Evening star., 1936-09-16
of Agriculture Pamphlet Contains Valuable Advice
Regulating
The School
Dismissal
Parents Should Avoid
Asking That Child
Be Excused"
BY ANGELO PATRI.

Dx hIN0LAO h1nAs
THE dismissal bells should ring on
= time and every child be dismissed
on time. More depends upon this
promptness than appears on the sur
face. Mothers arrange their household
schedules in accordance with dis
missal time. They prepare lunch for
the noon dismissal. They 60 to school
1T set times to escort the youngest
one home. Any change in dismissal
without warning to the mothers is
unfair and likely to lead to trouble
Of one sort or another. Mothers ought
to be able to depend upon the dis
lhissal Of their children as they
depend upon the rising and setting
of the sun. There must be no devia-
ton without some good reason, and
then mothers should know ahead Of
time.
On their side mothers ought not
to ask that their children be dis
missed before dismissal time. That
children in his room time and work.
1t breaks the continuity of the child's
thinking, breaks his routine, upsets
his smoothly working program and
causes him uneasiness for days to
come. Once q child gets into the
habit of leaving school early he loses
the holding power that the habit of
regular attendance gives him. He
can wait on Friday afternoon until
the bell rings to start for his week
end. The theaters have Saturday
matinees. The doctors and dentists
arrange for Saturday service for
school children. School should 60 on
uninterrupted from Monday morning
until Friday afternoon.
No parent should telephone q
message to the school, asking for
the dismissal Of child. No school
teacher, no school authority, should
dismiss . child from school on the
strength of a telephone call. If the
child is wanted, needed, some one
who is closely related to him, most
properly his father or mother or
brother or sister, should appear per-
sonally and ask for his dismissal at
the time.
No child should be dismissed in
care of q stranger. If he says he
Is the child's father, or grandparent,
or aunt, uncle or cousin, and he gives
o strong reason for his request. bring
the child down to the office and have
him identify this person. No identi-
Ecation, no dismissal.
Scrutinize all notes asking for early
dismissas. Unless the principal knows
them to be authentic he should disre-
gard them and insist that respon-
sible person call for the child. Then
the notes should be kept on file for q
year before being destroyed. All this
sounds fussy, and disagreeable. and 1t
4. But 1t IS better to have q mother
come sputtering into school saying,
"I don't see why you should put me
to the inconvenience of coming away
over here when you could just as well
have sent the child down to the sta
ton to meet me-" Far better that
she do this than to come in hysteri-
cally wringing her hands and demand
ing why you allowed her child to get
out Of the building with an unau-
thorized person. 1t has happened.
Being very strict about dismissals
helps in many ways. 1t keeps the
children on routined schedules. 1t
maintains steady progress. 1t keeps
faith with the home and so Cooper
ates with the family as to smooth
the way for whatever unavoidable
dificulties arise. A mother and
father are entitled to feel secure
about the presence of children in
school, as to the regularity and safety
Of their dismissals. School Is entitled
10 the cooperation Of the parents in
this important detail of management.