Evening star., 1943-06-03
Committee Formed
By School Board as
Delinquency Advisers
Acts After Survey on
Causes; Members to Be
Appointed Later

A cltN-Wide committee TO ADVISE
the Board of Education on juvenile
delinquency prevention has been set
up by the board as it begins a
drive to cut the rising numbers of
delinquents in Washington.
"a board of education should
take the leadership in calling to-
gether those who are interested in
the welfare of Children said Mrs
Henry Grattan DOYLE. president of
the board as she proposed setting
up of the committee at the board
meeting yesterday.
Preventive methods suggested by
Supt of Schools Haycock at the
meeting included more Fairgrounds,
more attendance officers and more
guidance of children and parents
These ideas will be discussed by the
committee at its first meeting later
this month.
Many Groups to Be Represented.
Judge Fay L. Bentley of the Ju-
venile Court is expected to be one
OF the members of the committee.
and RECREATION Superintendent Milo
F, christensen will represent the
District Recreation Board. Churches,
parent-teacher -associa tions, police,
school attendance officers and So
clal clubs interested in children
probably will also be represented
on the committee.
The board also appointed group
of school officers to make the con-
crete suggestions on DELINQUENCY
prevention. The Advisory Com
mittee on the Problems of the War
time and Postwar Child" as the
city-wide committee will be called,
Will discuss these suggestions at its
first meeting
Ihe committee of school officers
Will concentrate on the schools
contribution to the drive. but the
larger advisory committee will con-
slider the problem from the view
point of all city agencies.
Assistant Superintendents of
schools Wilkinson and Cantrell al
ready have completed a survey of
junior high school teachers to find
tnelr opinions on the major causes
OF delinquency anG the steps the
schools could take to curb it.
Home Listed as Chief actor.
Questlonnalres returned by white
and colored junior high school
teachers listed the home environ
ment as the leading factor in pre-
venting or permitting juvenile de-
llnquency. The first four major
causes of delinquency, the teachers
reported, are lack of discipline in the
nome, broken homes, bad" environ
ment and insufficient effort or in
difference of home"
For example, the teachers report
ed that 13 per cent of the homes of
white junior high school students
are "broken' by death, desertion or
divorce, and 20 per cent in the COL
ored. Both parents are working in
IS per cent of the white homes and
81 per cent of the colored homes
ABOUT 20 per cent of the white chill
dren and about Is per cent of the
colored do not regularly attend
church.
The school activity which can do
the most to remove causes of iu-
venlle delinquency, the teachers
said, is the social life provided bv
the school, including dramatic ac-
tlVltles, club assemblies, music and
participation in school government.
Inc amount and quality of the food
IN the cafeteria and the physical
condltlon of the school building were
suggested by school officials as hav-
ing a bearing on juvenile delin-
quency, but were rated by few of
the teachers as serious cause.
Stronger Discipline Suggested,
lruancy and disrespect, lying and
stealing are the major main mani
festatlons of delinquency in the
schools. the survey showed. Mr..
Cantrel emphasized that he had
not yet tried to determine the exact
amount of delinquency in the
schools because the exact defni-
ton" of delinquency is difficult to
find. He may make this survey
later, however, he said.
suggestions made by the, teachers
to help prevent delinquency in
cluded wholesome supervised recre-
alton. improved attitude of the
parents and stronger home disci-
pline. Stronger discipline in school
was also recommended.
"Discontinuance of cheap maga-
zines, obscene literature, weird ra-
dlo programs and questionable NOV
les was suggested by teachers as
another preventive step.
The survey idea originated with
Mr.. Cantrell, was worked out bv
Boise L. Bristor, school statistician
and is expected to be carried out
in the elementary and senior high
grades in the near future.