Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-12-03
Two Grant PTA
Officials Quit
In Strike Row
Some Porents Accuse
Pair Of Trying to
Undermine Plans
By JAMES G. DEANE

mentary Schools PTA have re-
signed in q row over . planned
pupil strike. 1t was learned to-
day.
Mrs. Mary Bremen, PTA presi-
dent. and Mrs. Wilma Mayner.
chairman Of the PTA safety
committee. walked out Of a par
ents' meeting on Wednesday
night after other parents had
accused them Of seeking to un-
dermine plans for q pupil walk
out.
Grants PTA has been fighting
q proposal to close the school
January 81. A parents commit
tee this week made plans to keep
pupils home on Thursday and
yesterday in protest. On
Wednesday, however. School
Supt. Hobart M. Corning an
nounced the closing had been
Cancelled, and the walkout did
not come OF.
Clash at Meeting
The split between the two PTA
leaders and other parents &C.
Cured at q meeting Of about 80
persons on Wednesday night.
Mrs. Bremen had scheduled an
executive board session to ask
PTA officers who were planning
to take part In the strike to re-
sign their posts.
Mrs. Bremen, it was learned,
had refused to participate in the
strike herself and also to allow
1t to be sanctioned by the PTA.
She based her stand, accord
ing to other leaders, on conten-
ton that city-wide PTA policies
forbid the PTA groups from
sponsoring any such demonstra-
tons. which DR.. Corning has
labeled illegal.
Mrs. Bremen is out Of the city
and could not be reached for
comment. However, Mrs. Mayner,
who took the same stand, gave
this account Of Wednesdays
dispute:
Mrs. Bremen arrived for the
scheduled meeting expecting to
ind the Executive Board. In
stead. besides some other officers
and board members, she found
. number Of other parents.
Several Of them Immediately
accused her Of seeking to sabo-
tage plans for the pupil walkout.
Mrs. Mayner went to her de-
tense and was, In turn. accused
Of not supporting the strike.
Mrs. Bremen. after q few min
utes, left the meeting. and Mrs.
Mayner left shortly afterward.
Subsequently, both mailed
written designations to the
schools principal. Miss Mary A..
Henderson.
Mrs. Mayner said that Harold
Rosenthal. PTA vice president,
and Jerry Hart. president Of the
Citizens Committee to Save
Grant, q parent group formed to
fight the closing, led the attack
on Mrs. Bremen at the Wednes-
day meeting.
Admit Charging Disloyalty
Mr.. Rosenthal and Mr.. Hart
confirmed that they had accused
the president Of disloyalty.
MIR. Hart said Mrs. Bremen
originally supported pupil walk
out limited to half a day. How
ever. he asserted, she later re-
versed her stand.
Mr.. Hart said Mrs. Bremen had
refused to agree to keep her own
child out OF school. He also as
serted she made telephone calls
to other parents. seeking to dis
suade them from participating.
Some Of the calls. he asserted.
were made from Mrs. Mayner's
home.
Mrs. Mayner denied to a re-
porter that either she or, to her
knowledge, Mrs. Bremen made
any such calls. The only calls
made, she asserted, were to ask
executive board members to at
tend the Wednesday meeting to
discuss the proposal to sever the
strike organizers from official
leadership Of the PTA.
Mrs. Mayner also denied a
charge she said was leveled at
Mrs. Bremen that the PTA head
was not interested in preventing
the school closing after next
spring because her child, a sixth
grader, will go to a Junior high
school then.
MRS. Bremen has worked
herself to death trying to save
the school. She was just as anx-
lous to keep it open as anyone
else" she declared.
Officials Against Strike
John B. Gillilland. president
Of the District Congress Of Par
ents and Teachers, said today
he had advised Mrs. Bremen that
he opposed the planned strike,
particularly because the Board
Of Education had been scheduled
to hold public hearing on the
controversy next week.
Mr.. Gillilland. who has 9
grandson at Grant and who
formerly headed the PTA, said
he declined to sign q petition
against the schools closing be.
cause, as District PTA head, he
felt this inappropriate. He sale
his son signed the petition, how.
ever.
The PTA congress has 1t!
headquarters at Grant.
Mr.. Gillilland said he HOPED
the PTA dispute can be patched
up.
However, Mr.. Rosenthal sale
he has taken over the duties o.
president temporarily and tina
he plans to call an executive