Byline; Boston School Crisis

This is Callan is birds in northern student movement headquarters where the children are getting off the bus on Thursday afternoon when school after school is open to the northern student movement has sent buses to different schools to test the open enrollment policy. What are you doing. STUDENT. Right now. Well someone told me about the children being lost when the school bus. And I came to find out more about it. They are. Going to. Beat. Us too. Do you have children in the school system. You know my sister that I do they go to surgery when it was supposed to be bussed out and we went to school this morning and there was no bussing. So now I come to see more about. The but children being bused from here. How many how many children do you have and how old are the nine. What school did they attend last year. SARAH GREEN And why do you want them to go to another school because they send home applications saying that the schools are going to be overcrowded and if the children were in they would be double sessions and rather have the children

have double sessions. I'd rather. Be bussed to a local school and get. The full advantage of a full day school. Do you plan to make arrangements for a private car if it's possible to do anything. About it schools Thank you. For your answer it is necessary. It is very important to know our cry out for tomorrow. We. Don't have. Fully demonstrated. The forces over trials he really should have said. To support the cause or quote to you part of your creation and to petition publicly for the remedy of our brave really serious we have successfully demonstrated that open enrollment can work we found five empty classrooms available at the Stewart school. What is required is transportation and good

teachers with adequate curriculum. We are afraid we got to get this from the school committee. We must continue to inconvenience and pressure them. We have not done that by our actions today. The buses were paid by private citizens. They will support us as much as they can. But they cannot do the school committee's work nor can they supply us with a good teacher as. I like to read the list of dollars. For our bosses at this time. They have grown up to know how the United Auto Workers is. I think I do the story of why aren't. The National Association of Software working. The Medical Committee for Human Rights. They don't even play our practices Committee.

Actually we did a. Lot growing community council. So one question to you Mr Howard. Grossman president of the mass ammo company. Our. Lives. Are we will live in their. Global questions out there. Max Ambrose don't protest in a little bit about. What his store a pro-lifer. And the top tourist from the Community Relations Committee of the American Friends Service Committee. Please show us why raise your hand if you are willing to push your child to a better school. Transportation is provocative. Wow do we have your permission to fly out to continue our peaceful and constructive

protest. So the school committee will know that the people of Boston and Roxbury do care about their education. Please be here tomorrow yes 7:30. And great. Year of Our insurance. Coverage. On saw I was robbed. What about all of this. The cows have dominated Bravehearts it. Was you. Never heard any of our. Folks aren't right and we have really turned. Toward my instructor. And the church at the corner of the house go out and. All the more interested in certain rituals sheets of instructions for no tomorrow morning. But if you are not flying

to Atlanta tomorrow when your friends and you can come to us and prospering. Sure I have with me Mrs Dorothy Chisholm and her daughter Dale Dale. Did you go on one of the buses today and what school did you go to. Alone on the bus in. I think. It was. The. Only. Full school Wayne. Was going to. Places. But anyway they. Listened. And we did not get registered. We did get as far as the auditorium and they go. To fill out. And he said that we will have to have the yellow slip the chance will slip from the old school which my child came from and all to enroll the. I say Are you planning to get the yellow slip tomorrow. Will they give it to you. I hope so anyway. Because I would like to back out to go to a nice school like that because it's very beautiful. But what class are you in the fix.

And. What's your name. When. You're on the bus. Yes. What school did you go to Greenwood. Did you get registered. Is. Are you going to go every day now. Would you like it. There. Is. No. Hope of it. But what. About. What your teacher like. Teaching in a school where the Dixie Chicks in the school. Was she lying. Yes. Pretty UN. For us. What's your name. Where you there. Now. What school did you go to. And where did you go last year. Greenland. Why are you changing schools.

The schools. What. Do you when you speak of microphone. You went. Back to my rankings. So where you go back to Martin. Why don't you like it. We come. As we. Are with. This wasn't what you like now. And like if you don't know but you like the old school better call your friends or the others were. Probably. Did you go to new schools about. What the girls school and had. OK thank you thank you very much. What did you get a new school today. Yes was the bus ride long. Here.

