Smyrna times., 1924-11-26
STATE BOARD RULES SCHOOL
TERM IN STATE Be 1876 DAYS
IRREGULARITY OF OPENING
AND CLOSING CAUSES ACTION
Question of Adjusting Hours of Study
Not Acted Upon, Being Left With
Local School Boards - Resolution


Local School Boards - Resolution
Pupils of the public schools of Del
aware will be required to receive 1876
days of instruction annually according
to a resolution adopted by the State
Board of Education at a session in the
County Building at Dover, Monday
morning. The question of adjusting
hours of study periods in the various
schools was brought before the board
several weeks ago when the Parent
Teacher Association of the Oak Grove
school district raised a question of the
summer vacation period in the State
schools beginning in May, whereas
the Wilmington city schools had ses-
sions for nearly a month later. No
action was taken on this suggestion
but it developed that some of the
schools of the State, other than in
special districts, were dismissing at 2
o clock in the afternoon and no extern
sion of time was being provided for
educating the pupils. At previous
meeting of the Board a resolution was
prepared and sent out to the school
trustees of the various school dis
tricts asking for an expression of
opinion. DR.. H. V. Holloway, Super
intendent of Public instruction, said
the replies had been more or less fav-
Orable, although in some sections con-
ditiOns were found that prevented a
uniform scale being followed. After
considerable discussion it was decided
that the school term should be 1876
teaching days and the following reso-
luton was adopted:
Whereas. There is lack of uniformity in
the time of daily opening and closing the
public schools of the State and
Whereas. The State Board of Education is
authorized under paragraph l3. section s.
School Laws of Delaware 1923. to prescribe
rules and regulations. determining the hours
of daily school sessions. therefore be it
Resolved, That the standard school day for
the State shall be from a. m. to A D. M
with fifteen minute ntermission in the
morning and in the afternoon sessions, and
a one hour intermission at noon and
Resolved. That children of the first and
second grades may be dismissed one-half hour
earlier than the above times in the mornins
and afternoon sessions, and
Resolved. That Boards Of Educatioa or
Boards Of School Trustees shall be permitted
to dismiss the schools in their dist ricts he
fore the regular closing hour of o'clock
provided that the nummber of school davs IN
the year be increased to such a number as
shall make up for the daily loss in time re-
sulting from early closing, and provided
further that they shall notify the State Board
further
Resolved. That during the months of De-
cember, January and February, Boards of Ed
ucation and Boards of School Trustees. are
authorized to have a forty-minute noon in
termission. two ten-minute recesses. and TO
dismiss at $50 y. m.
P. +. Strickland, of the Richardson
Park School district, was present and
explained that in his school district
the hours of study were from 9 o'clock
TO noon with one ten minute recess.
and from 1890 o'clock to 8 o'clock.
with two ten minute recess periods.
The reducing of the school period half
an hour daily, he said, was due to the
fact the school had no Fairgrounds
and pupils in recess period would have
to go into a frequently used road to
play. The extra Is days tuition, he
said, was made up each year. The
Board granted request made by
Mrs. NJ. S. Thompson, of 200 East
Ninth street, Wilmington, represent
ing a committee of colored residents
of the State, asking that December 5
be set aside as a date for testimon-
ial presentation by colOred citizens to
Pierre S. dupont, to be held at the
Booker T. Washington school (color-
ed) at Dover. 1t was explained that
at this meeting representatives of all
the colOred schools of the State would
gather when a life-sized portrait of
Mr.. dupont, painted by a colored ar
tist, would be presented to him in
recognition of his wonderful help in
betterment of colored schools in Del
aware. The request was granted un-
animOusly by the Board.