Evening star., 1935-04-19
BALL0U FAv0RS
MEDICAL TESTS
School Board Also Endorses
RuhIand's Tuberculosis
Examination Plan.

q year OF every child in the District
public schools was recommended to
the Board Of Education late yesterday
by Supt. Frank w. Ballou.
The board also strongly Endorsed
the plan Of DR.. George c. Rutland,
District health ofiicer, for tubercular
examination of the 2,375 senior stu
dents In the eight high schools.
DR.. Ballou did not amplify his
Recommendation. which was made on
the insistence Of Mrs. Henry Grattan
Doyle, board vice president. that he
report on his study Of child health
and physical education which was
ordered by the board some time ago.
The superintendent objected that
he still was engaged In conferences
on the matter. but finally made a
brief report. No board action con-
cerning it was taken.
Personnel to Be Used.
In approving DR.. Ruhland's plan
to examine all the senior students In
the local high schools. the board
agreed to cooperate through use OF
its personnel. and urged parents to
consent to having their children
tested.
The purpose of the examination is
to provide a sample of what can be
done and show the need for medical
inspection of all pupils, rather than
to furnish q basis for an extensive
corrective program, the board was IN
formed.
DR.. Ruhland's program calls for ex-
planatory talks to high school officers,
teachers and students; tuberculin test
ing, and X-ray examinations. 1t Is
planned to use special, portable X-ray
machines. Those children who are
found to be suffering from tuberculin
infections will be referred to their
family physicians If their financial
circumstances permit, or to special
physicians or clinics.
Blanks will be sent to the parents
Of each pupil, asking permission to ex-
anime the child, and only those chill
dren will be tested whose parents
have answered af1rmatively.
Public Hearing Planned.
OF the 2375 students who may be
examined, 1919 are white and 456
colored.
A public hearing of representatives
Of Northeast and Southeast Washing
ton citizens and business groups, con-
cerning overcrowded conditions at
Eastern High School and the alleged
fire hazard there, will be held by the
board when it confers with citizens
associations concerning the 1887 school
estimate. The date has not been set.
This was decided following presen-
tation of a request for a hearing by
A. H. Gregory Of the Stanton Park
Citizens Association, who said he rep
resented most of the civic bodies In
the territory from which the school
population OF Eastern is drawn.
Mr.. Gregory suggested that the
schools two gymnasiums be converted
into class rooms, which he estimated
would accommodate about 500 pupils;
that the stairways be widened so the
building could be emptied more rap
idly in case of fire, and that an addi-
ton be constructed to house q new
gymnasium.
Citizens Plan questioned.
Members of the board and DR.. Bal
lou at firSt objected to holding hear
ing, contending the matter was dis
cussed with citizens last Spring. DR..
Ballou said school officials now are
considering conversion Of the gym
nasiums into class rooms to relieve
the congestion. The plan put forward
I>~, eik pacy,1f In p3H1u
temporary relief, he said. School OH
cials are considering plans for an ad-
ditional high school, which should
provide a permanent solution to the
problem of overcrowding, he asserted.
Both Mrs. Doyle and Henry I. Quinn.
another board member, maintained
that the citizens should be given an
audience.
After DR.. Ballou revealed that the
District fire marshal had made re-
ports on several occasions concern
ing allegedly hazardous conditions at
the school, the board decided to ask
the Fire Department official to make
q further investigation and report at
the public hearing
Previous reports of the fire marshal
have been referred to the District
Commissioners, but no action has been
taken by them, DR.. Ballou declared.
He said the school appropriation esti-
mates each year contain q blank rec
ommendation for q fund to be used in
elimination Of fire hazards with the in
tention that the Commissioners fill it
in. Instead they have stricken out
the item, he said.
Night School Ends Soon.
DR. Ballou reported to the board
that the night school term will end
May 20, when 1t is estimated all money
available for operation of the night
schools will be spent. The closing is
only about seven classes short of the
usual term, he said.
The board instructed its Committee
on Buildings, Grounds and Equipment
to discuss with the District Commis-
sioners the use of the tuberculosis
Hospital site, Fourteenth and Upshur
streets, as an educational center.
The Commissioners already had been
asked to reserve this site for the
school system, but citizen groups sug-
Eested that q public library and q
recreation center be placed there.
Location of the new Dennison Vo-
cational School, authorized in the
Senate recommendations, on the hos
pital tract, has been approved by the
Commissioners, but school officials
want the District heads to agree to
the location there Of q new Wilson
Teachers College and q junior COL
lege.
Camp Site Authorized.
The board gave the District Tuber-
culosis Association permission to use
the Allison Health School, located on
the tuberculosis Hospital grounds, In
connection with its camp this Sum-
mer for tubercular children.
Or. Luther H. Reichelderfer, former
District Commissioner and vice presi-
dent Of the Tuberculosis Association,