Did you mind the ride. What would you like to get. At is. That your school that you go last year. Did you decide which new school you would go to. Get. Your mom a year and. My mom or. Your mother. Did you talk about it before. She just brought you here. Who else did you know yesterday that you are going to get a new school. Do you know why she said. What about you. Q When did you know you were. Just me. Morning. When you sat. Down. With. Them you know what you heard when. I heard they. Did you did you like your teacher today. You. Where you got

it. What did you what classes did you have. With. Us. Do you. Think. Did you learn reading and writing tonight. Yeah. Yeah we did I think. Yes. Thank you. I would meet Mrs. Early Maurice who's a parent of a child who went to a new school today what's cool and did. Man. Pacman on wok Hill Street in Jamaica Plain. How did you prepare your children for the change from their old school. Laurel I asked them what they want to go to another school with as less children when they get a better education. And they said they would so. When are they of the spring. Did you get registered. Yes we did we went in and they greeted us a few of the teachers didn't want to accept us at first but we just went in and sat down. And. Then the country spoke with the principal principal told us how many seats they had vacant. And then we. Signed our children's names up. But they were nice to

you. Yes they were they were very nice high schools beautiful Some are different than the ones they are going to now. How are you going to get them there every day. Since. The buses don't show up and my house will take us. OK you can make it rain obviously I'll be there. Every day. Measured. My fine. For today. Sheldon Jackson. Of you life. In this what did you learn today. Reading my. Honey. I work radio and so forth. And you got to go every day. At least. Do you miss your old school. What's your name. And where do you live. In Michigan Avenue. Did you and did you have lots of friends who went to school with you the same school. How many. To laugh and laugh. He's registered at the apartment but my

oldest son we went to the Henry group. In Hyde Park. They took our names but that's that was it we didn't. They did not the principal didn't you know kid except us but they did take our names and let us in the auditorium and they gave us said now they have only 13 seats nine in the sixth grade and four in the fifth. So will you be able to get in. I don't know about the. Yeah. You know I'm try again and if not where will you put them. Well if not I'll go to another school because last year my oldest child went to the Gibson. And he was in the basement in the voting room with the voting machines facing the boys laboratory the milk that they were drinking was inside the door. And the boiler room was facing them all to one man was stoking the furnace and I don't care to have him go back in this year and I will take him to another school to help better their education. It was Harry Davis. Where. Dorchester 30

Michigan Avenue. Thank you. I have with me Mr. Green knows St Mirren hears you on the parents committee some on the parents committee and I was in attendance this morning with a group of parents up at the Henry groom in Hyde Park and this group of parents was met with hostility and definite discrimination. I think this morning this subtle word of defacto was removed and the evident fact of discrimination was presented by the manner of the principal Mr. Feeney. Who definitely stated that no child would be allowed in the school without the transfer certificate. This was proven not to be a necessary thing by the enrollment plan itself saying that a parent has the ability to change or transfer their child as long as they are willing to take the responsibility of it. After about a half hour of. Conversation with the principal. They powers decided to go into the auditorium and register where other parents from the white community were registering the children.

The principal then instructed the police officers there to. Withhold the prize from going in. At this time one small incident occurred that gave another definite proof of discrimination. A white parent who has an eagle child was allowed to pass school but her child was stopped not knowing that this child was the son of this woman. There were several times that some of the children needed to use bathroom facilities they were denied this. They were given token registration with the understanding that if there were any seats that on Monday they could be transferred there. With the count really being reduced to only a possible 12 children on a sixth grade level. How many children went with you to register a hundred. No there were approximately 80 to 90 children a hundred twenty people altogether went out to the school this morning. You have any figures on what this influx of children would do in terms of the school. Do you believe that they do have enough seats not only enough seats for those that left this morning but

I would say two to three times that amount. There are even been cases shown where seats have been literally taken up off of the floor the bolts are still in the floor showing that seats have been removed to give some balance a sense to what they're saying that there aren't enough seats. Where do you have get Where did you get these figures who are presenting what. Concerning the fact that the school has an excess of seats. These figures have been published and it can be gotten right from the school committee that self. Would you tell us how many buses the parents committee. Have to to bus the children today. Well this morning we use five buses there were several folks wagon buses and parents and. Friends used and mobilized any type of mobile unit that they could use. This will be continued as long as possible. About how many children did you bus. I would say approximately around 400 children. And how many children.

Do you believe you bus to Marty have any idea of whether they'll be an increased number. We hope and we will be pushing tonight to increase at twice the amount. And we will be attended again by parents. And children. How did you decide what. To do. How did you decide what schools each child should go. We felt that the school district in relation to the area perhaps that the school committee or someone such as the mayor may be in that vicinity living in their facility would have a good bearing on the pressure from the parents in that area helping or indirectly aligning with us to relieve the problem so that they would not be inconvenienced as we are being inconvenienced here. It's a case of we're hoping that parents from both communities will walk side by side because it's not only a problem in the district but it's all over Boston accepted in the Negro districts augmenting three to four times the amount. How much cooperation did you have from white parents.

