Evening star., 1922-03-04
ALL SCHOOL HALLS
j. WILL Be INSPECTED
Commissioners to Order Such
Changes as Regarded Nee
essary for Safety.

The District Commissioners will
have a careful inspection made of all
public school assembly halls and or
der such changes as are, in their
opinion. even remotely necessary.
This Intention is made known in a
letter to the board of education, in
which the Commissioners explain
their Recommendation of a few days
ago that regular theatrical perform
ances be barred from high school au-
ditoriums. The letter follows:
''In order that the views of the Com
missioners of the District of Colum-
bia and of their advisers in these mat
ters may be made thoroughly clear.
we are giving the following statement
of our opinion as to the proper pol
icy with reference to the use OF as
Sembly halls and auditoriumS pertain
ing to the public schools.
Stringent Rules Adopted.
ut is we'll known that, as a result
municipal authorities everywhere
have adopted stringent rules and
building regulations regarding the
aters and public assembly halls. These
rules and regulations are intended to
protect the public in general, not only
Cs
from the dangers that arise through
panics, which may suddenly be Great
ed by nervous and excitable individ-
uals who often form part Of such mis-
cellaneOus assemblages.
1T has hitherto been the belief of
municipal authorities that school as
sembly halls and auditoriums did not
call for the same eXacting reStric-
tionS as those above described as
applying to the above public places
of assembly. the reason being that
in public schools there have been de-
veloped fire training and discipline
among the students who, under the
guidance of their designated lead
ers. the teachers, have been taught
to respond in i quiet, prompt and
them as to their procedure in emer-
gencies. 1t is well known that it
has been found possible to empty
schools of their pupils in a very short
space of time, and therefore the dan
gers that may be justly apprehended
in regard to miscellaneous audiences
not composed of disciplined members.
cannot by any stretch of the imagina-
tion be believed to attach to schools
Fire Drills Advised.
1T is our opinion that it will here
after, as in the past, be entirely safe
and proper to use school assembly
halls and auditoriums for strictly
vice is probably superfluous, 1t us
the opinion of our fire department
that it would be judicious to extend
the fire drills to these assembly halls
when occupied by the students. and
that the school authorities should
assure themselves that when all the
pupils in any school arc in this man
ner gathered together they under
stand thoroughly what they will be
required to do in case Of an emergency
requiring the prompt vacation or an
assembly hall.
In the graded schools the assembly
halls are SO small that no further pre-
caution is indicated, but in the case
of high schools, where the auditoriums
are very large. 1t would appear to be
Juoiclous 10 assign pupils permanently
TO the seats that they are to occupy and
thereby to simplify and make positive
the rules that they must observe in case
of emergency.
Halls to BE Examined.
with the wish to increase the
already well-nigh perfect security Of our
nreproof school buildings. It is proposed
halls and Is make such changes therein
as are believed to be evsn remotaly nec-
essary. In the meantime, no reason is
seen why the usual school exercises
should not be continued. Pending GER
tain small improvements in the Central
High School. however, it is thought that
1t would be we'll to forbid the use Of the
gallery, and in all other high schools
Wlere theatrical performances have
hitherto been given 1t Is believed that
these should be discontinued and that
the auditoriumS should be devoted mere
~ to assembly purposes to use for the
giving of talks or lectures and, where
suitable freproof booths exist, to the
exhibition of moving pictures regarded
as instructive and forming part Of the