Evening star., 1929-11-16
BAN ON DIPLOMAS
VETOED BY BOARD
"Dirty-Neck Rule" Rejected
After Consideration of
Character Education.

The Board of Education late yester-
day voted down by 4-to-3 ballot the
proposal to withhold diplomas from pu-
pills guilty Of certain offenSeS now
punishable by suspension.
In the same meeting the board de-
feated two motions tending to lift the
present restrictions upon high school
fraternitieS when, by 6-to-1 vote, it
refused to strike from its rules the
prohibition of pupils membership in
unapproved organizations, and to elm
mate the anti-fraternity pledge card
system now in force in the high schools.
The action of the school board on
the proposals was taken as a COM
mittee of the whole in the first COM
mittee conference since the boards
recent decision to hold all conferences
in open session except those in which
regulations might be at stake.
In vetoing the diploma withholding
proposal which was made originally by
Mrs. Phillip Sidney Smith, the board
as whole and as individuals made it
plain that the action did not signify
lack of interest in character training
as an adjunct of education, but rather
was evidence of a deep concern in this
direction which, in the opinion of the
dissenting members, could not be sat-
isf1ed by that particular proposal
Back Character Training.
So anxious was the board to stress
its appreciation of its duty in regard
to the conduct of District public school
pupils that IL voted unanimously for
a resolution requesting the superin-
tendent of schools to appoint a COM
mittee of school officials to frame a
in the schools. This resolution was
offered by Mrs. Henry Grattan Doyle,
who, with Henry Gilligan, was the chief
opponent of the diploma withholding
proposal. The resolution was prefaced
with a statement placing the board
definitely on record as favoring char
acter training of pupils.
The discussion of the diploma with
holding proposal was opened when Mrs.
Smith declared that school diplomas
attest to the honorable completion of
a course of study and that if a stu
dent is guilty of any one of list of
offenses which include uncleanly con-
dition of person or clothing, indecent
language, immoral conduct and other
breaches of good conduct, even though
he completes the prescribed academic
course, he should not receive such a
certificate.
Mrs. Smith characterized as "un-
fortunate" the opinions which the pub
AAC AOlLIC COIlCSILllllS JIlS proposal,
popularity known as the dirty neck
rule when it did not understand the
boards motives in considering such a
rule. She also deplored newspaper
publicity accorded the rule, contending
that the newspapers had no right to
discuss" the measure, because all our
conferences were in private"
Mrs. Doyle countered with her OBJ
tections,, which she placed on two bases.
She said the proposal is not construc-
tive since 1t is contrary to present-day
trends in child training, which frowns
upon the threatening of children. She
said it would place school principals in
the position of being able to vouch
for the good conduct in, every respect
or all pupils who were awarded di-
plomas. She promptly moved that
the proposed rule be not adopted, and
Mr.. Gillgan seconded the motion.
Carusis Argument.
Discussing methods of punishment
allowed by law to school officials. DR..
Charles F. Carusi, president of the
board, said he doubted whether the
board could dismiss from school any
child for any purpose and added that
legal or not, he is opposed to such a
procedure. Arguing in favor of the
proposal to withhold diplomas, he said
that such course would permit every
pupil to receive the education to which
he is entitled but merely withholds
any official atteStation to honorable
completion" of that work from pupils
actually guilty of conduct contrary to
principles of good behavior.
In the round-table discussion which
followed, it was suggested that certif-
icates stating that pupils guilty of the
specific offenses had attained the neces-
sary number of academic credits be
given the offenders
The discussion showed that some
members of the board were of the be-
lief that children could be reasoned
with in their shortcomings while others
were convinced that some sform of