They weren't bad and Pachmann school was very very responsive they were very good there were some parents there were upset which is understandable but on the whole they were acceptance. Even one white mother. Around one of the Negro children. And said I hope that you'll be able to come to the school with us the teachers were very cooperative and the principal there was very cooperative. Who is the principal. I'm not sure of the principals and I wasn't at that school this morning I got there later in the afternoon and everyone was seated there and the children were given some learning process they were bringing their drawings out of 12:00 and everything and there was no. Problem at all. All there. In each case was a child sent to a school where you knew there were seats available. This was not necessarily the case. There were basically we were testing the open enrollment as to whether there were seats or how many seats was not always definite. Thank you very much.

Have with me Reverend Vernon Carter who has been observing the buses returning. From the very schools. Reverend Carter you've been observing this situation for a long time I wonder if you'd comment on the progress that's been made over the past couple of years. Well I think that we have kept before the Boston community the need for balance and schooled in ending defacto segregation. I think that the parents have become aware that they must actively participate in ending this evil. They know that laws have been passed and I think that their efforts today. Is a culmination of. Many great efforts put forth in the past. And that they are now actively participating. In this making more dramatic to the city of Boston. The need for changes and for better schools. Quality Education is what. The parents are interested in and busing is secondary but if bussing can make available quality education

they would gladly do it. Mrs Hicks has said that parents of Roxbury Dorchester saw the bus their children she had made this a great emphasis and made primary Ah parents have not when they found the time that they had to do it. They are doing it and I feel that the time has come when the city of Boston the Boston School Committee or any other channels through which this can be done that bussing should be taken care of and expenses should be met through the proper channels and not necessarily through the parents. Parents are doing it because they feel that is necessary. I think this is an impressive enough for the Boston School Committee to realize that the expenses of busing should be. Carried by. Them or. By some funds that come through the state all the city. What do you think the results of today prove about the so-called open enrollment policy. Well I think that it proves that there are many many seats available. That.

By. Transporting these children to these areas they can really be a. Some of the great problems in balance. I think that it proves. That. It can be done. Without all this constant squabble that's been going on I think at the school committee was serious and they were really interested and called the Education. It would have been done long time ago today prove that it could be done. I saw you in the forefront of the dignitaries when the governor signed the racial imbalance bill. What effect do you think this bill will have on the school situation. I think that the signing of the bill has given the parents great a cop in the face that they are right and I think it gives good thinking people confidence that their stand for ending racial imbalance is a competent one because the bill on racial imbalance is coming the result. Of the study on an. Expert. Educator. And.

This also expresses the opinions and ideas of the. The lawmakers state. So therefore this really gives us some validity to work on. Do you expect that there will be action soon on this racial balance bill. Well I think they're moving ahead as rapidly as possible. A census has been taking a shot and I think that they will require all of the school committee to submit a program that will balance the schools and if they do not do it I feel that the time is very short the funds will be withdrawn from the Boston schools making it so that taxes will go up. In Boston. And the citizen himself will have to pay the bill. I don't think they want this. I feel that there was a program for this. And I think. That. What they would have to do is to require the school will fill their responsibilities if they don't replace

them for the good of the whole community of Boston. Thank you very much. For small stumbling blocks we found no barriers as to keeping the children from being involved as long as there was room and there was quite a bit of room. What school did you go to. The tile system on Babson street in mad upin. How many children went with you. I would estimate at least 40 to 50 children. And how did you get in touch with the principal and asked to register. We went to the office first and we were asked to see the assistant principal RI was in the auditorium and the system principal couldn't give us a concrete yes or no as to whether the children would be registered. So then we asked to see the principal to speak to the headmaster and she in turn took us and introduced us to the headmaster and he assured us that as long as there were seats

available that the children would be seated and the proper manner was to get a transfer which we did and we brought them back and the children were placed and the proper classes. This is Mr. Letts and that's not necessary. In fact it was suggested that we. They sent us to the secretary in the beginning. And then in turn the secretary sent us to the assistant principal. And then of course the assistant principal then sent this to the principal of the school. However we had to go through three mediums before actually coming to grips with someone who could actually give us a positive direction in terms of the procedure which should be followed at that particular time. And at which time I had to sort of work along with Mrs. Bowen we had to politic. You see the questions

and answers that we wanted to have in other words we had to say if we. Is it true that you have room here. The answer was affirmative yes. Now in the interim that we these individuals here and come back with slips will you accept them. Yes. Wonderful. Then we proceeded to follow through on. The programme asset. Mrs. Bowen How did you prepare your children for the changed schools. I prepared them I think the best way possible I said as little to them as could be done I told them that we were going to go to a new school and they would behave as ladies and gentlemen. Thank you.