Evening star., 1925-05-07
BOARD OPENS WAY
FOR FRATS' BATTLE
Rejects Reinstatement Plea
of High School Boys-Court
Fight Expected.

Flatly rejecting the demands OF the
Fathers of five Washington high school
boys to reinstate their sons in school
activities in which they had been bar
red because of affiliation with unap.
proved secret societies; the Board OF
Education yesterday afternoon cleared
the path for the legal action threaten.
ed by a group of high school fraterni-
ties. The demands Of the parents were
made at the instance OF John T..
Laskey, former United States district
attorney, who has been engaged as
counsel for those fraternities which
have united in a fight against the
boards anti-fraternity ruling.
To one fraternity, lambda Sigma OF
Central High School, which has not
Joined with the organizations planning
legal action, the board granted con
cession. 1t instructed Supt. Frank W.
Ballou to investigate and report on
the feasibility of adopting Lambda
Signals compromise plan for disposlng
of the fraternity controversy through
faculty control and supervision OF the
secret societies. DR.. Ballou Will noiu
conferences with the representatives
of this fraternity. Meantime, the
other fraternities are expected 10 test
the validity of the boards ban on
high school fraternities in the courts.
Reinstatement Plea Fails.
Capt. Julius 1. Peyser and Ernest
Greenwood who have persiStently
supported the secret societies during
the fraternity dispute. made another
futile effort to have the board rein
state the five boys as requested by
their fathers. > A motion to this erect.
put by Capt Peyser, was lost by
vote of to 2,
Action on the fraternity matter was
not devoid of the usual argument.
President James T. Lloyd wanted the
proposal of Lambda Sigma Fraternity
and the demands of the parents of
the five high school boys considered
jointly. There was objection by Edwin
G. Graham, who thought that an or
ganization which showed an inclina-
ton to confer with the board so that
it could be recognized should be given
some concession. He then made a
motion to have DIR. Ballou confer with
the representatives of Lambda Sigma
on the compromise plan, but DR.. j.
Hayden Johnson raised his voice In
disapproval. That is Concedtng
point under fire. he exclaimed The
majority of the board members
thought otherwise, however. and Mr..
Graham's motion was carried.
Miss Bentley Gets Post.
Upon the recommendation of Supt.
Ballou, the board appointed Miss Fay
L. Bentley, special agent in the chill
dren's bureau of the Department of
Labor, as director of the new depart
ment of school attendance and work
permits. While not opposing the ap-
pointment, Mr.. Greenwood made 1t
plain that he did not like the policy
of going outside the school system for
persons to fill choice school positions.
Miss Bentley holds Ph. B. degree
from the University of Chicago, and
has had considerable experience in
family case work with the Associated
Charities in Chicago and the American
Red Cross. She has been connected
since 1922 with the Department of La
Dor, where she is credited with vari-
Gus statistical studies for the Chill
dren'S Bureau.
Mr.. Graham, as chairman of the
fnance committee, reported that the
school budget for the next fiscal year,
In tentative form, would be completed
before May Is, and asked that his
committee be authorized to submit the
estimates to the Commissioners with
out further approval by the board. The