Evening star., 1935-11-16
TEACHING METHOD
IS UNCHANGED BY
RULING OF M'CAR[
Superinte e n dent BaIIou
Makes Public Statement
to Board.
MEANING OF WORD
"TEACH" is QUESTION
All Employees Will Be Required
to Certify They Have Not
Taught Communism.

| Because he made no attempt to
interpret the meaning Of the word
teach" Controller General McCarl's
decision on the Communist rider
| to the current school appropriation
act will make no difference in present
methods of teaching within the
| schools.
| DR.. Frank w. Ballou, superintend-
ent of schools, today made public
a statement to be presented to the
Board of Education next Wednesday.
In his statement, he said:
"The controller generals statement
to the Commissioners indicates the
manner in which he will determine
whether the law is being complied
with by school employees: his state
ment does not add to or subtract from
the previous discussion Of the mean
/ ing of the word teach"
All Employees Affected.
DR.. Ballou pointed out. however.
that all employees, including officers,
clerks and janitors, will be required
to certify that they have not taught
or advocated" communism either
within the schools or elsewhere.
Heretofore only teachers have been
considered responsible.
Meanwhile, the Executive Commit
tee of the Federation of Citizens Asso-
Citations urged the Board of Education
to grant an early hearing to discuss
advisability of eliminating use in the
schools Of Modern History" by Carl
L. Becker, and other text books of a
similar character. Substitution of "a
clear and informative description Of
communism and its evil and atrociouS
aims and purposes" is proposed.
The federation's request, submitted
by Thomas E. Lodge, president, was
received by the School Board as school
and District officials discussed the
McCarl ruling.
Ballou wrote the letter after dis
cussing with District Auditor Daniel
J. Donovan proposal to have the
controller general clarity his decision.
Inasmuch as the same course as here
tofore is to be followed, it apparently
will not be necessary to take the
matter up with the controller general.
If the latter has any objections, they
will be made when the school ac-
counts are audited.
The federation's request as well as
the McCarl ruling probably will be
considered by the School Board at its
meeting Wednesday.
Text of BalIou Letter.
The text Of DR.. Ballou's letter to
the Board of Education follows:
Ladies and Gentlemen:
81 transmit herewith to the mem
| bers of the Board of Education a copy
of statement sent by Controller Gen.
eral McCarl to the District Commits
sioners relating to the legislative rider
in the appropriations act of 1886
having to do with the teaching or
| advocating Of communism in the pub
| lie schools After careful reading Of
| the statement of Controller General
McCarl, I make the following obser-
vations:
"The statement of the controller
| general has to do with his plan or
method Of putting the legislative rider
relating to the teaching or advocating
Of communism into effect. The legiS-
Iative rider itself makes the controller
| generals Office responsible for the
Withholding of the payment of salary
of any person who violates the pro-
visions of this law.
All Employees Included.
THE statement of the controller
general indicates that not only
teachers but all employees of the
Board of Education, namely, officers.
clerks and janitors will be required to
certify in the form indicated by the
controller generals Office that they
are familiar with this provision of law
and have observed it.
In his statement to the Commits
Sioners. the controller general does
not undertake to interpret the word
teach The perplexing question of
| the construction which is to be given
to the word teach still remains un-
answered as far as the controller gen.
erals office is concerned.
In his statement to the Commits
sioners the controller general adds
one new element for our consideration.
Heretofore the discussion of the prob
lem of the teaching or advocating Of
communism has assumed that it was
limited to the schools. In his state
ment Mr.. McCarl adds the word else
where thereby apparently assuming
responsibility over employees of the
Board of Education with respect to
their advocating communism any
where at any time. This provision
will apparently apply to clerks and
janitors as well as to teachers and
officers.
In short. the controller generals
statement to the Commissioners in
dicates the manner in which he will
determine whether the law is being
complied with by school employees; his
statement does not add to or subtract
from the previous discussion of the
meaning Of the word teach"
District officials earlier had said