Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-09-26
'OH-Sfreet Parking
Space Called Plenty
Assault Was Accident,
School Principal Says

What a witness told a Con-
gressional committee was an
assault" by boy upon q, woman
office clerk was described by Me-
Kinley High Schools principal
today as an apparently harmless
accident.
The so-calIed assault was
mentioned during testimony be-
fore the Davis subcommittee yes
terday by Miss Katherine Fowler,
former Mckinley music teacher.
Miss Fowler retired from Nc
Kinley in 1855. because Of chron-
ic asthma.
Miss Fowler told subcommit-
tee members that in 1954-5, the
first year Of integration-she
couldn't recall whether it was
in the fall or spring-the schools
Office clerk chad been assaulted
by one of the colored boys" as
she was walking with a girl stu
dent down a hall toward the
gym.
DR.. Charles E. Bish, Mckinley
principal. said q seventh-grade
student from Langley Junior
High School accidentally hit the
clerk as he was running along a
sidewalk past the school, on a
shortcut home. The boy had been
swinging his arms. DR.. Bish said.
Called Boy Back
The principal said he was a
few steps away at the time and
called the boy back. He said
the youngster told him. / didn't
mean it." DR.. Bish said he
turned the boy over to Miss Va
lere Chase, Langley principal.
Miss Fowler told the subcom-
mittee she had practically no
disciplinary problems under in
tegration.
She described one incident in
which she said she reprimanded
a group of boys for singing in
1.-THE hall and disturbing her class.
Her remonstrance, she said,
drew a retort from one boy:
you're picking on US because
I'VE are colored."
i mo. I'm not picking on you
because you're colored," she said
lshe responded. But II you think
Inn picking on you because
you're colored, it seems to me
Iyou should act as the white
children do" -
/ Next day. she said, she was
called to DR.. Bish's office and
told a. man from Howard Uni
Iversity had called to complain
about the manner in which she
spoke to the youngsters.
i Avoided Reprimand
AS a result, she said she
avoided administering a repri-
mand in a later, similar case
when she encountered some boys
making noise in q hallway by
riding on q trash cart.
Asked how other teachers fell
on the subject. she declared:
1.-THE vast majority felt the
same way as l did. If they were
: going to be scolded for thing,
they'd done for years. there
wasn't much use in trying"
She also said she felt colorec
children had q chip on the
shoulder" when corrected.
DR.. Bish said. the caller was
the parent Of one boy. who sait
he didn't want to complain but
: thought DR.. Bish ought to know
about the matter.
: II would have told any teacher
about a call about her." DR.. BisI
said. adding he didn't reprimanc
sIher.
: He said he wasn't aware Of
: Iany "chip-on-the shoulder" at.
tItitude among colored pupils, OF
of any disciplinary let-up b.
|. teachers.
Miss Fowler. during her ap-
VIpearance, testified that many
times I've scolded children anc
afterwards been ashamed Of my.
self for the way ! did it,"
Sees Some Advantage
: The former teacher, aske,
4 whether she thought children o
Neither race had gained from in
-Itegration. said colored student
were getting the advantage o
1associating with pupils who werl
more advanced" and that whit