Evening star., 1931-12-17
CRIPPLED PUPILS
SHIFT TO HOSPITALS.
0. KID BY BOARD.
Construction of Two New
Buildings to Care for
Children Favored.
HEADS OF INSTITUTIONS
READY TO COOPERATE
Approve Recommendation to Ex-
clude Tubercular Students
From Health Schools"

Convinced that crippled children pre-
sent medical" rather than an ''edu-
cational" problem to the community,
the Board of Education has approved
the transfer of the jurisdiction of the
two schools for crippled pupils jointly
to associated hospitals and the District
Health Department.
The boards action, taken at its meet
ing late yesterday, was contained in its
approval, with only slight amendments,
of the recommendations made to it by
its Special Committee on Subnormal
Children, of which DR.. j. Hayden john
son, board member, was chairman.
In approving the recommendations,
the board yesterday went on record as
officially favoring the construction of
two entirely new buildings on grounds
of the Children's and Freedmen's Hes
pitfalls to replace the present makeshift
quarters in the old Weightman and
Magruder School Buildings; the COM
plete equipping of the proposed struc-
lures with facilities for the proper
treatment of the children; the School
Boards retention of jurisdiction over
the schools only until the new buildings
are ready for occupancy, and the ap-
pointment by the School Board of
teachers to instruct the cripples In the
proposed new institutions.
Would Exclude Sick.
At the same time the board approved
the recommendations of the committee
pertaining to tuberculous children. Thus
it agreed, first, that pupils having tu-
berculosis in communicable form should
be excluded from the present health
schools; second that if conditions war
rant the continuation of the health
schools" as we'll as the proposed new
sanatorium. a rev health school, for
colored pupils, similar to that for white
children at Thirteenth and Allison
streets, be provided; third, that the two
''health schools" should be maintained
for tuberculous children whose illness
is not communicable, and, fourth, that
open-window classes be established in
all larger school buildings where their
maintenance would be practical.
Before it gave its approval to the
recommendations, however, the School
Board inserted single amendment to
the proposal to- provide a modern
health school, zfprsco1ored pupils. DR..
Frank w. Ballou, superintendent, told
the bcard he was not convinced that
health schools" should be continued in
view of the Forthcoming sanatorium.
The board then amended the commit
tees recommendation that an up-to-
date building be provided for colored
pupils by adding the proviso IF condi-
tions warrant the continuation" Of
these institutions.
Daniel c. Roper, board member asked
DR.. Ballou whether other cities consid-
cred the needs Of their crippled pupils
more urgently medical than educational
and whether the proposals of the COM
mittee accord with the best judgment"
elsewhere. DR.. Ballou replied that while
some of the most educationally pro-
greSSive cities have erected elaborately
equipped buildings for crippled chill
dren's classes, the school superintend-
ents in those cities are convinced that
that procedure should not have been
followed.
For Budget Restriction.
''I am heartily in favor of keeping
school budgets down. despite what some
people believe to the contrary" Dr.
Ballou told the board. And think it
entirely unfair to the school budget to
saddle 1t with the expenses of elaborate
medical facilities which are already pro-
vided in the hospitals. Such expenses
would serve to increase our cost of edu-
cation per pupil and such duplication
of expenditures as would be entailed in
the School Boards retaining jurisdic-
ton over these expensively equipped
schools for crippled children would be
eXtravagant"
Representatives of both the Children's
Hospital and the Freedmen's Hospital
were members of the committee, and
each expressed his organizations will
ingness to undertake nagement of
crippled children's schools on their
property.
Besides the consideration of the sub
normal children's committee report, the
board yesterday approved a scheme of
participation in the Community Chest
campaign for 1882. 1t decided to per-
NIT no solicitation of pupils or teachers
in the schools this year, but agreed that
the children may be used solely as a
means of distributing Chest campaign
information. The board agreed also
that the Community Chest Bulletin
should be distributed among school
teachers as means of aiding them to
place the Chests plea before the pupils.
Last year the School Board waived its
rule prohibiting the solicitation of pu-
pills for funds for any purpose and per-
mitted Community Chest collectors to
ask school children for contributions
Yesterday, however, it returned to its
rule.
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