CHAPTER XXIII.

IMPROVED SCHOOL HOUSE ACCOMMODATION, 1873.

NCTE. Although the School Law of former years provided for School Room Accommodation in each School House, yet, as a matter of fact, Trustees were content to build School Houses of such a capacity, as only to contain a single school room of the ordinary size, without special reference to provision for light, air and ventilation. The School Law of 1871, in order to give definite form to the action of the Trustees in regard to this matter, prescribed that they "Shall provide 'Adequate Accommodation' for all the children of school age (i.e., between the ages of five and twenty-one years,) resident in their School Division (i.e., City, Town, Village or Section), and that no School Section shall be formed which shall contain less than fifty children between the ages of five and [twenty-one] years, unless the area of such Section shall contain more than four square miles." What this "Adequate Accommodation" shall include is fully set forth on page 226 of the Twenty-third Volume of this Documentary History. (See also Number Six of the accompanying "School Trustees' Private Duties." See also page 186 of the Twenty-fourth Volume.

Although the Law and Regulations are very explicit on this subject, yet in many School Sections the School House has been allowed to remain in the same state for fifteen, or twenty, years and longer, often on a bare, open space, or on the Road-side unenclosed, without a Tree, or Shrub, near by to shade it, or any provision being made by the Trustees for the convenience, or health of the Pupils, or even for their observance of the decencies of life. The Legislature has wisely decided that this state of things shall not continue, but that, as soon as possible, a remedy shall be applied, where necessary. A reasonable time has been allowed to Trustees in all cases to set things right; so that Inspectors will now, we trust, not fail to urge upon Trustees the necessity of complying, as soon as possible, with the provisions of the new Law and Regulations on this subject.

In order that Trustees may be enabled to carry out the Regulations and Instructions in regard to this matter, the following information on the subject has been prepared, so as to aid them in doing so :

ENGLISH HINTS ON PLANNING A SCHOOL HOUSE.†

Before a School Room is planned, and the observation applies equally to alterations in the internal fittings of an existing School Room,-the number of children who are likely to occupy it; the number of classes into which they ought to be grouped; whether the School should be "mixed," or the Boys and Girls taught in different Rooms; are points that require to be carefully considered and determined, in order that the arrangements of the School may be designed accordingly.

Every Class, when in operation, requires a separate Teacher, be it only a Monitor acting for the hour. Without some such provision it is impossible to keep all the children in a School actively employed at the same time.

* In July, 1872, the Government so far limited the operation of the Regulation of the Council of Public Instruction, in regard to School Room Accommodation, as practically to set them aside. Subsequently the Attorney General so far modified his views on the subject to allow them to take effect. See pages 194-198 of the preceding Volume of this History.

On page 186 of the preceding Volume of this Documentary History, will be found these English "Hints" in extenso. In this place, I have added a few additional practical ones for the information of School Trustees.

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1. The Common School Room should be planned and fitted to realize, as nearly as may be, the combined advantages of isolation and of superintendence, without destroying its use for such purposes as may require a large apartment. The best shape is an oblong. Groups of Benches and Desks should be arranged along one of the walls. Each group should be divided from the adjacent group, or groups, by an alley in which a light curtain can be drawn forward or back. Each Class, when seated in a group of Desks can thus be isolated on its sides from the rest of the School, its Teachers standing in front of it, where the vacant floor allows him to place his Easel for the suspension of Diagrams and the use of the Black-board, or to draw out the children occasionally from their Desks and to instruct them standing, for the sake of relief by change of position. The Seats at the Desks and the vacant floor in front of each group are both needed, and should therefore be allowed for in calculating the space requisite for each Class.

2. The Doors in School Rooms for children must be so placed as to allow the whole of one side of the School Room being left free for the groups of Benches and Desks.

3. There must be no opening wider than an ordinary doorway between an Infants' and any other School Room, as it is necessary to stop the sound of the infant teaching. 4. An Infant School should always be in the ground floor and if exceeding 80 children in number, should have two galleries of unequal size, and a small group of Benches and Desks for the occasional use of the elder Infants.

No Infant Gallery should hold more than 80 or 90 Infants.

5. The width of a Boys', or Girls', School Room must not exceed twenty feet. The width of an Infant School Room need not be so restricted.

6. The Class Rooms should never be passage-rooms from one part of the Building to another, nor from the School Rooms to the Play-ground, or Yard.

7. The Class Rooms should be on the same level as the School Room.

8. The Class Rooms should be fitted up with a Gallery placed at right angles with the Window.

9. Framed wood partitions are not allowed between School Rooms and Class Rooms. They must be separated by lath and plaster partition or a wall to keep out the sound from the adjoining room.

10. Infants should never be taught in the same Room with older children, as the noise and the training of the Infants disturbs and injuriously affect the discipline and instruction of the older children.

11. The Windows should be of glass set in wood or iron casements. and diamond panes are not desirable.

Lead lights

12. The Sills of the Windows should be placed not less than four feet above the floor. 13. A large portion of each Window should be made to open.

14. The Doors and Passages from the School Room to the outside Privies must be separate for the two sexes. So must also be the Privies themselves. If they cannot be constructed entirely apart from each other, there should be between them a dust-bin, or other sufficient obstacle to sound as well as sight.

PLAN FOR REMODELLING THE OLD-STYLE SCHOOL HOUSES.

