The Washington herald., 1922-01-07
DIR. BALLOU DEALS
BLOW TO ILLEGAL
HIGH SCHOOL FRATS
Must Cancel NAmliation
With National Bodies,
He Insists.

The last ard fatal blow was dealt
high school secret fraternities and
sororities yesterday by Supcrlnten-
dent Frank w. Ballou, who issued
a statement condemning them in
their present form las branches of
illegal national organizations.
DR.. Ballou makes 1t plain that
there are but two ways In which
the fraternities and sororities can
gain approval of the public school
authorities. The complete with.
drawal of local chapters from any
afhliation with national organiza-
tions and by putting their entire
organization in accord with and un-
der the supervision of the Board of
Education, or the complete re-
organization of the national
todies themselves until they meet
the approval OF school authorities
wherever a chaI ter exists, Is neces-
sary. DR.. Ballou insists.
The plan is more drastic than the
action taken by the Board of Edu-
cation on June 1 last. which gave
the high school fraternity members
the privilege Of Withdrawing from
members ship in the secret orgapiza-
tion or losing student activity
privileges and official recognition In
school other than for scholastic
purposes.
Beginning September 1 last, Su-
perintendent Balloh required that
at the opening of each semester all
pupils in the junior high and high
schools furnish their principals
with signed statements counter
signed by one parent or a guardian
indicating the association or or
ganization to which the pupil be-
longed.
Parents Have Complained.
From time to time the parents
Of society members have complained
to the superintendent that their
children were not doing good work
at school because they were pre-
occupied with fraternity matters.
The superintendent has interviewed
ity members on the object and or
ganization of their societies, and
has Investigated high school fra
ternities elsewhere.
In the statement isRed yesterday
Superintendent BallN wrote that
fraternities and sororities inherent
ly possess certain characteristics
which make it impossible for the
superintendent to approve them un-
der the rules adopted by the Board
OF Education last June.
The statement says:
DIR. DalIou's Statement.
Some significant facts have been
brought to light as a result of the
ouperintendent's inquiry about high
school fraternities elsewhere. State
spperintendents of schools and city
superintendents are, as a rule, Wig
orously opposed to high school fra
ternities and sororities. Not a sin
gle superintendent has been found
who Is in favor of high school fra
ternities or sororities. OF the twen-
ty-siX States from which informa-
tion has been secured to date ten
have passed laws forbidding high
school fraternities and sororities
Nevertheless, they now exist in five
Of these ten States v violation of
State laws.
The superintendent believes that
membership on the part of high
school pupils in any unlawful or
ganization Is clearly inimical to the
inculcation of proper respect for
law. Accordingly, he will not ap-
prove any chapter of a high school
fraternity or sorority as long as il
exists clandestinely or openly in
violation of the law or in opposition
to duly-constituted authority.
Moreover, the superintendent be-
l!eves that no organization should
be approved that is not controlled
by persons who are members of The
public school system"