Evening star., 1952-11-26
Meeting 10 Consider
Jurisdiction Over
School Hea|thP Program


The disputed question of who
should administer Prince Georges
school health program will get a
going over soon in joint session
of the county commissioners and
SpokeSmen for the Health Depart
ment and Board of Education.
DR.. Thomas S. Englar, county
health officer, suggested the meet
ing when he appeared before the
county heads yesterday at Upper
Marlboro. The commissioners
agreed to arrange a conference in
December.
DR.. Englar said a move has de-
veloped throughout the county to
take school health activities from
his agency and place them under
the jurisdiction of the county
Board of Education.
He did not say who is backing
the move or why. It was learned,
however, that PTA officials and
other civic leaders have provided
the motive power. They have done
so. it was said, because of a belief
that larger appropriations could
be obtained for the purpose if the
requests were made by the school
board.
The specific question just now,
DR.. Englar told the commits
Sioners, is under which agency
school nurses should function.
If the board feels they should
be under School Board aegis," he
said, "it may be because the
health departments case has not
been adequately presented. Quail
flied opinion and accumulated
experience points to the conclusion
that an effective and non-over-
tapping program can best be car
ried on by the health depart
ment."
The program. he declared,
should be one in which schools
and homes are co-ordinated and
integrated. Later, DR.. Englar
said, the county's 12-member
nurse staff should be tripled and
more funds allocated for health
needs.
Difficulty Seen.
ITO get that over" Commits
sioner Chairman Thomas E..
Latimer remarked, "you will have
some convincing to do" At least
two commissioners are said to
favor the proposed shift to the
School Board. The boards lean
ing was displayed last year when
the School Board was allocated
$4,000 for physio and speech
therapists. That is the extent of
the School Boards health func-
tions.
County School Supt. William
S. Schmidt agrees with DR.. Englar.
He made that clear yesterday.
Il have always believed that
school health programs should be
supervised by the Health Depart
ment," he said, because such
functions are health services. If
the Board Of Education assumes
the responsibility, it will be en-
tering a new field"
Some one should enter it more
deeply than at present, the far
ranging October grand jury hinted
broadly in its interim report. The
jurors said:
There is little semblance of a
school health program, primarily
because Of lack of nurses" The
jury recommended a larger staff
and other improvements.
To Arrange Hearing.
Mr.. Schmidt told the commits
sioners yesterday the Board of
Education will arrange a public
hearing for citizens of the Uni
lversity Park area who have pro-
tested erection Of a garage on
the Northwestern Vigh School
grounds.
Mr.. Schmidt said that in his
opinion the underlying cause of
the protests is fear that a garage
at that location would provide
an opening argument for rezoning
of the colossal rural residential
Heurich tract. The 400-acre es-
tate is surrounded by housing de-
lvelopments and threatens one day
to bring on a zoning battle of the
first class.