Evening star., 1949-05-23
HouseUnit Votes
Sick Leave for
D. {. Teachers
Optomety Measure,
Weed Removed Plan
Also Approved

A House District Subcommittee
today approved a bill to provide
sick leave for teachers and attend
ance officers In the public school
system here.
Also approved and sent to the
full House District Committee for
action were two other measures.
They would:
Amend the laws regulating op-
tometry in the District.
Authorize the District Commits
sioners to order the removal of
weeds on private property as "a
nuisance injurious to health"
The sick leave for teachers bill
was the subject of a long hearing
during the morning by the House
District Subcommittee on Health,
Education and Recreation. headed
by Representative Abernathy,
Democrat, of Mississippi.
Opposition From Few.
The measure was strongly rec
commended by spokesmen for the
District Commissioners. the Board
of Education and many others.
Only real opposition came from a
few persons who asked for amend
ments to grant additional benefits
not carried in the bill.
After the close of the hearing
the committee. in executive ses-
sion, approved the measure as
introduced by Representative Mil
Ter, Republican. of Nebraska. a
physician, without amendment.
Melvin Sharpe. president Of the
Board of Education, and DR.. Ho-
bart M. Corning urged the COM
mittee to approve the bill. They
said it was needed, not only for
the welfare of the teachers, but
because it would help school off,
cials to recruit new teachers and
to retain those already employed.
The bill would grant to each
teacher 10 days leave annually on
full pay for personal illness. con-
tagious disease or death In the
home, or pressing emergency"
Borrowing Permitted.
Unused leave would be cumula-
tive up to so days and when all
accrued and earned leave has been
exhausted a teacher would be
permitted to borrow up to 20 days
leave with full pay.
The bill also provides that ini-
TALLY each permanent teacher
would be given credit for previous
service at the rate of one day of
leave for each complete year of
service in the public schools up
to and including 20 years.
Among those who testified for
the bill were: DR.. Regis L. Boyle,
president of the Education Asso-
citation of the District; Mrs. Ernest
Lindley, and Mrs. Leon Henderson
of Americans for Democratic Ac-
ton; Robert Evans of the District
Congress of Parent Teacher Asso-
Citations; Russell B. Coover of the
High School Teachers Associa-
ton; Miss Helen Samuel of the
Junior Teacher High School
Teachers Association; Miss Eliza
beth Griffith of the Elementary
Classroom Teachers Association;
Miss Thelma Raymond of the Co.
lumbia Educational Association;
DR.. Burch Bayh of the Teachers
Advisory Council.
Amendments Urged.
Paul Cooke, president, and Don
Goodloe, legislative representative
of Local 81, American Federation
of Teachers, urged the bill be
amended to provide for auto
matte reinstatement. mandatory
additional leave and provision for
leave with part pay after the
teacher has used his sick leave
with full pay.
Ralph Watt of Local s, Amer
ican Federation of Teachers,
urged amendments allowing 10
days sick leave per year be made
available at the beginning of each
school year and be cumulative for
an indefinite number Of years.