Evening star., 1933-02-16
SCHOOLS MENACED
BY COMM UN|SM,
Z DR.. BENNETT FEARS
Member of Education Board
Calls for Legal Opinion on
Lunch Question.
BALL0U'S TWO ORDERS
APPROVED AT MEETING
Authorized Groups Allowed to Use
Facilities for Providing
Hot Lunches.

Fear that the entering wedge Of
Communism" was being driven in the
D. c. Public Schools was voiced bv
Rev. F. I. A. Bennett. member of the
Board of Education, when the board,
at its meeting late yesterday, authorized
widening the scope Of the midmorning
mtlk-and- lunches and agreed
10 permit approved individuals or
groups to use school facilities In pro-
vlding needy school children with hot
lunches.
Or. Bennett accompanied his criticism
with successful demand that the
boards two-point action be taken sub
Ject to an opinion by the corporation
counsel that the school authorities were
within their legal rights.
Tne boards action was an approval
OF Two orders recommended by DR..
Frank w. Ballou, superintendent. who
submitted to the board a l0-page re-
port on the entire question of feeding
undernourished pupils.
Board Approves Orders
The first order was:
That the Board of Education
authorize the school officials, If funds
available permit, to supplement milk
and crackers in the midmorning lunch
period, with such food as DR.. Joseph
A. Murphy, chief medical and sanitary
inspector in the schools, may recon-
mend, with the understanding that the
serving Of any kind Of food Is con-
tingent on the facilities In the schools
for handling such food"
The second order was:
That the Board of Education make
available for any organization uf
citizens or any responsible group Of in
dividuals, to be approved by the board.
the public schools, either elementary.
Junior or senior high school, for the
purpose of cooking hot meals to be
served needy children in the schools
or food to be distributed in such homes
as are in need Of relief, pursuant to
plans to be approved by the board"
When these recommendations of {.
superintehdent's had been seconded, .
Bennett expressed his apprehens =
over the precedent he feared was b.
established.
Sees Communistic "Wedge."
"It looks to me almost like an OPEN
ing wedge Is driven In the schools for
Communism" DR.. Bennett declared.
"As a clergyman, ] am deeply inter-
ested, Of course, in what might be done
for and what is needed by the children,
but I have serious doubts about this
method Of aiding them. The question,
1t seems to me, Is whether today some
body will want to give food, tomorrow
somebody will want to distribute shoes,
and the next day somebody else will
want to furnish clothes in the schools.
That Is public welfare and our func-
ton here Is public education.
II do believe we ought to get the
opinion OF the corporation counsel on
the legality of our doing this kind Of
thing, and move to amend the recon-
mendations to make them subject to
such an opinion"
In the same meeting, DR.. Bennett
condemned the repair work done on the
cid Business High School. which is to
be occupied today by colored pupils
In the establishment in that structure
OF the Grimke School. This building,
Island avenue, was to be remodeled fol-
lowing its evacuation by the Business
High School personnel, which moved
into the new Roosevelt High School, at
Thirteenth and Upshur streets.
1T Is the most unsatisfactory job
Of repair work I've seen in the nine
years I've been on this board" DR..
Bennett, who Is chairman of the
boards Committee on Buildings, Grounds
and Equipment, said in reporting on
his inspection of the school He added
that the new floors were not finished
in accordance with the specifications.
The specifications were ignored also in
the painting and cleaning which was
IaI IJo tAlI fk,o =
reported the conditions to Mai. John
Gotwals, U. S. A., engineer commits
sioner for the District, and that the
contractor had returned to do some
extra work. He expressed criticism Of
the Commissioners in accepting the
work from the contractor without first
ascertaining that 1t had been per-
formed in accordance with the expecta-
tions of the District authorities.
Cite Furnace Repairs.
School repairs came in for further
discussion when Jere j. Crane, school
system business manager, reported that
IS school buildings still have hot-air
heating plants. In these IS buildings,
Mr.. Crane reported. total of l02 fur
naces are in operation. Efforts are be-
ing made, however to replace these
antiquated and often menacing plants.
He reviewed the expenditures made dur
ing the past four years for this pur-
pose. In 1929. he said, 57,76994 was
SPENT in 1880 the total was reduced
to $17,870; in 1881, 1t went up to $22,-
342, and in 1882 it dropped again to
s11,383.
The school board referred to its Com
mittee on Student Activities the ques-
ton of purchasing cadet uniforms
when a query was received from an
attorney for a philadelphia tailoring
into the continuation Of
annual bids. pr. Stephen E. Kramer,
first assistant superintendent, explained
to the board that annual bids were
abandoned three years ago when a
continuing contract" was made with
a firm to produce the uniforms each
year, subject to approval by the local
authorities Of its annual submitted
price. The former plan, DR.. Kramer
explained, resulted in frequent troubles
over inadequate places in Washington
Tor the fitting of the uniforms and In
necessary alterations to uniforms that
lid not fit. The firm which now makes
he uniforms, he said, provides excel
ent service and accommodations for
he local boys and, at the same time,
maintains what school authorities be-
ieve are fair prices"
DR.. Kramer, however, urged the
,oard to make its own investigation In
1iew Of the complaining note In the