Evening star., 1923-04-15
SAFETY STRESSED
IN SCHOOLS OF D. c.
DR.. BaHou Outlines Methods
Used to Impress Children
With Need for Care.

How the school children of Wash
ington are being taught the cardinal
principles of being careful on the
streets was explained by DR.. Frank
w. Ballou, superintendent of schools
last night. DR.. Rallou said:
Every parent in Washington Is
familiar with the safety instruction
which is being given in the public
private and parochial schools of the
city, and as a result of which our
children are realizing the need OF
more care on the streets and i'll their
play.
Results Are Excellent.
Safety taught in the public schools
of St Louis and Detroit during the
past two years has reduced the
death rate to children about % per
cent. In these cities and others Where
the work has been conducted IN a
continuous and systematic manner. IL
has been found that one-half OF all
that can be accomplished for the re-
duction of accidents III the coillhiu u
nifty can be done through the schools.
This is due to the fact that not alone
are the children reached with a
safety message. but through them the
message is carried to the parents IN
their homes.
.Intruduction of safety into the
school work does not mean the addl-
ton of new subject I" the now over
crowded curriculum. ii simpiE intdhS
the use of safety material IN many
of the present studies and the appii.
cation of safety to the daily work or
the classroom. Recent Developments
in the science of teaching encourage
the use of material which is of vital
interest to the life of the children, IL
being one OF the aims OF the modern
school to train the children IN SAFE
and useful citizenship. The experience ,:e {
of introducing safety into the publ!c
schools of Washington has been SINH
lar to that of other cities, and 1t mas
been found that this type or mate
rial is of great value IN thuS NltdiiZ-
ing the curriculum.
Safety Is Stressed.
The Washington Safety Council is
supplying the school teachers with
safety material in the form OF
monthly bulletin. This publication
contains an analysis of the accidents
which occurred during the preceding
month. laying special emphassis on
the casualties to children and the
lessons taught by each serious acct
dent. From this bulletin the teacher
can obtain material which is useful
in assigning subjects for composition
or the lessons emphasized may be
made the subject OF drawings by
having the child design safety post
ers. The accident figures are also
used as Il basis of arithmetic prob
lens or simple reading lessons. In
this way safety is made Il part OF
the daily life of the child until care
fulneSS becomes a habit. This
method produces better results in the
prevention of accidents than does the
mere setting aside of a period each
week for a talk by the teacher on
CarefulneSS.
in some schools the safety in
TtructionS given have resulted in the
formation of safety committees and
patrols among the children. Safety
committee meetings held in the
classrooms not alone impress the stu
dents with the need of care. but also
teach them how to conduct an or
ganization and a meeting. Safety
patrols on the streets and around the
school building assist in getting the
younger children safely TO the build
ing and also teach the older chill
dren to assume d certain amount of
responsibility for the lives Of others
Fatality Figures Cut.
"That safety instruction is pro-
ducing results is proved by the fig
ures of the police department re-
gard1ng accidental deaths to chill
dren. During 1921 ninety-seven chill
dren. or an average of eight per
month, were killed in Washington.
During Safety week last fall no chill
dren were killed or seriously injured
January and February of this year