Evening star., 1942-10-14
landover Hills
School Board
Votes Firehouse.
Prince Georges Group
Approves Location
On 18-Acre Tract

Plans for construction of fire.
house to serve the Landover Hills
community were disclosed today
after the Prince Georges County
Board of Education, which owns the
site, had approved the structure
A delegation from the area, led
by Philip r. McCray, requested au-
thority at the boards meeting yes
terday to erect the building on part
Of an 18-acre tract.
The board gave tentative approval
to the plan, provided that erection
OF the firehouse would not interfere
with the future construction Of a
school on the site.
Meanwhile, residents of Berwyn
Heights, thwarted at least tenn
porarily in their fight to obtain an
other teacher for the towns .ele-
mentary school, today turned their
attention to obtaining bids for re-
pairs to the building.
Berwyn Group Present.
A delegation, headed by Mayo
Attick, president of the Parent
Teacher Association, appeared be-
fore the board yesterday with two
requests-appointment of another
teacher for the tWo-room elementary
school and for urgently needed"
repairs to the school building.
While denying the first request,
the board told the group to get
bids for the repairs first" and prom
ised to consider the second re-
quest later.
The repairs, as outlined in a pc
tition presented by Mr.. Attick, in
cluded establishment of indoor SAN
ttary facilities; reinforcement of the
rear basement wall; Strengthening
Of the roof, which now sags in the
middle and leaks, and painting of
The exterior and interior of the
building.
In urging that the repairs be
authorized Immediately, Mr.. Attick
declared that the school sis dis
grace to the county school system"
He also charged that the board,
IN not authorizing the repairs be-
fore, is attempting to keep children
away from the school and "seize
that fact as an excuse to close the
building"
Predicts Enrolment Jump.
He predicted that if the repairs
were made enrolment at the school
would jump to at least SIS or 60
pupils as compared with an average
enrolment of less than 40 at
present.
Transfer Of one of the two teach
ers at the school about two weeks
ago precipitated storm of protest
among residents of the town and
caused a sit-down strike by nine
upper-grade pupils who were left
without an instructor.
Eight of the nine, however, have
Since transferred to other schools
temporarily" according to Mr.. At
tick. The one remaining pupil at
the school spends his time reading
papers, he said.
Under Maryland law, an average
enrolment of 40 pupils is necessary
before two teachers can be appoint
ed by the school board.
The board also ordered the trans
fer of rs pupils of the Greenbelt
High School to the Laurel High
School, in view of the formers
crowded condition. Most of the
pupils are children of employees at
the Beltsville experimental farm.
Weigh Shift to Suitland.
School Supt. Nicholas Orem added
that the board may have to transfer
rs children from the Oxon Hill
School to the Suitland School in
order to avoid establishing double
shifts at the Oxon Hill School.
Reconditioning of the old Lanham
School to serve as a primary school
and take care of the surplus of stu
dents at the new Lanham School
also is being considered, he said.
At present, Mr.. Orem asserted,
the only school placed on double
shift is Brandywine. A new school
Is expected to be completed there
about November l..
With reference to the teacher
shortage in the county, Mr.. Orem
said the situation is improving but
that I'VE still need more teachers,
particularly in boys physical educa-
ton and science classes"