Evening star., 1955-09-10
Parents CHARGE
School Board
With Bad Faith
Action Follows
Carroll County
lntegrotion Vote

WESTMINSTER, Nd, Sept.
10 (P).-The Carroll County
Board of Education voted unani-
mously last night to continue
integration at two county schools
where some white parents have
kept their children home be-
cause Of Negroes in the classes.
The action was taken after a
two-hour public meeting in the
Westminster City Hall during
which charges of bad faith,
pressure and outright falsehood
were hurled by group of pro-
testing parents.
A spokesman for the parents
group said the boards decision
would be given to a mass meeting
lat the Elmer A. Wolfe School in
Union Bridge this morning.
The Union Bridge School and
one at New Windsor are the
only two in which Negroes have
enrolled this semester.
Charge Manhandling'
At last nights session, Samuel
M. Jenness. superintendent of
county schools. revealed that
Principal Henry Kanowicz Of the
Wolfe school had been ''physic-
ally manhandled by some of the
people who attended a meeting
there last night"
Mr.. Kanowicz refused details
and Mr.. Jenness called the man
handling minor" and very tri-
fling"
The meeting was called by the
Maryland Petition Committee, q
Ipro-segregation group. Wilbur
Frey, chairman of the local
Maryland Petition Committee.
Immediately said his organization
had nothing to do with the al
legged manhandling.
Mr.. Kanowicz said about 70
pupils we're still out of his school
which has total enrolment Of
$50. There were no demonstra-
tions yesterday, he said.
Parents Protest
The parents protested the
boards action in admitting Ne
groes to the two schools on the
ground they were not informed
integration was planned and
were led to believe segregation
would not be ended this year.
School authorities reiterated
they had announced the be-
/ ginning of integration after a
meeting July 27. Mr.. Jenness
said the decision to admit Is
Negroes to the two schools had
been made by him under au-
thority granted by the board.
81 had hoped We would have
no applications for any schools
this year but we had them" he
said.
Asked why he approved the
applications, Mr.. Jenness re-
piled: s0 49,.
! IF we hadn't we would have
been in for q law suit. In my
judgment, 1t was the only prac-
tical and reasonable alternative
facing US. What I stand on is
the law Of the land. IT'S the
only thing I have to stand on,
whether you believe it is right
or wrong"
Wanted Delay
Members of a Seven-person
citizens delegation attending
/ the meeting charged the. two
school districts had been dis
criminated against because they
we're the only ones in Carroll
County with Negro pupils in
white schools. They contended
the board should have held off
action for at least two years so
that integration could take place
all over the county after new
schools had been built.
| When it was learned Negroes
had applied only to the schools
which had room for them, DR..
Thomas Legg, one of the pro-
testants, asked: How did they
learn There was room at Union
Bridge and New Windsor while
other schools were crowded."
David Hoff. another protestant.
said when he visited a Negro
| family and asked 1t to keep its
children in a segregated school,
he had been told this school
had snakes in the cellar and
Twas not finished"