The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1956-09-21
SCHOOL FIGHT IN
KITTY HAWK NOT
TO BE APPEALED
Lille Hope Seen TO Justify e.
Pense Of Taking Fight Over
Students to Supreme Court

Well-informed sources this week
indicate that little hope is seen
of getting Supreme Court re-
versal Of the decision of Judge
Chester Morris Saturday, who rul-
ed at Currituck that the Dare
County Board of Education was
within its rights in assigning the
high school pupils from the Kitty
Hawk district to attend school in
Manteo this year.
The action had been brought by
number of patrons of the Kitty
Hawk school, who disapproved a
decision of the county board of
education. While Judge Morris ex-
pressed sympathy with the efforts
of Kitty Hawk citizens and their
strong argument that their COM
munity would grow and dersand a
high school, he stated that he
could not rule with them IN the
present case, because he could not
deny the discretionary powers of
the county board.
Some DO students from Kitty
Hawk were assigned to Manteo
and about 81 of them attended, but
parents of others refused to send
their children and arranged for
them to attend school in Poplar
Branch in Currituck County or at
Virginia Beach. Much bitterness
and ill-feeling has prevailed for
many months, following a long
fight on the part of many Kitty
Hawk citizens against the county
board of education, because the
board of education and the state
school authorities would not ap-
prove the erection of large high
school at Kitty Hawk, on the
ground that enrolment did not
warrant the cost.
Kitty Hawk patrons, being in
censed toward Manteo, were fur
Their disturbed when by board ac-
! ton, the high school pupils We're
removed and no teachers assigned
for Kitty Hawk this year. The
Kitty Hawk school committee in,
the long fight had been led by
! Mrs. Susie Briggs of Kill Devil
, Hills, woman of unusual energy
and zeal, who in the meantime
has become a member of the coun-
ty board of education and is con-
> tinuing her support of the Kitty
! Hawk faction since getting on the
county board.
Citizens of Kitty Hawk have
, contributed funds to hire legal aid,
and have carried the fight to the
= courts. 1t has been a mighty cost
= ~ fight for those who have Clipped
in, and some of them express
themselves as being tired of it.
They are paying double, for from
county taxes, the board of educa-
ton has to pay for legal aid to
1 defend itself against the dissent
ing element.
In carrying on the fight, citi-
zens of Kitty Hawk have been
: taking turns seeking something
, wrong by which to make CAPITAL
6 In the courts, by following the
school bus which brings the chill
! dren to Manteo. Mrs. Briggs her
self has been most active, and was
, heavily the loser last Friday when
! she followed the bus looking for
! some slip-up on the part of the
: driver, or of the schedule, and for
got herself in that she followed
too close to the bus to the point
of ramming into its rear-end when
it made a stop. She came into
court, and voluntarily submitted to
the charges made, and paid a SIS
fine. While the bus was damaged
! but little, Mrs. Briggs car sus-
! tanned extensive damages.
Children coming to Manteo to
high school appear to be happy.
They are well liked by other pupils
, at Manteo, and number many out
. standing students who have been
elected to highest offices in class
activities. Most folks now think
that the fight has progressed to
the point where the children have
been forgotten, and it's another
case of the old folks being deter
mined to carry their point at all
odds. The high financial cost may
prove the discouraging factor, for
those of the dissenting faction who
pay the bills are paying on both