Evening star., 1942-01-22
School Board Votes
DisapprovaI Of Night
Watches for Women
Vigil Of "a Hours Now
Maintained in 18
Selected Buildings

Unanimous disapproval Of use Of
woman teachers to watch school
buildings after $50 pm. was voted
yesterday by the Board Of Educa-
ton.
Action followed reports of an
alleged attempted assault on a
teacher on watch In q colored
school. At the present time 24-hour
vigil Is being maintained in 10 Sc
lected school buildings on orders
from District civilian defense ON
At the same time Supt. Frank w.
: Ballou told the members defense
officials had rejected his proposals
to abandon the watch In all schools
and study the situstion, or to turn
the whole after school watch over to
AFRAID wardens. They accepted
instead, he said, the plan to man
strategically-located buildings.
Plans for manning some OF the
schools with auxiliary police or
wardens went afoul. DR.. Ballou in
dicated, when numbers of both
groups indicated they hadn't signed
up to serve in schools.
Principals Advised.
School principals have already
been advised not to use woman
teachers after $50 pm, Dr.. Ballou
said, but under questions from board
members, he added that he could
not promise that some were not be-
ing used where man teacher!
weren't available.
Referring to the alleged attempted
assault, C. Melvin Sharpe observed
"one little incident like that and
we'll all be sorry" His query as tc
whether there was not some way In
which the vigil could be stopped
brought from DR.. Ballou the opinion
that maintenance Of the vigil should
not be placed on the teachers as
professional group. Rather he said
it was the responsibility Of the COM
munity In which the school wa
located.
In some instances, 1t was stated
communities have already put ur
money to hire watchmen to relieve
the teachers of the work.
Answering a criticism of the Cir
Reserve Mothers Council, the mem.
bers declared activities and socia
functions in connection with mid.
winter graduations shuld not be can.
celled merely because the board hac
decided earlier to move as many
graduations as possible into daylight
hours to avoid night gatherings
Board Member Charles D. Draytor
said he thought the transfer Of tht
exercises to daytime was premature
The members voted to seek $45,.
600 deficiency appropriation to com.
plete six classrooms at the Lafayette
School and $500 for seven addi-
tional clerks from March to JUNE
30, the end Of the fiscal year. The
completion Of the classrooms at La
fayette was sought In Lanham Ac
funds but disallowed. It will permit
abandonment of the old e. " Brown
School, at least by next September
it was stated.
Personnel Changes Approved.
A number of personnel change,
were approved by the board as wa.
abandonment for school purposes ol
the Weightman, Hubbard and Blake
Schools.
Mrs. F. L. Toms, principal of thu
Randall Night School, is resigning a
of February 3 when she will be sue.
ceeded by Miss c. e. Lewis.
With the closing Of Hubbard, the
teacher training program carried or
there and at the Powell School vii
be transferred to the Truesdel
School as will Mrs. Ruth K. Webb
former administrative principal al
Hubbard-Powell. Powell will b
combined with the Raymond Schoo
under Miss Lou E. Ballenger.
Mrs. I. I. Ruediger was mad,
permanent supervising principal o.
the seventh division.
Miss Nell r. Hiscox, principal O
Truesdell, will move to the prin'
cipalship of the Janney School mad,
vacant by the death of Mrs. Eliza
beth K. Peoples.
Mrs. Frances S. Haas, principal o
the Addison Curtis-H Hyde combina
ton, will surrender Addison to Mr.
Beulah D. Aldridge, teaching prin
cipal at Corcoran, and Corcoran vii
be combined with Grant under Mis-
Viola Onutt.