Evening star., 1938-09-22
DANGER TOPUPI[S
IN OLD BUILDINGS
|SC|TED BY BOARD
School Officials Call for
Commissioners to Act
on inspection.
TEMPORARY REPAIRS
TO PLASTER REPORTED
Wesley Heights Residents Are
Denied Assignment Change
for Students.


Immediate inspection Of a number Of
old school buildings to safeguard the
children from possible falling plaster
from ceilings Is being sought from the
Commissioners by the Board OF Educa-
| tion.
Board members expressed consider.
| able concern over the matter of hear
Ing report from Supt. Frank w. Ball
lou OF falling plaster in eight schools
which had to be replaced with COM
position board. The District Repair
SHOP, which did the work, estimated
the replacements as costing about
| $1,000.
Ceiling fell at the Cardozo High
School at commencement exercises last
June and several persons were slightly
injured. During the summer recess,
plaster caved in at the Miner Teachers
College and some fell last Monday in
the Terrell Junior High, where four
rooms have been condemned and the
pupils taken out. These are all colored
schools.
Other Schools Repaired.
Other schools in which composition
board was installed include the Seaton,
Henry, Corcoran, Fillmore and Hine
Junior High, white schools.
According to the report, work in these
buildings has been completed except
at the Terrell and Miner.
DR.. Ballou said the situation was one
OF extreme Importance" and recon-
mended report to the Commissioners
on all plaster falling. He said the COL
lapses were all in old buildings due to
deterioration.
The resolution adopted by the board
urges the Commissioners to take imme-
diate action.
On recommendation of DR.. Ballou
the members voted down a petition
from parents living in the Wesley
Heights-Spring Valley area asking that
pupils in that section be assigned to
Deal Junior High and Woodrow Wilson
Senior High instead of Gordon Junior
High and Western Senior High, which
they now attend. The superintendent
cited congestion and growing ENROLL
ments at Deal and Wilson and said he
could not recommend the change even
though he was himself a resident Of
Wesley Heights. The petition of the
parents was based on transportation
difficulties.
Invites Data on New School.
The board, however. invited the petit
TONERS to support its request for a new
junior high school at Massachusetts,
avenue and Macomb street NV. in
the 1910 budget. This project has
been requested annually in the budget
since 1893.
About IS or As pupils are affected
by this ruling, Dr. Ballou said.
A request of Strayer College Of Ac-
countancy to be allowed to confer ac-
countancy degrees here on students
completing work in proposed branch
of the college in Baltimore was
granted by the members provided DR..
Ballou contacted and found there was
no objection from Maryland educa-
tional officials.
The plan of the United States Office
OF Education and the District schools
relating to instruction in the distribu-
tive trade through funds amounting
to about $4,000 was approved by
the members. Two-thirds of the funds
are available to the District under the
George-Deen Act for expansion of
vocational education.
In this connection the board also
adopted policy of transferring teach
ers of trade subjects, who cannot meet
Federal qualifications through trade
experience within a reasonable time,
to corresponding positions in the junior
high schools without a change of
salary
This move was taken to assure the
District Of the fullest possible partici-
patton in George-Deen funds. The
Federal money may not be used toward
the salaries of persons failing to meas
ure up to certain standards, and
teachers who could not qualify may
now be shifted to other schools to make
way for a qualified instructor, two
thirds of whose salary may be met
from Federal money Vocational schools
here are rated academically on the
junior high level under act of Con-
gress.
Explore Crippled Children's Needs.
An Advisory Committee on the needs
OF the physically-handicapped children
in the school system was appointed
with Mrs Henry Grattan Doyle, presi-
dent of the board, as chairman. The
committee will include medical spe-
cialists for crippled or tubercular chill
dren and children with bed hearing or
vision. The committee will also in
clude representatives of civic groups
interested in the work.
Plans for P. W. A. construction on
the Giddings, Smothers, Monroe and
Margaret Murray Washington Schools
were passed upon favorably and will be
forwarded to the District Building.
Three bills were referred to the Legis-
lative Committee for consideration and
report. These included bill to prevent
loss Of pay in cases where teacher is
promoted to principal during the year.
Need for this regulation, DR.. Ballou ex-
planned. grows out of the fact that
teachers are paid in 10 payments an
nually while principals receive their
salaries in IL payments.
Another bill relates to civil service
for the District under a special board.
A set-up Of this sort affecting the Dis
trict schools would be very unfortu-
nate" according to DR.. Ballou.
The third bill was the King bill to
unity recreation agencies in the Dis
trict under a recreation board.
Announcement was made Of the
cadet appointments in the 9Th Brigade,
made up Of the colorea senior high
schools. Appointees included David
Smith Of Armstrong, colonel; Orville
Crutchfield Of Dunbar, lieutenant coll
onel; Samuel Bullock of Dunbar, brig
ade adjutant; Woodie Lewis of Car
dozo, plans and training. captain, and
George Winnie of Dunbar, supply, cap
tain.