Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-11-21
SAY SCHOOLHOUSE
/ is LIKE COAL BIN
Overlook Parents Assert Con-
ditions in 62d and Lebanon
Ave. Building Are Deplorable
PUPILS HEALTH IMPAIRED

Declaring that their children are at
tending cellar classes in a ICON d.
yerted coal bin which is dark and IN
ventilated and cndsngers their health.
parents of pupils attending the Over
brook Public School Mt Sixty second
street and Lebanon avenue are going to
hight TO finish for a new building.
More than 800 parents went to the
school In n body and inspected 1t and
declared conditions are dcplorablo.
They charge that attending classes
In the "ccllar' has caused colds, i'm
paired the sight and otherwise endan.
gered the health of their children. The
school yard, according to the visitors.
Is nothing but "sea of mud, while
rubbers on the stairways are fraycd and
worn, making them dangerous.
Parent salso oppose the pnrttimc ar
ranScment, which the Cramped coudi-
tlons MAKE Necessary.
Committee 10 Act
Nothing but new school building
will satisfy the OvcrbrOOk taxpayers, it
In declared When the 500 patrons
visited the school they formed n parents
association, elected Henry +. Nache.
1156 North Sixty fifth street. chair
man, and instructed him to select
committee of twelve men and women to
carry their case before the Board Of
Education.
Mr.. and Mrs. Vache have been &C.
tive in getting the movement for q
building serted Mr.. Nache has already
named several members Of the com
mittce.
Mrs. Nachc said today she has re-
4
classes in the "auditorium" as the room
in the basement has been named by
the school.
my daughters sight was becoming
affected she said, "and | was ordered
by q physician 10 keep her out of the
poorly lighted room. We want gen
eral protest against conditions at the
school and | think after the next meet
irg of the parents all will refuse to al
low their children TO attend classes in
the basement.
MANY of the children have suffered
in health because Of this improvised
classroom and | know of one teacher
whose health was virtually broken be-
cause she was in that room much Of
the time. There are now three font
ing" classes which shows that th"
building is overcrowded. We hav"
prade repeated requests for a larger
building or correction Of conditions
but there has been no action.
Larger Building Necessary
"A new and larger building is nbso-
utely necessary. An addition cannot
be built to the present structure tor
that would not leave space enough for
grounds, nor would there be as much
floor space as is required by law. The
Board of Education now owns plot at
Sixty fifth street and Lansdowne ave
nue.. which would provide room for u
proper building.
''The next meeting OF the parents
will be held November ) and l think
that there will be some action aIter
that.
Mrs. Arthur Goldsmith, 6l53 Jetter-
son street. declared today she has been
working for q larger school for more
than a year, and that she Will see to
it that members of the Board Of Edu-
cation know OF conditions if she has to
take each one to the school and snow
him the conditions there.
I'VE asked 10 have the basement con-
yerted into a schoolroom 10 relieve the
part times onditions, but IL was under
stood then that it would be only tenn
porary arrangement.
81 have two daughters in this school
and they tell me that they have to 90
the basement or outside the building
every time that they want to get a
drink. The fountains are Installed, but
are not working. The windows in the
basement are 50 arranged that ventila-
ton Is impossible and the light is very
bad.
Principal Talks
Miss Lille G.. Toole. principal OF the
school. says the best efforts are being
ade 70 care for the children in the
overcrowdcd conditions. She says that
board has informed the patrons of the
school that lack OF funds has prevented
expansion Of buildings except where ao-
solutely necessary.
There ars now more than 1900 chill
dren in this school" said Miss Toole,
"and in order 10 take care Of them a.!
II is necessary 10 have six grades on
part time. Without the basement there
would be twelve classes on part time.
The classes that are held in the base
ment are only lectures, and such classes
as do not require close attention by
the pupils. -, ..,..,
about seven years ago, which prOYIued
twelve new rooms, but two years after
that some of the classes We're ON patr