Evening star., 1951-03-11
Freshman Cadet
Plan May Start
School Battle
Physical Education
Group Expected to
Fight Proposal Here

S"A sSFSSAs stSsS
A fight is brewing in the Dis
trict public school system over
whether military training should
be made compulsory for boys in
the first year of high school.
The move to make freshman
boys join the High School Cadet
Corps was instituted by the heads
of the military science and tactics
departments. 1t. Col William E.
Barkman for white schools, and
1t. Col. Henry o. Atwood for the
colored schools.
Principals of the city high
schools recently indorsed the
move. They meet regularly as a
council to formulate joint policies
affecting the high schools.
That's as far as the proposals
has gone.
Opposition is Expected.
Opposition is expected to arise
from the departments of health
and physical education, whose di-
rectors fear the move may include
substituting the military training
for the five days of physical edu-
cation required each week. Head
ing these departments are Birch
E. Bayh. for white schools, and DR..
Edwin B. Henderson for colored
schools.
Physical education specialists
contend the military drill is no
substitute for well-rounded ply
sical education program. The
school principals feel that in the
emergency, it would be wise to
give high school boys-candidates
for Army service anyway-the
year of training.
There is another factor-com-
pulsory military training for one
year would revive the fading
Cadet Corps as nothing else could.
White Enrolment Down.
Enrolment in the Cadet Corps
at white schools has dropped to
only a few hundred, so that ex-
istence of the corps is threatened.
This is not true in colored schools,
however, where enrolment re-
mains relatively high and steady.
The military training question
arose in 1943. Arguments were
similar.
At that time the Board of Edu-
cation committed itself to compul-
sorry military training for one
year. in principle. But, the Cor
poration Counsels Office ruled the
move required legislation.
| Keech Issued Ruling.
The ruling by Corporation
Counsel Richmond B. Keech, now
a District Court Judge, was that
the Board of Education did not
have the authority to make cadet
training compulsory for all high
school boys. He declared:
| II believe it is clear from a
reading of the act (the Congress
sional act establishing the Cadet
Corps which was passed in 1901
that a boy must be excused from
serving in the high school cadet
corps on the written request of his
parents or guardian, in the same
manner he must be excused on the
certificate of the medical in
spector."
When the Cadet Corps was in
its full glory, undersized students
frequently were rebuffed in efforts
to join. Hence. legislation was
worded so as to stop this discrim-
ination against them and to pro-
vide cadet training for all boys
unless their doctors or parents OBJ
jected, the Keech ruling said.
Series of Changes Adopted.
Two years ago, the Board of
Education again debated moves to
strengthen the cadet corps and the
matter of the parental excuses
again was brought up. Board
members deplored the fact that so
many parents allowed their boys
to be excused from the training.
The board has adopted, on rec
ommendation of School Supt.
Hobart M. Corning, a series of
changes in the type of training
offered in the corps in an effort
to revitalize the corps over the
past two years.
Congressional legislation would
be needed both to require military
training in the high schools and
to substitute it for physical edu-
cation classes. Compulsory ply
sical education in District schools
was voted by Congress some years
ago.