The New York herald., 1922-06-08
GRAVES WON'T END
TEACHERS INQUIRY
Commissioner Writes Ryan
Action Would Be 'Unjusti-
fable at This Time.'
LAUDS ADVISORY COUNCIL
Hearings 'in No Sense Trials
and Most Teachers Stood
Loyalty Test 'Gladly.'

George J. Ryan. president OF the
Board OF Education. received a letter
yesterday from Frank Pierrepon'
Graves. State Commissioner of Educa
ton. telling him that he finds it impossi.
BILE to dissolve the advisory committee
on teachers qualifications. The letter
Is In answer to Mr.. Ryan's request that
the Lusk law be administered without
the assistance OF the advisory commit
tee, which has been holding secret in
vestigations into charges preferred
against teachers applying for licenses.
Mr.. Graves's letter said that com
plete report of the committees activities
will be issued In a few days. He adds
that he has caused an examination &c
be made of the proceedings before the
committee and of the action taken or
the cases Submitted to them. The letter
continues:
"I find that most of the teachers as te
whom information was laid before tbs
committee have voluntarily appeared
and gladly answered the inquiries made
of them. No teacher has been forced
against his or her will to appear or te
answer questions. The committee has
followed intelligently the scope ana pur'
pose of it's functions as requested py tne
representatives of the teachers ana es
tablished by the department. The pro
ceedings have been in no sense IN tn'
nature Of trials. and the committee ma:
stated IN each case that If formal tria
was TO be had II must, as provided pS
law. be before the Commissioner o
Education.
Reports have already been made by
the committee TO me as to NUMBER Oh
eases considered by them In each case
IL was suggested by the committee tna'
certificat. Of loyalty and morality De
issued to the teacher. Reports are SUP
stantially completed as to NUMBER OF
other cases in which no basis for forrna
proceedings has been found. 1t is eN-
n.cted that these reports will be SUBJ
mitted Immediately.
After careful examination of the
work Of this committee and respectful
consideration of the grounds upon wnlcr
| the request of your board is made. an
forced to the conclusion that 1t would
be entirely unjustified to abolish the
committee at this tina. I feel that the
committee has performed a valuable
service without compensation and under
adverse conditions in aiding this de-
partment in the performance Of the duty
imposed upon it by State statute. The
committee endeavored with material
success to protect teachers against
whom for one cause or another infor-
nation may have come to the depart
ment relative to their status under the
teacher certification act of 1921. Those
teachers who have not cared to avail
themselves Of the privilege of coming
before the committee have not had to
do so. A complete report of the COM
mittes's activities will be submitted in a
few days. II is hoped that the entire
work under the teacher certification law
will be completed before the end of the
! present school year. Under the circum.
stances as they appear I think that you
will see that 1t is impossible to grant
your request
Mrs. Henrietta Rodman. a teacher II
the Seventy-seventh street annex of the
Julia Richman High School. has sent q
letter to the Advisory Council on Quail.
fications of Teachers refusing to appear
before the Council for examination.
I'm loyalty to the great tradition oil
democracy which my family has upheld
for more than 200 years" wrote Mrs
Rodman. II must respectfully refuse tc
appear before your tribunal. I shall
however, be most happy at any time tc
talk frankly about my work with any
citizen or any school official who may
be interested"
Mrs. Rodman said that she sent hel
letter to Archibald E. Stevenson secre
tary of the Council in answer 10 a re-
quest that she appear at the rooms oi
the Bar Association for examination.