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SOUTHERN SCHOOL NEWS—July 6, 1955—PAGE 5
Florida Assignment Bill Gives Control To Local Boards
What Do Students Think? A Paper Asks—
MIAMI, Fla.
JN THE spreading discussion of the segregation question at all levels,
there have been few attempts to discover what the school children
themselves think about it.
The Miami Herald tried to find out. The editors sent a reporter to
question a group of white high school students from three different
schools. She reported that most “believe it will work—with reservations.”
Here is the student comment:
“I think it (integration) should be done right away. I think there would
be trouble from prejudiced people, but not much.”
“I don’t think we should have it at all—especially in the lower grades.
Children don’t know any better. They don’t know who to associate with.”
“I don’t think it would work unless they started it in the kindergarten.
I think there would be a lot of fighting over general principles and girls.”
“If they brought Negroes into high schools right now they would have
a hard time. But if they started in the lower grades, there wouldn’t be any
racial feelings after a while.”
“I think it should be done real slow—not all at once, because there’ll
be trouble if you do. But it’s got to be done.”
“Where they have integration it doesn’t seem to be a problem. I don’t
think there would be any problem here.”
“There is going to be a lot of colored people coming into the schools
pretty soon, and a lot of them will be good football players. We are going to
have to face it sooner or later, but I’d just as soon they would stay where
they are.”
“By the time the kids get to high school they wouldn’t mix anyway, so
I don’t see anything wrong with it.”
“If it has to be done at all, I think we should let them come to school,
but ignore them.”
“It would cause a lot of trouble if they started it in the high schools
at first.”
MIAMI, Fla.
i LAW passed by the Florida leg-
islature as an avowed anti-inte
gration measure may give local school
boards all the legal authority they
need to carry out the Supreme Court
decision.
The bill was sponsored by Sen.
Charley E. Johns, of Starke, former
acting governor, who spearheaded
moves to preserve segregation. It di
rects county school boards to assign
each child to the school “to which
he is best suited” and makes the
decision of the local boards “com
plete and final.”
In explaining the bill, Johns told
fellow senators that his measure
would “ease the impact of the Su
preme Court decision and avoid the
tensions and disruptions in the pub
lic school system.”
“Counties that want to keep segre
gated schools can do so under this
bill.”
The legislative process on this
measure was complete before the
court’s implementing decision.
Gov. LeRoy Collins was expected
to veto it. When it reached his desk,
he said:
“From what I have heard of this
bill, I don’t believe it will serve any
useful purpose.”
But when the Supreme Court de
cree was handed down, causing
abandonment of several other pend
ing anti-integration bills, the lone
new law took on a different meaning.
FOUND IN LINE
After studying its provisions, State
School Supt. Thomas D. Bailey said
it is “right in line with the Supreme
Court decision. In fact, it is perfect
ly in line.”
The law gives county school boards
authority to “provide for the enroll
ment in a public school in the county
of each child residing in each county
who is qualified under the laws of
this state for admission to a public
school and who applies for enroll
ment in or admission to a public
school in such county.”
But the law also contains many
other provisions. It fixes responsi
bility at the local level. It gives local
boards authority to employ special
counsel to assist in handling legal
problems. It provides for study
groups and for the making of surveys
to guide local school boards in their
decisions.
“All these provisions may now
serve useful purposes,” Bailey said.
“Based on this new law, I have sug
gested that every county begin to
set up bi-racial study committees. I
am sure a good many will do so.”
Bailey said the law also eliminates
the possibility of a suit to enforce
compliance being filed against the
state board.
“I do not know what our Supreme
Court or federal courts might rule
in event this law is challenged,”
Bailey said. “But it offers all kinds
of possibilities.”
PUSHES STUDIES
Bailey asked that the local interra
cial study committees be set up as
rapidly as possible to “ease the shock”
of the integration process for local
school boards.
He said he believed these citizen
boards, if they did a sincere job,
would make court action less pre
cipitate. He went on:
“The Supreme Court is going to
insist that school districts make some
effort to conform to the ruling.
“By having these advisory com
mittees at work, it will demonstrate
that the order isn’t being ignored and
that some positive steps are being
taken to meet the requirements the
court set out.”
Bailey said several factors give
weight to the belief that there will
be no rush of litigation—school fa
cilities for Negroes generally are
good, the current building program
is making them better, and Negro
teachers are well trained and paid.
He urged that there should be no
premature rush to the courts.
“In my judgment,” he said, “the
worst mistake that could be made
now would be for any agitators in
the next six to 12 months to force
the issue in local situations by court
action, until sufficient time has
elapsed for some intelligent planning
and thinking.”
The state superintendent said the
Supreme Court action, as well as the
new state law, places the responsi
bility for integration at the county
and local district level.
