Evening star., 1948-02-05
Elected School
Board Backed
BY Mrs. Doyle
Plans to Testify
For Proposal in
Home Rule Bill
BY Colt HendIey, Jr.

BY Coit Hendley, Jr. ~
MRS. Henry. Grattan Doyle, pres.
ident OF the Board of Education, will
testify in favor of an elected school
board under the Auchincloss plan
on Saturday at the Capitol because
she sees mo terEors" in an elected
body. ...s,
This is contrary to the stand
taken last week by the boards
Legislative Committee, which was
empowered to speak for the group
and did very strongly against elecs
tion of a school board. The COM
mittee also disapproved some nine
other major changes recommended
by the plan.
Mrs. Doyle told the other board
members yesterday of her personal
feelings" in the matter, because she
wanted them to know how she stood.
No one suggested that another board
member represent them at the
hearing.
2 Others support Views.
In fact, two other members, Mrs.
James w. Williams and George E. c.
Hayes, both colored, joined her and
said they, too, were for an elected
school board.
The four members who disap-
proved the election method last
week at the committee meeting, not
attended by these three, were c.
Melvin Sharpe, Adelbert w. Lee.
DR.. James A. Cannon and Mrs.
Philip Sidney Smith. DR.. Robert
A. Maurer and John H. Wilson, the
other two board members, have not
stated their feelings for the record.
L cannot go along with that
action Of the board" Mrs. Doyle
said. IF you would prefer to have
some one to go who will not make
that statement, I'm willing"
Mrs. Doyle did approve OF the
action of the committee in con-
demning the Auchincloss proposal
which would allow the board to
hold meetings closed to the public
and the press.
Disturbed About Bill.
Il am disturbed about the BILL"
she commented. 1T takes away
one of the democratic features
which we now have. I would not
want to see an elected board or any
board hold closed meetings"
She did not comment on her feel
ings on the other phases of the
Auchincloss plan.
The board meeting opened yes
terday when Frederick T. Harris,
executive secretary of the Move
ment. for the Economic Advance
ment of the Celored People, asked
the group to admit colored boy to
Central High School.
This boy. Robert Alonzo Whiso-
nant, 1418 w street NV, was grad
uated from Garnet Patterson jun
ior High schoor olast month. Mr..
HARRIS said hs=aRRlisds -tfis-wsek at
Central, which is near his home,
and was turned down.
DR.. Corning said the board, under
fpresent regulations, can NOT ac-
cent the student at Central, Mr..
HayesE Ecommented his stand against
segregation is we'll known but that
ne had to agree, "unfornately," that
the board can do nothing.
Suit Planned, Board Told.
The application was denied, and
later Mr.. Harris said he planned to
file a suit in behalf of the boy.
A list of books being added to
the school systems approved texts
and some being dropped-was sub
mitted for consideration Of the
board.
Building Citizenship" the civics
textbook which has been under fire
by Mr.. Lee, Veteran of Foreign
Wars officials here, and lately Rep
resentative Miller. Republican, Of
Nebraska was not among those rec
commended to be dropped. All Of the
volumes being cut from the list are
either out of print or books Of
which new editions are being pub
lished
This list caused a slight furry
among board members when Mr..
Lee said he would like to see the
books. 1t was finally agreed they
would be put on display in the
Franklin Administration Building.
The story of Little Black Sambo,"
which the National Association for
the Advancement of Colored People
last fall demanded be discontinued
because it held the colored race up
to ridicr1e, also was not listed. DR..
Corning said, however. it had been
dropped some months ago as pri-
mary reader.