Evening star., 1932-06-28
BALLOU IS UPHELD
ON "OUTS|DE' TALKS
School Board Adopts His Pro-
posaIs In Fixing a
! Definite Policy.

The Board OF Education as such Will
take no part in the official authoriza-
ton of outside" lectures to high school
pupils on the effects of cigarettes and
alcoholic drinks, but it will place re-
sponsibility for permitting these talks
on the high school principals. who al
ready are called upon to pass on lee
lures on other topics.
This was the decision of the School
Board at its meeting late yesterday,
when DR.. Frank w. Ballou, superin-
tendent of schools, formally disap-
proved of the petition of the District
of Columbia Committee on Pubic
Schools to sponsor such lectures by DR..
d. H. Kress and DR.. Sinclair Bowen,
prominent medical authorities.
In the same meeting the board ap-
proved the appointments of 267 Sum-
mer school teachers, subject to the
passage" of the District of Columbia
appropriations bill for 1888 and sub
ject to the provisions of any economy
legislation which Congress may enact.
The board received a petition from the
Business High School Parent-Teacher
Association that sufficient funds be in
cluded in the 1884 appropriation bill
to complete the purchase of adequate
furniture and equipment for the RooSe-
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Urges Definite Policy.
In recommending that the School
Board decline to authorize DR.. KresS
and Dr. Bowen to speak in the high
schools on the effects of cigarettes and
alcoholic drinks, as suggested at the
last board meeting by William R. Ma
honey, spokesman for the Public School
Committee, DR.. Ballou pointed out that
na rd Of E7dUr1t tiOT1 long has T6Cnp-
nized that the superintendent OF
school administers the schools, while
the board makes the systems policies.
Mr. Mahoney's proposal that the board
authorize the two physicians to lecture in
the schools and permit the superinten-
dent to approve other speakers that the
committee may suggest, DR.. Ballou said,
is a division of authority between the
board and the superintendent. DIR.
Ballou argued that the board should
adopt a definite policy on the question
of outside lectures in the schools and
then charge the superintendent with
responsibility for the administration of
the policy
DR.. Ballou added, with respect to
cigarette smoking and the use of alco-
holic beverages, that these subjects are
being taught in the schools at present
as efficiently as any other subject.
Lecturers on other subjects, he said,
are permitted to address pupils at the
discretion of the principals Of the
schools in which they speak, and DR..
Ballou said he saw no reason why the
cigarette and drinking lectures should
be handled any differently.
DR.. Ballou's specific recommends
tions, which were approved by the
School Board were:
l. That the board repeal its action
of November, 1927, providing that all
requests for lecturing on controyer-
sial subjects be referred to the Board
of Education for consideration and ac-
ton.
q That the principal in each school
be authorized to determine what lee
turers, if any, contemplated in Mr..
Mahoney's proposal shall lecture before
the schools.
Fund Reductions Traced.
In its appeal for the inclusion OF
Roosevelt High School items in the
1884 budget the Business High School
Parent-Teacher Association, through
its president, Edward r. williams,
traced the cuts made to date in the
Roosevelt High Schools funds carried
in the pending 1888 appropriation bill
The initial School Board request for
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for the new school, he pointed out,
was cut to $200, 900 by the Bureau of
the Budget. This sum since has been
set by the Senate and House con-
ferees at $685. 900. It is feared that
such a reduction in the purchase money
may force the selection of inferior
grade furniture, which, it has been
pointed out would be poor economy"
since early replacements would be
necessary.
The Business High School organiza-
tion submitted second petition for
the early improvement of the grounds
at the new Roosevelt Building. 1t was
pointed out that the handsome struc-
ture is surrounded by earthen banks
which tend to become muddy rivulets
with every rain. Simultaneous with
this plea, however, the School Boards
own Committee on Buildings, Grounds
and Equipment presented a recon-
mendation that the board request the
Commissioners to "give serious con-
sideration" to the new buildings ter
races in order to correct the present
condition. The board approved the
recommendation, and its appeal will
be sent at once to the District Building.
The Roosevelt High School, located at
Thirteenth street and Iowa avenue, will
be opened next September, and will
replace the present Business High