“This is not a matter for the State
Board of Education,” he said.
Negro leaders immediately urged
that state level planning be under
taken as a guide to local groups.
William A. Fordham, president,
and Francisco A. Rodriquez, special
counsel for the Florida National As
sociation for the Advancement of
Colored People, pointed out that the
court used “prompt and reasonable”
in defining the pace of compliance.
“The term ‘prompt’ connotes noth
ing which may be construed as to
morrow or when we get around to
it,” the NAACP spokesman said.
“As a matter of fact, ‘prompt’
means now, immediate, during the
present. Therefore it can be con
cluded that, while the court has not
set a deadline for the conclusion, it
has unequivocably set a deadline for
the beginning of such a program,
that deadline being now.”
Fordham said the NAACP consid
ers the word “start” does not nec
essarily mean that we have students
in the white schools, or vice versa,
in September.
“But it does mean we expect them
to offer some kind of concrete plan
or blueprint.”
The Florida Education Association,
through a spokesman, also urged an
immediate start on planning.
At a meeting of county superin
tendents, Ed Henderson, FEA execu
tive secretary, asked that bi-racial
committees be set up in each of the
67 counties.
There was little discussion from the
floor. Some superintendents suggest
ed privately that appointment of such
committees, before some clarification
of the Supreme Court order, or a di
rective from the district courts,
might delay enforcement, or imply
acceptance.
Local level reaction was absent.
State school officials so far have re
ported no committees appointed.
Some county school officials have
started planning at the administra
tive level.
Woodrow J. Darden, Brevard
County superintendent, said he is
bringing the question before his
school board.
“I shall supply all the facts at my
command to the board which, after
all, is the policy-making body for the
county schools.
“I see no difficulty in the way of
integration since the ruling of the Su
preme Court has allowed consider
able leeway.
“I see no uproar—only an orderly
handling of this delicate problem.”
CAUTION IN DADE
W. R. Thomas, county school su
perintendent, a former high school
principal, said:
“It (integration) will move along
here only as fast as the community
will accept it. Our problem is to find
what the community will accept.”
Dr. R, S. Butler, a board member,
said:
“Judging from casual conversation,
I believe the entire school board is in
favor of showing good faith with the
Supreme Court.
“I believe desegregation will come
about in an orderly manner. And I
hope neither side pushes. If it is done
gradually, and without too much
pressure, it can be done with a mini
mum of discord.
“In September I anticipate that
some Negro students will apply for
admission to schools which now are
all white.
“If such applications are made, I
think the only thing we can do is
to admit the students.”
Mrs. Anna Brenner Meyers, board
member, said:
“I think desegregation will prob
ably get a better reception here than
in most Florida communities. I be
lieve the people here are better pre
pared.
“We should start planning as sood
as possible.”
Technical Snags And Arguments Mark Meeting Of D. C. Board
* WASHINGTON, D. C.
WITH school out and the one-year
integration program virtually
completed, the District Board of Edu
cation hit several technical, tag-end
snags during the last regular business
meeting in June.
The lengthy sessions included
charges by one Negro board member
mat integration is a “one-way street
PhJPositioii” in the nation’s capital.
Mrs. Margaret Just Butcher re
peatedly said it seemed to be the
amt to adopt former white school
Practices as the guiding policies of
at was—or would be—done in the
n egrated school system. She said
e Pattern was to “assimilate” the
ormer Negro division of the school
system.
^ rs ; Butcher also questioned the
offi eCtl ° n P ersons 1° fih vacant
s cer J '°^ S ’ Implying that white per-
m * was Setting preferred treat-
F a ?u 1116 other hand, Robert R.
thr kr lf r ’ board member who
^oughout the year has opposed ac-
ed € u at< : d integration moves demand-
be r y *^ rs - Butcher, said: “Remem-
too’ii ?l darn > there is a white side
in „ • j er board members remarked
W as s ‘ c es that Mrs. Butcher herself
nnging race into the picture.
^EIGH two issues
m em u ing up the most time of board
lectin ers were these two issues: se-
nthleb- 0 ^ re ^ erees f° r high school
new
grated
rc events; the assignment of
uties for officers of the inte-
mer ged July h r s ’ COllegeS Which
thetm^ Ugl L a . see mingly minor point,
of the Jf °iti c Ial question became one
the y ear ° St c °ntroversial subjects of
It started when Deputy School
Supt. Carl F. Hansen, who is in
charge of city high schools, re
ported that a decision had been made
not to employ teachers in the Dis
trict schools as officials in major ath
letic events. Hansen said this policy
was recommended by the assistant
directors of athletics.
