Evening star., 1948-01-04
Invoking Of Law
Urged Against
Browne Parents
Pleo by Corning
To End Boycott
Rejected by Group


Citations last night recommended
that the Board of Education "in-
woke existing regulations" to deal
with parents who have been keeping
their children out of the Browne
Junior High School annexes. Blow
and Webb Schools.
The parents, however, intend to
stand firm. The steering committee
of the parents at Browne School
has rejected a plea by School Sup
erintendent Hobart M. Corning that
they end the boycott.
Instead, when Washington's pub
lie schools reopen tomorrow after
the Christmas holidays, the parents
hope to make the boycott complete,
according to Gardner L. Bishop,
spokesman for the committee.
He said yesterday he believes the
pupils who have been attending
classes at the Blow and Webb
Schools will stay away. He put the
number of pupils who have been re-
porting at the annexes at from Is
to 20.
Resolution Offended.
The federation resolution, pre-
sented by Edward c. Hartung,
chairman of the education COM
mittee, said:-
Charges that the Board of
Education is 'fagrantly unfair to
colored children and that they are
the victims of 'hand-me- down
schools and secondhand education
indicate no disposition to recognize
that the Board of Education is
struggling with a situation entirely
beyond its, control and not of its
own making"
1t went On to say that facilities
never have been adequate for either
white or colored children at any
time in the last 25 years. There
is an urgent need for action to
settle the controversy, it continued.
The boycott Of the two buildings
began December shortly after the
Board of Education transferred
them from white to colored pupils
in an effort to relieve crowded con-
dltions at Browne. The regulations
referred to are the compulsory
school attendance laws which make
a parent unlawfully keeping child
out of school liable to a fine or a
Jail sentence.
Committee Meets.
The parents steering committee
met Friday night at 1924 Grant
street NE. The meeting was called
after the parents received letters
from School Dr. Corning urging
them not to make the children
victims of dispute with school
policies.
This plea was signed also by Dr.
Garnet &C. Wilkinson, first assistant
superintendent in charge of colored
schools. 1t was rejected. and the
committee decided to continue the
strike program, Mr.. Bishop said.
Those meeting Friday also
planned mass meeting at the
Jones Memorial Methodist Church,
Benning road and Forty-second
street NE.
Mr. Bishop said representatives
of the committee will attend the
school board meeting Wednesday
afternoon and then report to the
parents Wednesday night. He said
the strike will continue unless the
board meets the parents request
for one of three plans.
Plans Submitted Again.
These plans, previously taken up
with the board, have been submit
ted again so as to be placed on the
agenda for Wednesdays board
meeting. They call for transfer
ring the Eliot Junior High School
to colored pupils, or transferring
Eastern High School or reverting
to the former procedure of having
the pupils attend Browne in q
double shift.
The boards current solution of
the problem of overcrowding at
Browne Is to have some pupils start
the day at Webb or Blow. and then
60 to Browne in the afternoon,
while those who go to classes in
Browne in the morning switch to
the annexes in the afternoon