Evening star., 1925-05-27
FRATS RUIN MORALE
AND FOSTER CASTE,
BOARD TELLS COURT
Discipline Thwarted by Sc
cret Bodies, Says Reply
to Test Case.
WESTERN HIGH PUPILS
ACTION DISMISSAL ASKED
School Officials Say Annoyance Of
25 Years Was Curbed by Ban
on Societies.

Asserting that secret organizations
hamper school discipline, lower the
morale of pupils and foster snob-
berry" the Board Of Education today
filed its answer in the District Su-
preme Court to the petition brought
by student for writ of mandamus
TO test the school boards rule against
fraternity membership.
Through Corporation Counsel Fran
els H. Stephens the school board mem
bers ask the court to dismiss the peti-
ton of Chester Ward, Western High
School student, on the ground that the
adoption of the rules was a valid ex-
ercise of the discretion and authority
vested in them by the law"
The substance of the school board
anti-fraternity rule is that if student
joins a secret organization that is not
approved by the Board of Education
he shall be deprived of holding any Of
flee of honor in the cadet brigade.
school publications. competitive ath-
letics or similar school activities.
Asks Reinstatement
The specific plea of the Western
High School student is that the sourt
compel the school board TO reinstate
him in these activities. from whish he
was barred because of membership in
fraternity. The answer of the school
/ board reads, in part. as follows:
Respondents. however. specifically
deny that the relator has been de
prived of any positions, activities or
representative honors 10 which he was
legally entitled. or that the said rules
were unlawfully adopted. or that there
was any abuse Of discretion exercised
by the Board of Education in the adop-
ton Of the said rules.
Charge Long Annoyance.
Further answering the petition and
rule herein, respondents say that the
various Boards of Education and the
superintendent of schools have been
harassed and annoyed for a quarter OF
| a century by the activities of certain
secret organizations, fraternities and
sororities existin in the high schools
of the city whose influences tended to
hamper the discipline of the schools.
! lower the morale Of the pupils and in
terfere seriously with the education
and accomplishments of the members
of such organizations, and to create
and foster a spirit Of snobbery and
exclusiveness highly detrimental to
the welfare of all pupils in the school
"A rule upon the subject aimed at
fraternities was passed by the Board
of Education in 1900. Rule 10. as fol-
lowst There shall be no organization
of any society or association among
pupils, as such. This rule was modi-
fed in 1907 and became Rule 81. In
the rules of 1911 it is Rule Ga. as fol
lows:
There shall be no organization of
any society or association among nh
pills as such. except that musical. lit
erary and athletic societies or clubs of
open membership, whose boards of
governors shall be composed Of equal
members of teachers and pupils and
senior class organizations in high
schools, may be permitted on the writ
ten order of the superintendent of
schools, the same to be reported to the
Board of Education
Further Changes Made.
THAT thereafter there were varl-
Gus notifications of the rule until
the adoption of the present rule as
set forth in paragraph herein: that
the superintendent of the said schools
has had very numerous conferences
with both the teachers and principals
in the public school system in this
District and has found an almost
unanimous desire and demand on the
part OF the teachers. principals and
parents that the Board of Education
devise some method to destroy or
curb the existence of such organiza
tions; that the superintendent of
schools have over a period of many
years corresponded with other school
authorities throughout the country
to ascertain their views as to such
organizations. their influence upon
pupils and the methods used to curb
such organizations; that the super
intendent of schools made a report
to the Board of Education for the
year 1922, fully setting out the
position of the schools authorities
upon the supervision of high school
| fraternitieS and sororities and their
influence upon pupils in the schools
The members of the school board
deny in their answer that the board
ever knowingly permitted or allowed
students in secret societies to hold any
of the offices or positions mentioned in
the rules. They tell the court that
whenever information has come to
them that students were members of
such organizations they have endeav-
ored to ascertain the truth of the in
formation and have then taken proper
action.
Deny Injustice Charge
The board further declares that ii
have never knowingly displayed any
favoritism in the matter of approved
organization, but has endeavored to
treat such organizations with equal
justice. The answer adds the state.
ments that whether such favoritism
has or has not been displayed is i'm
meterial and irrelevant. in that it does
not prove the legal rights of the rela-
tor the writ sought.
The answer points out that in Sen
tember, 1921, the superintendent of
schools prepared a pamphlet dealing
with membership in unapproved or
ganiZations and distributed copies to
parents of all pupils in the high
schools and junior high schools.