Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-07-06
POLICY REGARDING
PORTABLE SCHOOLS
DEPENDS ON PROBE
Board Requests Municipal
Architect for Complete Sur
vey of All Buildings.
REPAIR FORCE LIKELY
TO GET ASSIGNMENT
Architect Harris Says Many Port
ables Ought Not to Be
Moved Again.

The first definite step toward the
formation of new policy concerning
the maintenance and operation OF
portable school buildings in the District
of Columbia was undertaken by the
school officials today when the request
of the Board of Education for COM
plete and searching inspection OF the
portables now in use was forwarded to
Municipal Architect Albert Harris.
Upon the findings of Mr.. Harris office
concerning the condition OF the n1mSy
frame structures probably will be based
the Board Of Education's future policy
concerning the portables.
In requesting Mr.. Harris ONCE 10
inspect the rs structures in various
sections of the city, Harry Q. Hine,
secretary of the Board Of Education,
forwarded to the municipal architect
the report of DR.. Frank w. Ballou,
superintendent of schools, in which ne
, asked the board whether 1t was that
body's desire that portables no longer
required in one community be trans
ferred to another neighborhood for con-
tinued service, or whether the new con-
gestions in school population should be
housed in part-time classes.
Inspection by Repair Force.
Mr.. Harris, who recently returned
from a trip abroad with DR.. w. M.
Mann. director of the National zoologi-
| cal Park here, said today the inspection
probably would be carried on by the re-
pair shop force. 1t is this department. OF
| the District government, he explained,
which has been thoroughly familiar with
the portables through the frequent re-
pairs and moving and resettmg up
I which that office has done in the held
of portable schools. Mr.. Harris added
that the repair shop men probably know
already the general condition Of most OF
these frail structures. Speaking for HIM
self, he said, good many OF the port
ables ARE in such condition now that
they ought not be moved again."
The Importance of the inspection OF
the portable buildings was not under
estimated at the Franklin admln1stra.
ton this morning for the future OF
these structures in all probability Will
depend entirely on the finding OF the
District inspection. When requested
for advice on the future policy con-
corning the portableS the school board
agreed that an inspection should be
made and that any decision concern
ing future use of the buildings would
of necessity have to be made only after
the actual condition Of the buildings was
made apparent by the building experts.
Sought Permanent Structures.
In the report which was forwarded
to Mr.. Harris today DR.. Ballou pointed
out that the Board of Education and
the school officials "have individually
and collectively made efforts to secure
suficient appropriations for permanent
school houses to make 1t possible to
abandon the use of portables." Declar-
ing his belief that neither he nor the
Board of Education are responsible for
the delay in securing necessary ap-
propriationS the superintendent con-
tinues:
program act been carried out most, II
not all, of our portable schoolhouses
might have been abandoned by the end
Of the coming fiscal year. The fact that
the five-year building program has not
been carried out not only makes nee
csSary the continued use Of portableS,
but also the continued use Of rented
quarters and the continuous part-time
classes in the elementary schools"
Current Policy in Force.
During the current Summer the COM
pletion of new buildings will release
few of the portables which have been
used in certain sections during the past
several years. The abandonment Of
these at their present location, however,
does not mean their complete with
uTAWdI 1IOIL1 I11S SCIlOO1 SySOCun IL LAAC
current policy of the school officials
remains in force. A waiting list of
some length petitioning the school board
for the establishment of portables now
is in the hands Of the school officials
and If today's requested inspection re-
vealS the released portables to be in
movable condition those buildings will
be transferred to new sites. This has
been the practice for several years, and
it Is this policy, in view of the in
creasingly apparent weakening Of the
rs portables, none Of which are under
IL years old, upon which DR.. Ballou1
seeks the advice of the school board.
Increasing alarm over the existing
dangers in the use of portables has
been felt by school officials, who wit
messed in each windstorm mounting
danger to the children. At least four
times within the last two school years
portable schools have been damaged
either to the extent of having roof sec
lions ripped on or wall boards carried
away, and in each instance it was the
merest luck which prevented pupils
and teachers from being injured, since
the storms struck either during the
night or at lunch time.