The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1953-04-29
NSmears> Name-Ca||ing"
Protested By County PTA
In Statement To Parents
Says Schools Are
Political Football
In Current Scraps

The Executive Board of the
Monroe County Council of Parent
Teacher Associations today pro.
tested unspecified attacks on ad-
ministrators and teachers ''by
people who have spread gossip,
rumors and outright smears based
upon no facts whatsoever. -
The signed statement released
by the PTA Board is addressed to
the parents Of Key West. 1t fol-
lows in full.
s'Your attention is called to the
imminent danger Of permanent
damage to our Monroe County
public schools which win cripple
the education and future of the
children. your child and mine.
This situation has been allowed to
grow until our schools may share
the same fate as those in the un-
fortunate Pasadena debacle. II is
not too late, however, to stop the
effects which have snowballed into
unhealthy proportions here, in
which the school system has been
used as political football without
regard to its effect on our chill
dren and their future education.
Certain Of our administrators
and teachers have been attacked
by people who nave spread gossip,
rumors and outright smears bas-
ed upon no facts whatsoever. With
out realizing she true damage
they are causing our schools. these
people have allowed petty personal
grudges on political considerations
~ guide tlssrn II their attacks. An.
investigation Of the facts would
show these attacks to be entirely
untrue. This Is hackbiting and
name-calling in its worst form.
elm November, 1851, in Pasade-
ma, California, local political
disturbance spread into an attack
on the public schools and modern
education. This. In turn was fol.
lowed by name-calling and smear
attacks. The American Legion was
dragged into the disorder and GER
tain teachers and educators were
branded "unAmerican.n Behind
this upheaval was the notorious
s'frontn organization, the National
Council for American Education,
headed by feIlow-lfaveler Allen Al.
zoIl who furtherad the campaign
Of destruction with his hate-mon.
gerlng plans and pamphlets.
Identical situations occurred in
Englewood. New Jersey and in
Scarsdale, New York. II is with
the greatest alarm that we point
out the striking similarity in our
own Key West situation. II is our
opinion. however. that those who
are attacking our schools here are
not aware 81 the tree dangers 70
which they are exposing our school
system when they give lip service
or printed space to rumor and
malice. We must warn them as
we warn all the parents. that the
front organizations flourish best
where indictments are permitted
b attack without facts and 10 stir
Up tempests in 4 teapot.
ssThe teachers Of oar county
are beginning TO feel that they
are unprotected against the NAL.
Ice Of the short-sighted. that
The spite against them is directed
BY considerations other than edu.
eati0nal. Good teachers win not
remain long II IN area where
such conditions are permitted.
They viii not continue to teach
whera they cannot feel security or
where facts are Ignored and IN.
pruvahle gossip ard conjecture
substituted. Other counties have
lost their good teachers on this
account and their school systems
And the children have suffered
terrible. We must not lex this hap.
pen 10 as.
We feel that our area. q vital
defense area. IS being threatened
with an insidioux. undermining at
lempk. We feel that our cAildren
ara IN danger az losing their gcssd