be dis
cfplined upon the motion Of an infiu-
ential member OF the board who
mover saw her. seconded by a (color-
ed) member who never saw her;
"(a) Upon a matter complained
about by two or three parents upon
information derived from children
whose immaturity formed an element
in the complaint:
"(b) Upon verbal information COM
sion by one Of two board members
(who had with the superintendent
and her principal SO conferred with
her In an Informal friendly confer
ence,' As to leave her under tho i'm
preston that the matter discussed
was to be dropped). and
""fcl Especially II the influential
board member who made the motion
was a close business associate Of two
parents?
10. That the board Of education,
directed by law to meet in public,
should SO abuse the privilege of prior
conference (assuming that as claimed
by tie board the privilege ex1sts)
that a matter in which the public is
SO vitality interested as the applica-
tion Of the unions for a hearing in
this matter, >should be disposed of
without announcement other than
meeting scheduled for 4:3o PM, and
taking place from approximately sos
PIN. to $40 p-m., preceded by a secret
conference lasting from to pm"
AaUa N@n~n-@~ ..,>-