Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-06-17
SCHOOL CL0S|NGS
{ GIVE VACATION TO
$1,000 CHILDREN
Near.End Rush Keeps 5000
{ Teachers on Duty, How
ever, Through Friday.
PARENTS INFORMED
OF NEW AGE LIMIT
Fall Enrollments to Be More
Strict, With Kindergartens
Primarily Concerned.

seventy-six thousand Washington
hovs and girls are being released from
the confines of the Districts pubic
school class rooms today for the SUM
ner vacation, The 5000 teachers, who
now are engaged in the rush year-eno
business, will remain on duty througn
Friday. when the 1930-31 scholastic
year will close for them.
Concurrent with the closing OF
schools, DR.. Frank w. Ballou. suRerin-
tendent of schools, issued a statement
TODAY in which he called attention OF
parents of children destined to enter
school for the first time next Fall to
the new age limit for school enrolment.
No child whose fifth birthday falls after
November /, 1881, may enter the kin
Gergarten. in accordance with a leglS-
latiVe provision carried in the 1852
appropriation act. In accordance WIN
this procedure. the Board Of Educa-
ticn has adopted as it, rule for con-
sistencv's sake. the same date for first
grade entrances. so that child whose
sixth birthday falls after November
will be Ineligible to enter school In
the Fall
Admission In Other Years.
In other years children whose NTH
and sixth birthdays fell within the
month of November were admitted to
the kindergarten and first grades. re-
kpectively. The legislative action wnlcn
Congress took last year limiting the
IIse of public funds for education to
the schooling Of children five years OF
age and more, was taken at the rec
concentration of Representative ROBERT
simmons Ct Nebraska, then chairman
Of the subcommittee OF the House CON- l
mittee on Appropriations. Mr.. sim
mons was determined to prevent the
establishment and maintenance of the
so-called "under-age kindergartens' IN
which children IS young as three ana
a half years were given the ruolmentS
of school education, just as other pro-
Vressive city educational systems arc
doing. M po,,o,
said that in effect TINS Ies , 81 tbe
a.necessitates the abonoonment OF Ile
previous. practice of examining cnlloreh
for possible admission to kindergarten
whose fifth birthdays fall In the
month of November, q practice CnaC
has been followed for some years.
"The rules OF the board provide cor
respondingly that children >6 years OF
age and upward by November may DC
admitted to the first grade. HeTeVo-
fore nunils being admitted directly to
the first grade, without having been IN
kindergarten. have been admitted II
thew have passed their sixth birthdays
by November /. Children whose sixth
BIRTHDAYS occurred during November
were examined by the research depart
ment on the request of their parents
and admitted or refused admission In
accordance with their physical an intel
lectual maturitieS.
Rule for Promotions.
'It is understood that promotlons
from the kindergarten to the first grade
of children satisfactorily completing the
kindergarten course shall be made as
heretofore, and that the new regula-
tions regarding age to be hereafter put
into effect In admission to the nrSt
grade shall not apply to the pupils now
in the kindergarten who otherwise quail
ifv for promotions to the first grade. IL
is further understood that transfers 10
the kindergarten or to the first grace
from other cities shall comply with the
regulations governing admission OF chill
dren residing within the District.
I'm view of the law governing aomls-
eion to kindergarten it will become
necessary to require birth certificates or
other acceptable evidence Of date OF
birth of children who apply for enroll
ment in the kindergarten as well as IN
the first grade"