The Washington times., 1920-03-27
BLAMES FOES
|NSCHOOLROW
Superintendent Thurston Says
UnfriendIy Attitude Of Board
Was Long Manifest.

part of Board OF Education members
had been manifested for years, super
intendent OF Schools Thurston today
took up In detail the Wood and Moons
cases before the Senate investigating
subcommittee.
He declared that John Van
Schaick. president OF the board. has
tried to fix tho responsibility on him
for the Wood controversy. He stated.
that the board president. in closing
the case when II was determined not
| to appeal from the decision OF the
District Supreme Court last Deem
Der. had drafted a statement for pub
location which contained the assertion
that the Wood case need never have
come before the board II the super
intendent had handled 1t properly
Such violent opposition arose to
this statement that Van Schaick was
forced to cut 1t out from his draft
before II was given to the news
papers.
| He assered that the statement also
contained an assertion that there was
| room for both conservative and ex-
tremely radical teachers in the public
schools of Washington.
John b. Larner. then a member of
the board, denounced this in such
| terms that IL was excised.
| superintendent Thurston made a
lengthy review OF the entire Wood
case.
The charge that have handled
this case without reference to the
Board OF Education Is unfounded," he
| said. "As a matter of fact, the case
| was brought to my attention by a
board member with a request that
report on 1t to the board. / have
no doubt that IL the alleged indiscre-
ton of Miss Wood had been brought
directly to my attention by a parent,
the board never would have heard
of it."
Walsh Criticizes Board.
Senator Walsh sharply criticised
the members of the board subcommit-
tee which made an informal inquiry
into the charges against Miss Wood.
This subcommittee was composed of
DR.. II. b. Learned, Mrs. Margaret +.
Gerry. and Superintendent Thurston.
81 see in the bill of complaint that
Miss Wood was charged, among other
things, with saying that dogs would
go to heaven just the same as human
| beings Why was there not a finding
of fact on this? Did not the COM
mittee think that this new concep-
ton Of the relations OF animals to
the Divinity was worthy OF notice?"
Superintendent Thurston stated
that Miss Wood had fatty denied
| that she ever made such a statement,
and that her denial was accepted.
1t was his experience. he added. that
students versions of what teachers
tell them are often exaggerated.
We'll, Miss Wood is also charged
with saying that internationalism is
a much higher conception than pa
triotism. Did the committee go into
| that?"
| Received Her Denial.
| Mr.. Thurston said that he consider
ed Miss Woods denial sufficient.
| Superintendent Thurston said. that
| he favored a suspension of Miss Wood
for the period of one week without
| pay, which was the action taken by
| the board. He said the main impress
sion made upon him by Miss Wood
was that she was indifferent and not
at all regretful OF the indiscretion
which she had committed.
Speaking Of the debate within the
board as to the advisabillty OF an
| appeal when the District Supreme
| Court had decided against the board
in disciplining Miss Wood without
hearing. Mr.. Thurston said:
| 81 was in favor of an appeal. The
| District Supreme Court simply revers-
ed the action OF the board in the Wood
case without handing down a decision
in writing or giving us any reason 1t
is important for the Board Of Educa-
ton to know whether it has the right
to discipline teachers without grant
ing them a hearing. This was the
legal question involved in the case"
| F0vored An Appeal.
| He stated that John B. Larner then
| a member of the board. was strongly
in favor of making an appeal. but
| that the board ruled otherwise. Those
who were in favor of making the ap-
peal, besides Larner, were George e.
Hamilton and Fountain Peyton, &C
cording to Mr.. Thurston.
| Superintendent Thurston made Wig
orous denial Of the charge that he
had issued instructions which would
discourage honest expression of opin-
| ion by teachers in the teaching of
| current events. He said his attitude
was go on, but with caution"
After the Wood case. he said.
great many teachers of current events
were excited and alarmed over the
situation, feeling that they might
transgress the bounds of propriety IN
talking about the state of the world.
i
given verbal Instructions to two
teachers and that these were In ef-
feet orders to be careful. but nothing
| more than that. He said he did not
believe that the subject OF Bolshe-
| vism should be brought up in the
schools, but that he had not barred
any debate on the League of Nations,
as has been charged.
| The controversy between Miss Char
lotte Hunter and DR.. Moten, principal
of the Minor Normal School. was re.
viewed in detail. The Moons case
also was taken up, Superintendent
Thurston showing that he barred
Moons from the public schools as soon
as he learned of the nature of his
activities
At the close of the session II was
determined that the committee should
adjourn until Tuesday morning, when
DR.. III. Il. Learned will be heard.
$1,000 REWARD OFFERED