Evening star., 1954-10-10
Students Lack
Fire Escapes
Al PooIesyiIIe
Condemned Part
Of School Used;
Protest Lodged

Some IS pupns are attending
classes on a partially condemned
second floor of the old Poolesville
High School which has no out
side fire escape.
Use of the classroom was pro-
tested in a letter to Montgomery
County school officials from
Charles N. Staub. chief of the
Upper Montgomery County Fire
Department.
Mr.. Staub said he inspected
the 50-year-old building Sep
tember % and found the second
floor being used for three class
rooms.
The chief pointed out the
building had been condemned for
full classroom use last January.
Marshal Tells Of Curb.
A second letter has gone to
the scnool board from the Office
of Charles H. Howe, jr.. county
fire marshal who was represented
In the September inspection.
Mr.. Howe confirmed the pres
ent classroom use and also re-
minded school officials that last
January 81 he recommended a
maximum Of one classroom be
located on the second floor.
At the same time. he approved
use of the floor for small meet
ings and FOR storage space, he
said.
Mr.. Howe said the outmoded
building has open stairwells from
the basement to the roof and all
the floors are oiled. He also
pointed out that there was no fire
escape on the building.
Holds It An Oversight.
School Supt. Forbes H. Norris
yesterday said he would take
immediate action" to install all
fire safety measures recon-
mended by the fire marshal.
He added that increased class
room use of the building without
improved safety provisions ap-.
parently was an oversight.
DR.. Norris said additional
classrooms were needed this year
because the school board had
increased the faculty at the
school despite no sharp increase
in enrollments.
He said broader program was
being offered at the school and
the teacher pupil ratio increased
in an effort to get children to
finish high school.
New Building Sought.
Poolesville residents have been |
trying to get the school board |
to allocate funds for construc-
ton of second addition to the
school that would permit aban-
donment of the old building.
sThe addition was knocked out |
Of the budget last year by the
sharp cut the County Council
made in the boards capital
budget. request.
Poolesville Principal Thomas
w. Pyles said yesterday that the
addition was omitted from the
budget again this year because
of the demand for new build
ings in the suburban area.
Charles Elgin. Poolesville post
master and a member of the
high schools board of trustees.
said residents were not going
to let the matter rest and would
push again this year for an an
swer to their problem.
Houses Six Classrooms.
The school, from the first
through the 18th grades. has
about 600 pupils. 1t has six class
rooms in the old building. 10 in
the new structure which was to |
have been the first half Of a |
completely new set-up, home |
economics building, an industrial
arts building and two barns for
vocational agricultural courses.
Mr.. Staub also was critical Of
the school board for spending |
funds to repaint and plaster
Railways of the old building.
He said the money should have
been spent on the vocational
agricultural shop which six years
ago was installed in a "hog pen'
on a temporary basis and has
been there ever since.