Evening star., 1930-06-17
But Expects Commissioners
First to Approve Fire
Marshars Report.
SPECIFIC CLASSIFICATION
OF DEFECTS Is DESIRED
Carusi to Bring Up Issue Tomor-
row Following Criticism of
Members Of Body.

The Board of Education stands ready
to close any school house believed TO
present dangerous fire hazards when
the District Commissioners adopt the
recommendation of their fire marshal
and so notify the school board. DR.
Charles E. 'Carusi, school board presi-
dent, will take this view in statement
he proposes to make at tomorrow S
meeting of the board as a result of the
published report of the fire marshal.
Commenting specifically on the fire
marshal's contention that he had noti-
fed the school board of fire hazards In
the schools annually for II years, and
that nothing has been done about it, -
DR.. Carusi explained today that it was
not until the school board on May z
refused to accept the fire marshal's re-
port without his. specific listing of his
proposed Improvements as emergency"
necessary and desirable" that the
fire chief made any specific recon-
mendations at all.
Made Yearly Estimates.
He explained further that each year
the board has included items of ap-
proximately $3.50 900 to permit improve
ments recommended by the marshal,
and that each year this item is elimi-
mated by the District Commissioners as
one of the first items to fall in the
pruning.
When, at its May 7 meeting, the
board returned the fire marshal's ire
port of annual inspection Of public
schools of the District of Columbia" to
its author with a request that the mar
shall classify the fire needs according
to their degree of emergency DIR. Carusi
cited the boards resolution adopted in
March, 1926, in calling for the cate
gorical classification of not only the
fire needs, but also the Health De-
partment recommendation.
The school board president said the
Health Department since that time has
classified its recommendations, but that
the Fire Department has persisted in
forwarding reports Of conditions in
school buildings without expressing ex-
pert opinions as to whether the needs
for improvement were emergencies,
necessities or merely desirables.
Board Is Accused.
The fire marshal's second report,
classifying the needs and dated June
10, has been received by, the board and
will be considered tomorrow. Mean
while, the fire marshals third annual
report. in which the board was accused
of doing nothing" was given the news
papers Saturday for publication Sunday.
In his statement to the board tomor-
row, Carusi will point out that in pre-
pairing the school estimates for 1882
the school board forwarded to the Com
missioners its regular estimates for the
educational needs of the school system,
together with the request that the Com
missioners themselves add to its total
the amounts they believe necessary to
afford protection to the schools as rec
commended by both the Fire and Health
Departments.
This procedure was followed because
of the fire marshals delay in making
specific recommendations to the board
in time for the school group to complete
its estimates by May S, the date set py
the Commissioners as the "deadline"
for District department estimates.
Commenting on the schools today,
Carusi said that the board has a choice
either to continue using its older schools
and portables or to close them, and it
will close them whenever the Commits
sioners themselves adopt the fire
marshaPs recommendations and notify
the board to that effect.