Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-09-12

aAoWeu 10 stay IN present schools
until they are graduated or. are
promoted.
Such pupils, if the new boun.
diary maps leave them in a school
outside the new zone in which
they live, will be given what Of
ficials have labeled an option to
move to the different school If
they wish. Supt. Hobart NJ,
Corning has announced that
next month all such pupils will
be asked whether they wish to
remain or move. Some such
trainers may be permitted soon
thereafter. more will be allowed
in February, and the rest will be
made in September, 1855.
In Full Effect Next Year.
A year from now the school
system will throw all old, racially
separate boundary maps away.
and non-segregation will offici-
ally be in full effect. Actually
it will take six years for the new
boundaries to become completely
operative in grade schools, and
two years in secondary schools.
But DR.. Corning has predicted
that most If not all schools will
have at least one or more pupils
OF the opposite race this fall.
Next February this proportion
will grow. since starting then
junior high graduates will move
to senior high according to the
new boundaries, without regard
to race. s1f
Pupil Indignation got under
way week and half ago. Then
secondary schools began regis
tering new students without race
restrictions. Last week elemen-
tary schools held two registra-
ton days, enrolling probably the
the bulk of an estimated 10000
newcomers. In many buildings
the new enrollees were of both
races. Tomorrow there will be
some additional new enrollments.
Tomorrow there will probably
also be a considerable number Of
transfer requests to principals.
The school system normally has
around 5000 transfers because
of change of residence within the
city every year. There might be
more this year. Such transfer
ring students will be assigned
without race restriction.
Enrolment Record Expected.
The school system this fall is
expecting a new record enroll
ment. The expected total is about
LOT, 900, compared to lO3,778 last
year. The new Negro proportion
is expected to be about SO
per cent, a point or two higher
than last year. The system will
also again have slight majority
of Negro teachers.
Indignation will be a boon to
Negro children. Not only is it
enabling some of them to move
to less crowded and less distant
buildings. 1t is also enabling a
more even distribution Of
teachers.
The colored division long had
teacher shortage, and the
white division a surplus. This
fall, for the first time in several
years, school officials do not ex-
pect to be challenged with GUS
tomary complaints of inequality
in Negro schools.
There have been predictions
in some quarters that desegra-
cation would cause some white
children to desert the city
hools. Certain individual
schools have reported more
transfers outside than usual dur
ing summer. Others, however.
have reported no more than
normal. Private schools-as re-
ported elsewhere on this page
haven't felt any special influx.
Neither. apparently, have the
Catholic parochial schools, them
selves racially integrated, though
for the most part less than the
public school system will be.
School officials themselves
won't know whether there has
been any exodus until enrolment
figures are in. ~-sy
Evening Schools DeSegregated.
Wilson Teachers College will
reopen with some Negro stu
dents. Wilson and Miner, the
latter hitherto a Nero Sc, J.
plan to exchange course Offer
ings this fall. Evening schools
also are reopening on an entirely
desegregated basis. ~a
The four-room Military Road
Elementary School. Missouri
avenue near Thirteenth street
NV, which had about 80 COL
ored students last year, is re-
opening with new bi-racial
program for retarded children.
Indignation is helping to min
imize the problem of part-tilne
classes. Only the Richardson
School, Fifty-third and Blaine
streets NE. in a Negro neigh
borhood. is expected to have
some, probably in the first and
second grades.
Last week the Federation of
Citizens Associations unsuccess-
fully asked Federal Judge Henry
A. Schweinhaut for an imne-
date restraining order hating
desegregation. Judge Schwein-
haut indicated he would prob
ably also dismiss a still-pending
federation plea for an injunc-
ton. The Federation may seek
to appeal the matter. but school
officials are proceeding with the
indignation process.
Primary Duy School