Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-05-01
PUBLIC NEGLIGENT
REGARDING CHANGE
OF SCHOOL LAWS
Few Persons, Except Educators,
Attend the Code Revision
lists Meeting at Newark.
AN INTERES TING SESSION
staff Corrcspondence or Every Evening


,u Pont. favorably impressed the Schoo
Code revisers who heard the proposal
Senator's Bennett, Handy, Hollett ano
Richards. Representative Corblt and MIR
DIN Pont MIR. Scott is vice-president oi
the Delaware School Auxiliary Associa'
tion. which disburses the du Pont fund
Adoption of his plan would relieve the
counties and school districts of issuing and
redeemng bonds and paying interest
thereon. He said If Sl0,0O0,OOO Is not
needed now that sum will be required
during the next five years. Calculating
that the bonds would bear five per cent
interest and spread over period OF 5o
wears. he stated n sinking fund of s547 ,OOO
annually would provide for the interest
and the redemption of the bonds. The
project will probably be submitted to the
Legislature next Wednesday.
Few persons, except educators, came
here Yesterday to suggest School Code
amendments.
Arnold Naudain, Mill Greek granger,
thought teachers certificates should be
issued to women less than 20 years old.
He criticised making school superin-
tendents minimum salary SO, 700 and not
fixing maximum salary. He said school
conditions in his district had not improved,
although the tax rate had been increased
from l219 to A cents. He opposed school
consolidation, saying, besides further IN
creaslng the tax rate, sending country
children to town schools would cause them
to leave home when they grew older.
Richard G.. Buckingham of Mill Creek
hundred stated high tax rate is the great
est objection to the School Code.
George Mclntire of Wilmington sug-
gested that the minimum term of private
school. be reduced from $50 to 170 or 160
,lays. He thought a term shorter than
that provided by the School Code would
benefit health and produce greater, ef-
fciency. He recommended that the
French language be taught In Delaware
schools
eCounty Superintendent Jump said he
could not discuss the minimum school
term from the private school standpoint,
but he held that it should be $50 days for
public schools.
Mr. McIntire argued that the school
term should not begin early in September
because of humidity and heat prostra-
tons.
George L. Medill, president of the New
Castle County Board of Education,
thought it should have more initiative
and should be privileged to select teach
ers with the approval of the county super
lntendent He said less trouble would be
experienced in getting men 10 serve on the
board If the School Code was not SO auto
cratic. He disliked having to obtain the
consent of the State commissioner of
education to erect school buildings. He
suggested that the county board make out
checks and send them to the county
treasurer for his signature. He recon-
mended that all the special school dis
tricts in New Castle county, except the
Wilmington and Claymont districts, be
abolished.
County Superintendent Jump proposed
greater effort in the collection of poll taxes
and suggested that old boards give new
boards lists of uncollected school taxes
Mentioning AZ teachers who have served
in the county for FIVE years and one who
has served for 36 years, he asked that
they be paid more salary than beginners
He stated that In the county, teachers on
an average receive S1S3 more this year
than last year.
Miss Ruth Jones, attendance officer for
New Castle county, advocated eliminat-
ing the words attendance officer" from
the School Code and substituting the
words Social worker" She gave the
following statistics: Number of cases of
unlawful absence reported since the be-
ginning of the school year, 1868; urgent
cases reported, 25S; children returned to
school, Ice; letters written in reference to
cases, 1S3; personal visits, 1l3; visits to
schools 100. Her report also said:
Figures may show the quantity of
work done, but not necessarily the quality.
To one not intimately acquainted with the
details of compulsory school attendance
work, the method may not be clear Let
us take the case of the OBJ children. The
teacher reported them absent in Decem-
her, but as there were 2S9 cases of unlaw-
full absences at that time they were mailed
a notice to attend school. No mention
was made of them until February, when |
received letter from the teacher, saying
that the "B" children had not returned TO
school and she had heard they were In
need. | visited Immediately and found
wretched state of affairs The family
were all in one little room-the kitchen
so were the three dogs, one cat and four
or FIVE chickens. A wood fire In the cook
stove made the tiny place unbearably hot.
There was no place for me TO sit, so | stood
and the chickens walked over nv feet A
sick father was lying on an improvised
couch: the.mother sat idly In the one low
chair IN the center of the room. She was
dirty, and her hair was down Three
children of school age sat or stood silently
about, while two younger children threw
corn at the chickens. All of these children
were in rags or makeshift clothing. The
floor had few wet dirty sacks on it for
covering.
Il give you these details to show YOU
how uneducated people may live II was
my business to get the two older bows back
at school. The seven-year-old girI had
never attended. / went TO the Children's
Bureau at once, and they gave me some
stockings and an order for two pairs of
shoes. / bought the shoes by guess and
took them out, hoping to save time One
paIr fitted. j gave the older boy car fare to
let him exchange his own shoes. | had
an interview with the doctor, who had
never visited them, but who supplied
them with medicine. He knew nothing
about them except that they paid for their
medicine. Next | interviewed the land
lord, and he was interested and intelligent
lie realized that the parents were men
tally incapable, were ignorant Of a better
way OF hvlng. Though they paid their
rent promptly, the property they occupied
was deprecIatlng. Next / sought a Red
Cross worker, and she supplied the much
needed clothing. The two boys returned
20 school. The landlords wife took an
interest IN the family, and IN now ready
to go after the seven-year-old girl
The Compulsory School Attendance
law Is firmly, but humanely enforced will
do more to place Delaware in the front
rank edueationally and industrially than
anything Yet tried