The daily monitor leader. [volume] (Mount Clemens, Mich.) 1942-19??, 1944-11-14
Pupils
Continued from Page One)

Continued from Page One)
have agreed to keep their chill
dren out of school until solu-
ton is found.
Monday and today the schools
normal enrolment of "a drop
ped TO below the go mark.
Thirty-five absentees today
we're distributed as follows:
kindergarten, First and Second
Grades, IA; Third, Fourth and
Firth Grades, IL, and Sixth,
Seventh and Eighth Grades, 10.
The schools three teachers
struggled with the problem of
teaching classes whose morale
is visibly affected by the many
empty classroom seats, and
whose discipline is admittedly
not up TO par because so many
pupils are free from childhood'S
chatting educational bonds.
NO SOLUTION SIGHTED
Admitting that such a situation
cannot continue indefinitely,
state and county officials and
trustees of the school board have
no solution 10 offer up TO this
time. Hope appears to be CEN
tered in the office of DR.. Eugene
B. Elliott, State Superintendent
of Public Instruction, who may,
some believe, wave magic
wand in the form of some hith-
erto undiscloSed emergency pro-
visions for providing bus trans
portation.
DR.. Elliotts office, however,
has clearly indicated in recent
statements to the district that it
has gone as far as the law al
lows. 1t offered to provide fin
anCial aid in generous quantities
for the district if it would dis
continue the Eighth Grade and
transport students by bus TO an
other district.
This provides the only legal
basis whereby the state can
share transportation costs within
a district.
PLAN REJECTED
The voters on three successive
occasions (moSt recently last
Thursday voted against this
plan by more than two to one.
Likewise they rejected plan
to provide transportation within
the district, the entire cost TO be
bourne by the district.
Affected in the controversy
are children Of parents living in
Heath Manor Subdivision, more
than three miles distant from
the school. Some of them are
not more than five years old.
The seven-mile daily walk, on
heavily travelled roads without
the S.fety Of sidewalks-in adj
dition to the health hazards of
Wintry weather-has been con-
demned by parents.
Even state and county school
officials have been frank in
stating that such mileage is
much too far for a small child
TO walk.
However, older-settled resi-
dents of the district surround
ing the school, whose children
have lesser distances TO walk,
have voted solidly against bus
transportation.
PICKETING ABANDONED
Plcketing Of the school, con-
Quoted by Heath Manor child
rem three weeks ago, brought
the problem into the public eye.
This was discontinued, however,
when Heath Manor parents ex-
pcrienced adverse public crltl-
ClSm.
School officials are weighing,
with little comment, the laws
only resort when parents keep
children from school; the entry
Of the atruant officer and court
charges against parents. Wheth-
or or not more than 80 mothers
and fathers could be Jointly
charged, and fined or jailed is
moot question. School officials,
who have in the past unmerci-
fully jailed parents who kept
their children from school for
trivial reason, frankly admit
that Its had TO force a parent TO
make a young child walk seven
miles a day"