Evening star., 1938-10-20
VISITING TEACHER
PLANS FOR LAME
ARE SENT v. P. A..
$18,45 Project for Aid
of Cripp|es Nearer
Realization.
FEDERAL APPROVAL
is ONLY NEED NOW
Board of Education Conditionally
Consents to Become
Co-sponsor.

Education for more than 200 Grip
pied or otherwise shut-in children
moved a step nearer today as the
$1S,045 w. P. A. project for visiting
teacher5 was forwarded to the Federal
w. P. A. for offlcial approval.
This is the last step before selection
Of the 16 teachers who will do the
actual visiting to the clinics at GAL
linger, Freedman's and Children's
Hospitals.
Approval by the Federal agency is
virtually certain since DR.. L. r. Alder
man. director of educational projects
for the Federal w. P. A., has been ad-
vised of the outline of the project and
has unofflcially given 1t his sanction.
Ross Haworth, assistant w. P. A.
administrator for the District, said he
expected quick action will be taken
on the plans and expressed hope the
project will be in operation within two
weeks.
Co-sponsorship Agreed.
Yesterday the Board of Education
ofncially agreed to become q CO.
sponsor Of the project provided the
Health Department Of the District also
becomes q co-sponser.
Members were well pleased at the
opportunity for setting such q pro-
gram in operation among the school
children. having already sought ap-
preparation in the last three budgets
for six teachers to begin just such
work as regular department of the
public schools.
The schools will furnish books es-
sential to the studies involved and also
room to serve as headquarters for
the directors of the project. The
Health Department will be asked to
provide materials for occupational
therapy.
Candidates for the teaching posts
will be interviewed for qualifications
by Mrs. Hazel Taylor, assistant director
Of the education and recreation pro-
jects Of the District w. P. A., and will
then be passed upon by the school
board, w. P. A. of1icials said. The can
didates are taken from a waiting list
49, VAC VauRlOyAlCl1G
Board u Get Qualifications.
The question Of qualifications Of
teachers to be employed under the
project bothered several board mem
bers, but Supt. Frank w. Ballou
pointed out that the board will have
the right to set the qualifications.
This is an emergency proposition"
he declared. None of the teachers
employed will have permanent status
in the school system
As the project now stands. children
to benefit by it total 200. Eighty of
these are white children and l23 COL
ored. They include crippled and epi-
leptic children; tubercular children
not in Glenn Dale Sanitorium; chill
dren with defective vision, and others
in delicate health"
Or the Is teachers to be employed,
seven will be white and nine cclored
and the work will be directed by two
supervisors, one for the white children
and another for the colored.
instruction for Eight Months.
The w. P. A. appropriation will pro-
vide the instruction for period of
eight months it was said, or. in other
words, until the end of the school
year.
This program is less than half of
that originally planned by the school
officials who asked for SO teachers to
carry the instruction to some All chill
dren. On the other hand, it repre-
sents more than the original intent of
the District w. P. A., which had
planned more modest project to pro-
vide not more than 10 instructors.
The spark which touched off the
whole proposition was the discovery
that, due to cut in the transportation
item of the school budget, seven
crippled children were unable to be
taken to the Langdon School for Grip
pied children.
From this originated the visiting
teacher suggestion from the District
w. P. A.
Conferences Held.
Conferences were held between Mrs.
Henry Grattan Doyle, president of the
board; Health Department officials,
Mrs. Mary Steele. director OF profess
sional and women's projects for the
District w. P. A.. and Mr.. Haworth.
assistant w. p. A. administrator for
the District.
Mrs Doyle expressed pleasure at the
rapidity with which the program was
moving to completion.
Il hope this will mark beginning
toward the permanent inclusion of
visiting teachers in our school SYSTEM"
she declared.
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