Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1956-05-31

other truth which will help these
people. Indignation has worked
everywhere it was tried. Every
one who was involved in it says
this.
Some Doubts Seen
Some say it with great surprise
because they didn't expect or
want it to work. Some say it
with reservations about the small
number of Negro children involv-
ed. Some have doubts about it
continuing.
But no one has said mo, it
did not work" And / have
searched everywhere for the 9TH
er side of the picture. 1 was not
seeking a picture with rosy
glow but one that would be be-
ieved because it was the whole
truth.
There have been incidents of
trouble but very few in number.
Tracking them down found that
the majority were either cases
where children will be children"
or problems of individuals that
had nothing to do with their race.
The trouble" involved has
been on the level of name calling
or children chasing other chill
dren on the playground. The
worst incident reported to me was
the case of a Negro boy chasing
a white boy on the playground
and biting him on the shoulder.
Race Not Considered
The father of the injured boy
brought it to the attention of the
principal not as a race incident
but as a child behavior problem
and it was treated as such.
A total of Is white children
who transferred to private
schools and 10 Negro children
VINO returned to segregated
schools was found in my survey.
Out of 14,735 children, % can't
even be counted as "straws in
the wind"
1t is impossible to estimate
how many of the white children
transferred because of integra-
ton although indications are that
this was the reason in most of
the cases.
In the majority of the Negro
cases, the problem was individual
rather than racial. Two of them
should not have transferred in
the first place because they
couldn't continue their program
at the new school.
Special Books Needed
One boy, almost blind, needed
the special sightseeing books
that were not available in his
new school. Four children had
the normal problems of adjusting
from elementary to junior high
and the rest were classified as
emotionally unstable.
A few parents asked that their
children be put into a different
class because of the Negro chill
dren and a slightly larger mum.
Der were upset because their
children were assigned to a Neg.
70 teacher.
Where the emotional block of
the parents was too strong and
a transfer to another class was
possible, it was done immediately
in three cases.
One principal, however took
the position that he couldn't run
his school by granting every pa.
rents request for transfer on the
OASIS OF color. He asked for a
three or four week trial period
py the parents and invited them
10 come back and talk to him
at the end of that period if thew
were still dissatisfied.
Problem Worked Out
Only one set of parents return.
ca and he spent three DAYS work.
ing on the problem and discuss.
ing their feelings. He finally
saw that the child was being AT.
fected by the parents attitude. 60
ordered the transfer in this one
case. Other principals who used
inns same method reported that
mere were no further complaints
from parents.
Sometimes the parents were I'M.
ser not so much because of the
race but because of the economic
class of the children. One woman
was disturbed at the thought of
her child being in the same room
with the daughter of her servant
Another dropped her PTA activi.
ties because she couldn't take
being in the same organization as
her gardner.
At the same time, some anus.
ing incidents arose from the fact
that number Of white children
had only had experience with Ne.
groes as servants before integra.
ton.
One little kindergartener re-
/