Hansen said these two officials, who
represent both former divisions of
the schools, adopted the policy for
these reasons:
1. When officials are employed
from outside the school system, the
possibility of spectator and player re
action to alleged favoritism is re
duced.
2. There is a sufficient supply of
approved officials, available from
outside the school-employed person
nel.
USED BOTH SYSTEMS
The policy of not hiring teacher ref
erees was followed for 15 years by
former white schools. For 35 years,
Negro schools employed teachers as
game officials. Following school in
tegration this fall, officials used both
systems during the basketball sea
son.
According to school officials, there
are six independent athletic associa
tions which supply lists of certified
available officials for contract.
Three of these organizations do not
include Negro officials and the ma
jority of members are not school em
ployes. The other three groups do
not include white officials and the
majority of members are school em
ployes.
School officials said although these
associations are not under jurisdic
tion of school officers, “it is hoped
that an effort to integrate officials’
organizations may be undertaken in
the near future.”
During the lengthy debate on the
issue, Mrs. Butcher said she thought
in the “interests of fair play” the sys
tem of using teachers should be given
a year’s trial. She said, “I’m tired of
hearing because it was done in the
white division, it will be done in the
integrated situation.”
Both Mrs. Butcher and a second
Negro board member, Wesley S. Wil
liams, demanded that Hansen give
some valid reason for the decision.
They said the decision “reflected on
the integrity of teachers.”
EXAMPLES CITED
Williams pointed out that school
systems in Cincinnati, Cleveland, In
dianapolis, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia,
Nashville and Knoxville employ com
petent teachers as referees. Both
board members said “race has noth
ing to do” with their opposition to
the new policy. Mrs. Butcher said
she thought reports were unfair that
said the Negro teachers wanted the
money they formerly made for ref
eree duties.
After hours and hours of argu
ment, the board tabled the recom
mended policy on the motion of the
third Negro board member, Col.
West A. Hamilton. Board President
C. Melvin Sharpe said, “The issue is
now dead.” Mrs. Butcher replied, “It
won’t be for long.”
The board members also learned
at the June meeting that Dr. Matthew
J. Whitehead, president of Miner
Teachers College, has protested his
proposed new assignment as dean
of the graduate program of the city’s
two teacher institutions.
On insistence of the Negro board
members, it was agreed that a spe
cial hearing would be held in July
to air Whitehead’s complaints.
In April, the school board named
Dr. Walter E. Hager, president of
Wilson Teachers College (a former
white school) since 1941, to head
the merged institution. Whitehead,
appointed to Miner (former Negro
school) in 1953, was designated dean.
Also designated deans were Dr. Paul
O. Carr of the Wilson faculty and
Miss Hope Lyons of the Miner
faculty.
DELAYED APPROVAL
This past month School Supt. Ho
bart M. Coming recommended duties
for these officers which the board
delayed approving after learning of
Whitehead’s displeasure.
Coming proposed that Whitehead
be dean of the graduate program and
director of the summer session and
of the in-service training program
for teachers. He proposed Carr as
dean of instruction and Miss Lyons
as dean of students.
Walter N. Tobriner, chairman of
the board’s personnel committee, said
Whitehead had written Corning he
thought his qualifications fitted him
for a different type of deanship.
Referring to the proposed White-
head and Carr assignment, Mrs.
Butcher said: “We’re promoting a
professor and demoting a college
president.” Carr has been history pro
fessor and acting registrar at Wilson.
Actually, the teachers’ college for
the first time this summer session
will offer courses leading to a mas
ter’s degree. There is no graduate
school now.
The school board voted to name
the merged college the District of
Columbia Teachers College over
Mrs. Butcher’s protest that “we’re
naming a concept.” Because of the
lack of facilities elsewhere, the
merged college will operate out of
the two existing plants.
WANTS NEW POLICY
During the June meeting, Ralph
Cushman, education committee
chairman of the Federation of Citi
zens Association, urged the board to
reconsider its “rigid” policy of fixing
boundaries for schools.
More latitude in allowing children
to go to the school of their choice
would help stabilize “students, prop
erty and population in general in
the District,” Cushman said.
The Supreme Court decree did not
order that school boundaries be
fixed, Cushman said. The Federation
unsuccessfully sought a court order
last year to keep school officials from
starting school integration last Sep
tember.
Cushman said the “inflexible”
boundary system, as enforced by ad
ministrators, was causing hardship
to many children and their parents.
He said it resulted in children of the
same family going to different
schools, created transportation prob
lems and had lowered the value of
real estate in some sections of Wash
ington.
Also, for the first time last month,
District school board members were
assigned speaking duties without re
gard to race at junior and senior
high commencement exercises.
Integration of this duty stemmed
from the refusal of Mrs. Butcher to
speak at former Negro schools to
which she had been assigned during
February exercises.