Evening star., 1936-02-20
EDUCATION BOARD
UNANIMOUS FOR
RED RIDER REPEAL
GiIIigan Preparing Report OF
Committee and Return
Is Awaited.
QUINN ASSAILS LAW
AS INSULT TO TUTORS
Suggests Entire Body Attend
Hearings-Special Meeting on
Steps to Be Taken Urged.

Just what action the Board of Edu-
cation should take to obtain the en-
actment of the Sisson bill clarifying
the ban on teaching communism in
the public schools will be determined
on the return to the city of Henry
Gilligan, vice president of the board
and chairman of its Legislative Com
n1ittee, who is absent from Washing
ton on business.
The entire board membership pres
ent at yesterdays meeting urged that
the present "red" rider be repealed.
and it was announced that Gilligan al
ready is preparing report on the SIS
son bill urging its enactment.
Henry I. Quinn, most outspoken op-
ponent of the present law, insisted that
the whole board appear before the
House District Committee when hear
ings are held on the Sisson bill in spite
of the gag" order of the Budget Bu-
teau.
IAN ordinary criminal" Quinn said
sis presumed to be innocent until
proven guilty Under the present law
and the controller generals ruling
every teacher is presumed each pay
day to be guilty until she swears she is
innocent.
THE law is unjust and un-Ameri-
can 1t is an insult to every teacher in
Washington and should be repealed u
Special Meeting Suggested.
al hof q
special meeting be called to prepare
board action in the matter after. the
Legislative Committee is ready 60 re-
port.
Quinn and John H. Wilson, new
member of the board, serve with
Gilligan on the Legislative Committee.
Wilson was sworn in as member Of
the board few minutes before yester-
days meeting.
DR.. Frank w. Ballou, superintend-
ent, reported that 500 had been do
Nted to the schools to purchase shoes
for colored children who have been
forced to stay away from school during
the recent extremely cold weather.
The gift, he said, was anonymous and
was the result of newspaper publicity
describing the plight of the children.
Dates for the annual competitive
drills of the high school cadet corps
were announced. The cadets from the
white high schools will hold their
competition May 18, 19 and 20 and
the colored cadets will drill May 81
and 90 The drills will be held at
Griffith Stadium.
DR.. Ballou recommended that an
effort be made to have Congress
exempt the school cafeterias from the
provisions of the District unemploy-
ment compensation act. He pointed
out that such exemption has been al
lowed for churches, charitable insti-
tutions and universities and colleges.
The matter was referred to the Legis-
lative Committee.
Publications Approved.
Approval of Al additional magazines
and newspapers for use in the schools
was voted on recommendation Of the
superintendent and the special COM
mittee of teachers and officers set
up to study all periodicals to de-
termine whether or not they comply
with the ban on communistic teach
ing. The report did not include
Scholastic, which has been cited by
the Federation of Citizens Associations
as being allegedly subversive and pro-
conlmunistic.
Huston Thompson, former Federal
trade commissioner, has accepted the
invitation to deliver the principal ad-
dress at the formal dedication of
Woodrow Wilson High School in the
Spring. The board also accepted the
gift of portrait Of Woodrow Wilson
for the school from the Washington
Chapter, University of Virginia Alumni
Association.
DR.. Ballou submitted the ninth re-
port in series outlining the needs
of the schools to be taken care of
in the proposed flve-year building pro-
gram. The report outlined in general
the needs of the senior high schools
BY 1942, he said. an increased enroll
ment of $500 probably will have to be
taken care of. Completion of six
rooms at woodrow Wilson High School
seven more rooms at Roosevelt High
School and erection the contem-
plated Manor Park school at Fifth
and Sheridan streets were included In
his recommendations.
The report will be studied by the
Finance Committee, headed by George
M. Whitwell as chairman, along with
the requests of citizens made last
week at special public meeting held
for that purpose. Action of the
Finance Committee, however, has been
delayed because Whitwell has been i'll
When the finance report is completed
1t will also be sent to the Legislative
Committee for the draft of bill to
be offered In Congress.
Erection Of covered loading plat
forms at the Weightman School for
Crippled Children and the Magruder
School were ordered by the board
The improvements had been requested
by the Kiwanis Club of Washington.
ROBBERY DRIVE ON