Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-08-15
Group Protests Plan
To Divide Retarded
Pupils in Arlington

An organization Of parents of
mentally retarded students will
send representatives before the
next meeting Of the Arlington
School Board to ask for re-
verSal of a decision to divide
four special classes in one school
into two classes in two schools.
At the same time protest pc
tition of the parents of the 60
children in this category will be
offered, according to Irwin M.
Bass. spokesman for the organi-
cation designated Help for Linn
tied Children.
Until last year, mentally re-
tarded children were taught in
the Hume School. Last year,
they were moved into a wing of
the new Page School, 1901 North
Lincoln street. The board de-
cided that next year two classes
will remain at Page and two will
be transferred to darlington,
1908 South Stafford street.
Reasons Given BY Board.
Among reasons given by the
board is that more classroom
space for other students is
needed at Page to avoid double
shifts or sending some students
into other school areas. Class
room space is available in Fair
lington, it was said.
Also, the move will eliminate
unnecessary travel for about
half the retarded children by
placing facilities in both the
north and south ends of the
county. DR.. Barnard Joy, board
member, said separation of the
classes is part of long-range
program previously planned.
Mr.. Bass organization con-
tends the children it represents
deserve special consideration due
to a handicap for which they
are not responsible.
"This type of child has been
Disseminated against = showed
around ever since he was born"
Mr.. Bass said.
The move would breakdown
what has been accomplished in
Hume and at Page. he said.
With the group together in one
school, children can be divided
into four categories based on
achievement level.
DR.. Joy says the children al
ready receive special consid-
Grafton under a program which
is recognized to be far advanced
over anything else in Virginia.
Instead of the average of 80
pupils per teacher in other
grades, only Is students per
teacher are taught in the spe-
cial classes.
u ~~SAASs3 N4OS~ A]AkSGAASAWGs
1.-THE handicapped child re-
ceives the most expensive edu-
cation Arlington has to offer"
DR.. Joy said. Special equip
ment is needed"
MIR. Bass said his organization
and its forerunner, the Hume
PTA, had staged benefits, mostly
square dances, and has con-
tributed more than $4,000 worth
of this special equipment.
When the Hume PTA went out
of existence, the Help for Linn
tied Children organization was
formed so that these fund
raising activities could be con-
tinued especially for the handi-
capped rather than be absorbed
into the program of the much
larger Page PTA.
The protesting organization
contends it is more important to
group retarded children accord
ing to the particular weakness
of the child rather than by geo.
graphic location.
Mr.. Bass said his group has
learned that the only two
teachers who have been with the
program for more than a year
would be moved from Page to
darlington. They are Miss
Florence Maitland, former prin-
cipal at Hume, and Mrs. Juanita
II. Street. The remaining two
teachers ct Page have. been in
the program only q year, he said.
"It would be o waste of tax
payers money" Mr.. Bass said,
'.to separate and duplicate the
50. 900 worth of equipment We
! have purchased"