Edwin Washington Project

EWP Brd Of Educ 1955 December 001

Item

Title

EWP Brd Of Educ 1955 December 001

Place

Virginia

Identifier

1000477

Is Version Of

1000477_EWP_Brd_Of_Educ_1955_December_001.jpg

Is Part Of

Uncategorized

Date Created

2024-01-07

Format

Jpeg Image

Number

5f7a5c2e5e403b564d188f94748bc848d65552cfd67d59e849f5ee1eebfd8479

Source

/Volumes/T7 Shield/EWP/Elements/EWP_Files/Access Files/Upload temp/1000477_EWP_Brd_Of_Educ_1955_December_001.jpg

Publisher

Digitized by Edwin Washington Project

Rights

Loudoun County Public Schools

Language

English

Replaces

/Volumes/T7 Shield/EWP/Elements/EWP_Files/source/Ingest One/1 Civil Rights/integration_folder/Constitutional_Convention/EWP_Brd_Of_Educ_1955_December_001.jpg

extracted text

STATEMENT ISSUED BY THE STATE BOARD OF EDUGATION
AT ITS MEETING DECEMBER 13, 1955

The State Board of Education has a great responsibility in the admir;ist?ation;;5
of the public schools of Virginia under the Constitution and in accordancg‘wlth'
the laws passed by the General Assembly. The Board also has the duty of.lnformlng
and advising the people of Virginia in regard to the conduct of the publlc‘schools
and of assisting in the formulation of policies affecting them.

The Board goes on record as favoring the calling of the Constitutiona} C9n—
vention to amend Section 141 as has been proposed in the report of the Commission
on Public Education. Such an amendment will restore the powers which were thought
to have existed and under which certain programs were carried out prior to the
decision of the Suvreme Court of Appeals. of Virginia on November 7, 1955, TIf
Section 141 is amended as proposed, the Board will be able to continue (except as i=
to Sectarian Schools) the program of Negro graduate aid, War Orphans Progrmp,
Teachers? Scholarships, and Rehabilitation grants. We regard the continuation of
these programs as highly desirable.

The value of the amendment of Section 141 in connection with the problems
arising from the May 17, 1954 decision of the Supreme Court of the United States
will depend upon the laws enacted by the General Assembly following the amendment.
The Board strongly favors the proposals of the Commission on Public Education pro-
viding for a high degree of local autonomy in the operation of the:: schools. The
Board favors the authorization of the use of powers of assignment of pupils and
teachers as proposed. It favors the principle statzd in the report of preventing
enforced integration of either white or Negro pupils in mixed schools against the
will of their parents.

The Board recognizes the meaning and extreme importance of an efficient system
of public free schocls throughout the Commonwealth., The future of our system of
government depends largely upon the intelligence of all of our citizenry. Any time
lost in the life of a child can never be regained. Education for all of the child-
ren is the only way of achieving loyalty to the State and pride in democratic
traditions in a nation that believes in the sovereignty of the people.

The only portion of the recommendations of the Commission involved in the o
calling of a Constitutional Convention is the part dealing with tuition grants. The
Board feels that the proposed making of grants to parents for the education of
their children can in many cases have great value but does not believe that the
exercise of this privilege would be so general as to result in the establishment
of an extensive system of private schools., The Board has confidence in the
Legislature of Virginia and the legislation that will be enacted by it.

The question of any amendment to the compulsory attendance law is in no way
dependent upon the action of the people in voting on the Constitutional Convention.
This will be the responsibility of the General Assembly in any event. This is a
matter of very great importance and any change in the provisions should be clearly
defined and limited so that it cannot be used by persons who may wish to avoid the
responsibilities of sending their children to school.




Item sets

EWP 01 Civil Rights