Deerfield School Troubles.
The Deerfield school controversy still continues. One party claims the election
of Dr. Barton as superintendent and has legal advice to that effect and the
other side is as positive the other way. The committee believe the new teachers
that have been appointed to take the place of those that resigned will prove
fully satisfactory. The latest development is the withdrawal of 15 to 20 pupils
of the upper grades of the grammar schools to go to the Dickinson school.
Arrangement was made by trustees of Dickinson academy to take in the greater
part of the two upper grades in the two village schools, and put them into a
new preparatory department of the academy, of which Miss Lewis, formerly teacher
at South Deerfield, was to be the teacher. In South Deerfield the children were
told to take their books with them, which in some cases they did.
The result was that when the teachers went to their regular work Monday morning,
knowing nothing of what was on foot, they were surprised to find many of their
children absent. Later more children went out.
This statement representing the feeling of a majority of the school committee
has been issued:--
The removal of scholars from the upper grades of the town schools,
last Monday, and sending them to the new preparatory department of Dickinson
high school was entirely without the knowledge of the new school board, and
in no way has their sanction. The very best teachers which could be secured
have been appointed to our town schools. Miss Guilford who has been appointed
to the upper room in old Deerfield is a lady of fine education and long experience.
The new preparatory department at the academy has the same grade of work as
that which is being taught in Miss Guilford's room in the town school.
The attempt to form a preparatory department in the academy by drawing off scholars
in the same grade from the town schools is only an attempt to injure the work
of the new teachers and cripple the work of the new citizens' committee.
What the outcome of all this will be is uncertain. The parents have a right
to send children to Dickinson academy if they see fit. Meanwhile the town schools
will run along as if nothing had happened.
It should be stated, to remove an impression unintentionally give, that no
one from Deerfield has asked or even suggested the publication of anything whatever
on this subject except the part of this article that appears in small type,
and an item each under Deerfield and South Deerfield. |