Evening star., 1955-02-06
Our Neglected Children
By jones 6. Deone

Some children have been wait
ing as long as four years to get
q chance to begin their real edu-
cation in public schools here.
Take the case of Mary x:
She is now liz and in the
fourth grade. She was tested
four years ago when her teacher
reported that, after a year in
school, she showed no evidence
of mental growth.
The test showed she had an
intelligence quotient of 69-that
puts her in the retarded cate
CORY. On March 6, 1851. she
was recommended for placement
in a special class. Four years
later, she's still in a regular
class.
Today, for Mary x and many
other retarded children, there Is
still only the prospect of waiting.
Two weeks ago, The Star re-
vealed that the District public
school system has more than
1,700 elementary pupils, mentally
retarded, who need specialized
teaching. These pupils. it was re-
ported, now are in regular
classes, where they can make
little progress and where they
impede the learning of normal
classmates.
The reason is that the schools
do not have enough money to
hire special teachers for them.
And, for economy reasons, the
District Commissioners have re-
fused a request for funds to hire
a few of these needed teachers
this year.
Since The Stars report, school
officials have completed a new
count of these unfortunate chill
dren. The total-outside special
classes, of which there is linn
tied number-is now more than
1000 in the elementary schools
alone. This does not include ad-
ditional hundreds known to be in
the high and Junior high schools.
The plight OF the retarded
children is frankly regarded by
school officials as critical. Re-
sponsible officials long have been
aware of the situation. They long
have wanted to correct it.
More is involved than a mere
lack of special teachers.
There are also hundreds OF
children in the city's schools who
have emotional problems-chil-
dren who are truants or trouble
makers, or who have even be-
come involved in delinquency
and crime. In many cases such
children are also mentally re-
tarded. In others, their intel
ligence is normal, although their
outlook and behavior are warped.
The school system has been
trying to help these emotionally
upset children. For some of them
it has separate classes. There are
not enough of these classes. Psy-
Geological and medical clinics
the District Health Departments Is
and a few stated by volunteers
help a few of the most urgent
cases, but the school system has
no psychiatric service of its own
The schools have a testing
service to interview problem
pupils to learn what help they
need. This service last week had
a backlog of more than TOO re-
quests from schools all over the
city. Countless other cases have
not even been referred to it be-
cause there is no hope of giving
them attention.
Psychologists Needed.
Two clinical psychologists
needed for this service also were
refused by the Commissioners on
economy grounds.
Without an adequate exam
lining service, the schools will
never know how many children
actually need help, even if they
obtain the teachers-now lack
ing-who could give it.
At the school research depart
ment there are files for hun
dreds of children who have been
examined and found to neec!
special help. Dr. Irene Hypps and
DR.. Richard Foster, associate
superintendents in charge, per-
mitted a reporter to examine
some of these files last week
Mary KS case was there. So
were many others, including:
Bit Classmate on Cheek.
A 13-year-old boy now repeat
ing third grade was tested last
September. He had an 10 of so
This boy missed 100 school days
in first grade. 81 days in second