The Washington herald., 1920-03-28
SCHOOL PROBE
WILLCONTINUE
DR.. H. B. Learned Comes
From California as
Witness.
THURSTON HITS BOARD
Asserts Wood Case Could
Have Been Settled by
Himself.
THURSTON HITS BOARD

The Senate committee investigat-
ing District schools recessed yester-
day until Tuesday. when DIR. Henry
3. Learned. member of the school
board. will be called as q witness.
although superintendent of Schools
Thurston has not concluded his
testimony.
There will be no meeting Mon
day because of the absence Of Sem
stors Walsh. Sherman and Dilling-
ham.
The committee arranged to hear
DR.. Learned Tuesday so that he
might return to California to fulfill
his lecture contract with the Leland
Stanford University. He came across
the continent in response to a tele-
gram from DIR. Van Schaick to ap-
pear before the committee.
Superintendent Thurston told the
committee yesterday that the Wood
case need never have gone to the
Board OF Education but could have
been settled by himself. The case
came to the attention of a board
member, Mr.. Larner, first, he said,
and DR.. Learned requested him to In
vestjgate and report at the next
meeting of the board. After taking
it up with the board. said Thurston.
he considered it out of his hands.
The board could very properly have
referred IL back to the superinten-
dent. he said. in answer to q Ques-
ton
subeommittee Criticised.
Senator Walsh criticized the work
Of the subcommittee. composed OF
Thurston, Mrs. Gerry and DR..
Learned, which was appointed to
investigate the Wood case. for not
bringing in findings of fact instead
Of merely outlining the charges
against Miss Wood.
Superintendent Thurston then took
up the charges of Mrs. Cook that
he had been timid and slow to act
In the case of Miss Moten, principal
Of the Minor Normal School He
said the majority of the members
on the school board wanted Miss
Moten removed. and that he had
received complaints from other
sources.
After an exhaustive Investigation.
however. he reported to the school
board against her removal.
THAT session is what consider
the stormiest session of my career"
he said although charged with
being a timid superintendent,
stood by my recommendations. al
though some of my friends inti-
mated 1t might cost me the place"
Miss Meten Praised.
Thurston paid q high tribute to
Miss Moten, saying she had been in
the school system since 1883 and
that. as principal of Minor Normal,
q great deal of credit for what edu-
cation the colored race in Washing
tan has received should go to her
because nearly all the colored teach
ers were taught under her.
Taking up the matter of allowing
Assistant Superintendent Bruce to
sit In the board meetings, Thurston
said he had no objections to the two
assistant superintendents attending
the executive meetings, but thought.
under the law, they were not en-
titled to seat at the table with
the board. In reply to a question,
he said he thought the action of the
board in granting this permission
was occasioned through personal
feeling.
Had Ordered System.
Replying to charges made by Mrs.
Cook that he had been slow in in
stalling the platoon system at the
Mott School although one was es-
tablished in q white school, Thur
ston asserted that he had ordered
the installation of the system in the
school, nut the plan had not re-
ceived the support of the colored
parents or the assistant superinten-
dent, and he hesitated to jeopardize
the efficient working Of the plan by
forcing it against their objections.
He said, however, the system will
be installed at the beginning Of the