Evening star., 1941-09-08
County Schools
Open Doors for
Fall Terms
Few Children Kept
From Glasses by
Paralysis Scare

Public schools in three nearby
Maryland and Virginia counties
opened their fall terms today, with
only a few parents in the Maryland
area keeping their children at home
as a precautionary measure against
infantile paralysis.
Health officers in all the counties
near Washington said there is no
reason to postpone school, and said
the danger of an epidemic has been
exaggerated in the public mind.
DR.. Edwin w. Broome, school
superintendent of Montgomery
County, Md, said he expected few
absences today because of anxiety
on the part of some parents and
that he would not enforce the school
attendance law in these cases.
Seven Kept at Home.
Oficials of the Chevy Chase Ele-
mentary School received word that
seven children would be absent
when classes opened there this
morning. The absences were attrlb-
uted by the parents to concern over
the six cases of poliomyelitls that
have been reported in Montgomery
County. .....
Oficials at the Hyattsville Elemen-
tary School said this morning regis
tration appeared to be little under
normal. Several other schools in
the county reported increases IN
attendance over last year.
There have been total of 18 cases
of the disease reported in Prince
Georges County, DR.. John M. Byers,
health officer, said. One OF these
was reported over the week end and
another patient, 30-year-old
woman, died yesterday morning, he
said.
DR.. Byers emphasized there is no
need to close the schools because the
pupils receive daily inspection from
the teachers and the disease can be
more easily controlled when the
children are under constant inspec-
ton. The Maryland State Board
of Health concurs In this belief, DR..
Byers said.
Laurel Opening Put OFF.
With the advent of cooler weather
WITHIN the next few weeks, occur
renee of the disease should be elm
mated, according to records OF past
years.
Despite DR.. Byers' recommended
tions, the public schools at Laurel,
Md, where seven of Prince Georges
County's cases have been reported,
postponed their opening from today
until September %. Laurel citizens
were to appear before the Town
Council tonight to ask for a
general quarantine prohibiting pub
lie gatherings of children of Is years
of age or younger.
New Montgomery Gases.
The six cases in Montgomery
County include one that was re-
ported Saturday to DR.. V. L. Elllcott,
health officer of that county. Two
other cases were reported in Mont
gomery County last week, one in
the eastern suburban district early
in the week, one case in the Rock
vile -Gaithersburg area in the middle
of the week and the case reported
Saturday in the Chevy Chase area.
One of the previously reported
patients in the Chevy Chase area
died Thursday and the other two
previously reported cases were an
nounced in the last two weeks OF
August.
A delegation of about dozen
citizens Of Rockville called on School
Superintendent Broome at Rockville
last night to protest the opening OF
Montgomery County schools today.
The delegation included o. L.
Hooper, president of the Rockville
Parent Teacher Association.
Reuben Riggs, another member of
the Rockville delegation, said the
parents met with DR.. Broome be-
cause two family physicians had ex-
pressed concern over the opening of
schools at this time and had
described the move as q risk.
Daily Inspections Planned.
Paul Brunett, another member of
the delegation, said he thought the
opening of schools could be post
poned until cooler weather sets in
and the lost time could be made up
during the holiday periods that fol-
low.
DR.. Broome emphasized that daily
inspections of the children are made
and that the teachers would be
"even more Jealous" in these ex-
aminations at the present time. He
said the situation Is entirely q
Health Department matter and
there is no need to delay school
openings.
The Virginia areas not only have
been far more lightly touched by
the disease, but no new cases have
been reported over the week end
There have been only two cases In
Arlington, Va.-one in July and one
in August, and three definite cases
and q suspicious case this year in
Alexandria.
No new cases were reported in
Washington over the week end, DR.
James G. Cummings, head of the
epidemiology division Of the Health
Department Of the District, said
There have been 36 cases of the
disease reported here this year, he
said.