Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1951-10-22
Pupils Transfer
From Lafayette
Upfor Restudy
School Board Called
Into Special Meeting
To Review Controversy
BY Colt HendIey, Jr.

A special meeting OF the Board
of Education has been called by
c. Melvin Sharpe, board PRESIDENT,
for 10 am. tomorrow to recon-
slider the much reconsidered con-
troversy involving the transfer of
90 pupils from Lafayett to Murch
Elementary School.
The School Board only last
Wednesday reversed School Supt.
Hobart M. Corning's transfer of
the pupils to Murch, ordering him
to get them back to Lafayette by
November l. DR.. Corning made
the shifts to relieve overcrowding
at the Lafayette School.
This action followed two de-
velopments over the week end in
the controversy that has been I'M
der way since last spring.
l. DR.. James A. Cannon. the
only board member among those
present at last Wednesdays meet
ing who supported DR.. Corning,
requested Mr. Sharpe to call the
special session Immediately.
Sit-Down Strike Planned.
2. A Shutdown strike was planned
by members of the Lafayette Home
and School Association to prevent
plumbers from removing toilets
from the teachers room at the
school. The Board had ordered
this room converted TO classroom
to help accommodate the return
ing 80 pupils.
The conversion Of the teachers
room was scheduled to begin this
morning. So was the strike.
The mothers of the Lafayette
children had planned to keep
members in the teachers room at
all times SO the plumbers could
not remove the plumbing. In light
of the special session, the mothers
called off the strike.
Renovation Suspended.
The work on converting the
teachers room was ordered sus-
pended by Mr.. Sharpe, pending
outcome of the special meeting.
Mr.. Sharpe said the board
would not hear speakers at the
special meeting. He added he
called it at the request of three
members of the board. two others
having joined DR.. Cannon in the
request.
DR.. Cannon, in calling for the
special meeting, pointed out that
three members of the board were
absent when the vote overturning
DR.. Corning was taken. He said
the action came after the end of
a long meeting and every one was
irritated and tired.
He declared the removal of the
teachers room would leave the "a
women employed at the school
with inadequate facilities and no
place to prepare and eat lunch.
In addition, he said, the over
crowding of Lafayette would not
be solved and would get worse
next fall when enrolment is ex-
pected to increase again.
Boundary Changed.
DR.. Corning transferred the 80
pupils by the device of changing
the boundary line between the two
schools. The parents appealed to
the School Board and the board
told DR.. Corning to restudy the
matter during the summer and
then make his own decision.
He stuck by his original plan.
Then the board heard parents of
the 90, who have been fighting the
move doggedly, and asked further
restudy. Two weeks ago the
Boards Building and Grounds
Committee okayed DR.. Corning'sI
plan-the children had been
transferred to Murch in the mean
time at the opening of school
and sent it to the full board for
action last Wednesday,
DR.. Phillip johnson started the
stampede in the other direction
by withdrawing his support of the
plan. The board then overruled
DR.. Corning by 4-to-1 vote, three
members absent, and ordered him
to comply by November l.