Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-08-21
BY CHARLES L. HOFFMAN

BY CHARLES L. HOFFMAN
Roliingwood residents today
will mail an appeal to the Mary
land State Board Of Education
asking reversal Of the Montgom.
ery County school superintend.
Ient,s decision to assign 80 Nsgrc
pupils to the Rollingwood School
from the closed Linden School
1.-TWO miles away.
! In the 10-page appeal. the
4 group also calls on the State
board to investigate the entire
.|Rollingwood Indignation prob
lem.
The appeal was prepared by
Attorneys Andrew A. Lipscomb
Ernest r. Henry, and Wilmer
Mechling. all Of the Rollingwood
community. and leaders in the
fight to block Supt. Forbes H.
Norris from transporting the
Negro pupils to Rollingwood from
the Lyttonsville community, two
school districts away.
Copies Of the appeal yesterday
were being circulated through
out the fashionable community
bordering the west side OF Rock
Creek Park just south Of East
West highway.
100 Signatures
By last night some 100 resi-
dents Of the area had signed the
appeal asking for an Immediate
hearing" by the State board.
More signers were expected to
be added before the petition was
mailed.
DR.. Norris last Monday reaf-
firmed his decision to transport
to Rollingwood the Negro pupils
who would have attended the
Linden School In Lyttonsville.
which has been ordered closed
BY the county school board. The
county board has taken the posi-
ton the integration plan is an
administrative matter to be ham
died by the superintendent.
The Rollingwood PTA, after
learning Of the Norris plan. held
"a special meeting and by a 176-
IS vote upset its executive boards
acceptance of the proposal.
As a result Of this action,
Robert L. Thompson, PTA presi-
dent. six Of the executive board
and two school trustees resigned
in protest Of the PTA's stand.
Blames School Board
The appeal being filed today
places chief blame for the Roll
ingwood situation on the county
school board for failing to re-
district the area so that chill
dren would attend schools near
lest their homes without regard
to. race.
The appeal quotes frequently
from the Supreme Courts ruling
on indignation and from argu-
ments by Maryland Attorney
General c. Ferdinand Sybert and
United States Solicitor General
Simon E. Sobeloff. Maryland
resident. before the high tri-
bunal.
The Rollingwood group asks
the State board to find that the
Norris plan upheld by the coun-
ty board:
/, Is "makeshift and abortive
planning" CONTRARY to the Mary
land policy as stated before the
Supreme Court by Mr.. Sybert.
2. Does not provide "suficient
time to build q climate Of good
will" as advocated by Mr.. Sybert.
8. Is contrary to the public
policy stated by Mr.. Sybert:
coercion and force can only
lead to trouble in Maryland"
4. Is contrary to Mr.. Sobeloff' s
argument that there should not
be "a riding roughshod over
people"
Charges Evasion
The appeal also asks the State
board to find that the failure
Of the Montgomery board to re-
district is an evasion Of respon-
sibility" assigned 1t by State Law.
The State board also is asked
to find that the Norris plan is
contrary to the intent Of the
Court which suggested
the revision Of school districts
and attendance areas into COM
pact units"
The group also argues that
the "precipitate closing of Lin
den school" magnifies over
crowded school conditions in the
area at q time when the nearby
Rosemary Hills School, which
will provide space for Linden
pupils In 1856. is under con-
struction.
Closing Of the four suhstand-
ard Negro schools in the sub
urban area this fall, while sub
standard Negro and white
schools In other sections Of the
country remain open. is dis
criminatory" and is "makeshift
and abortive planning" the ap-
pellants state. /
The group asks the State board