The following description of changes to be made according to accompanying plan, as well as the plan itself, from Mr. Richard A. Waite, Architect, of Buffalo :

Remove the partition walls of Recitation Rooms, and part of the rear wall of building, in first, second, and third stories, as shown on proposed plan, making the rear of building the front of School Room.

On first floor, retain the present Hat and Cloak Rooms, but instead of entering from it into School Room, enter from the Hat and Cloke Rooms.

On second floor, the Recitation Room in front of the building to be converted into Hat and Cloak Room, which is an actual necessity on this floor, making a room four and a half times as large as present cubby over stairs. Continue the stairs from second to

third floor, making two exits from each floor, instead of, as at present, three exits from first floor, and only one from third floor.

On a line with the columns in centre of present School Room, form a partition ceiling up to the heights of the back of Seats, and hanging sliding Black-boards, with sash above same. On a line with present rear wall of School Room, form a partition of sliding sash doors; half way between same and front wall of School Room form same, dividing each floor into five grade-rooms, one 13 feet by 45 feet 6 inches, and four 20 feet by 24 feet. By sliding the Black-boards up, and sliding the partition sash doors to side walls, the five rooms are converted into one large one.

EVILS OF OVER-CROWDED SCHOOLS.

One of the evils in our Educational System is the over-crowding of Schools. Seventy, or eighty, children are frequently put into a Room which could accommodate only half the number comfortably, and here they are confined six hours each day for the entire Term. The considerations which should induce a different arrangement are many and practical. Let us look at some of them.

1. Health.-Many, nay most, of the primal laws of Physiology are daily violated; fresh Air cannot be supplied in sufficient quantities for so many beings; the limbs of the Scholars are cramped into unnatural positions, and the amount of animal heat evolved is both uncomfortable and unhealthy. It is true some rugged constitutions may pass through with little injury, but think of the frail ones! In many instances the seeds of disease are sown in School, and a life of suffering is the consequence.

2. Cleanliness.-The Mother's parting injunction in the morning usually is, "Now, keep your clothes clean." In a closely-crowded School House,-not too clean in itself.it is difficult to do so.

HYGIENE IN SCHOOL AND SCHOOL HABITS.*

The Visitor to an average Primary School can hardly fail to notice the violation of certain very plain rules of health, by both Teacher and Pupils. The air, especially near the close of the day, when it sometimes becomes almost pestilential,-indicates a sad lack of Ventilation and much uncleanliness of person and clothing. The dietetic habits of the children will inevitably attract attention. They eat before School, at recess, after School, sometimes during School hours,-eat pies, doughnuts, fried meat, and other heavy, indigestible food, sure to ruin the health early, or late.

EFFECTS OF VITIATED AIR IN SCHOOL HOUSES.

Sad revelations have been made in New York City in regard to the vitiated atmosphere of a large proportion of the Public Schools. What is true there is true elsewhere and in Canada. The results of Official inspection seem amply to justify this alarm. In several School Rooms the Air has yielded to analysis nine times the allowable amount of carbonic acid, to which must be added the accompanying and deadly organic impurities which cannot so easily be measured. The lack of any efficient means of Ventilation, and the over-crowding of the Rooms, have occasioned this impure air. This should be a timely reminder to us to look to the ventilation of our School Houses. There are too many of them disease-traps, into which we force our children. In very many of our School Rooms no pretence is made of any ventilating Apparatus except the Windows which are worse than useless. But even when with the best intentions, ventilating flues are provided, these are generally utterly inefficient. This has been often proved; and re-affirmed, after careful trials, in the late New York official Reports. In connection with every flue there must be artificial appliances for compelling the air to rise. Only two kinds of appliances are known: -Revolving turrets See some practical Remarks on this subject by Doctor Sangster on page 291 of the Twenty-Fourth Volume of this Documentary History.

or similar mechanical contrivances at the top of the flue, or some slight heating arrangement at its bottom, to warm and rarefy the air. A very simple and absolutely successful plan it to conduct a small pipe through the main ventilating flue, which shall act as a draught-pipe, to a small stove in the basement, as only the slightest increase of temperature is needed to start the current. Let our School Trustees look to this matter; now that they force children into our Schools, we are doubly responsible for the air we furnish them.

CHAPTER XXIV.

POWERS, DUTIES, AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF PUBLIC SCHOOL TRUSTEES IN RURAL SECTIONS.*

I. THE NECESSARY OR DISCRETIONARY POWERS OF SCHOOL TRUSTEES.

1. To take possession and have sole custody of all Public School property, moveable Property, Moneys, etcetera.

2. To obtain a legal title to their Schools Premises, as provided by Law.

3. To do whatever they may judge expedient in regard to the Building, etcetera, of the School House, Appendages, Play-ground, Enclosures, Lands, and moveable Property.

4. To have the sole authority to appoint and fix the amount of the Salary of all male and female Teachers appointed by them.

5. To appoint a School Collector.

6. To establish, if they judge expedient, (with the consent of the County Inspector), a male and female School in their Section.

7. To provide a Teacher's Residence.

8. To raise all Moneys, in the manner authorized by the Annual School Meeting, No Meeting can lawfully decide what amount the Trustees shall raise, but only the manner in which they shall do it. Should a Meeting neglect, or refuse, to decide upon the manner of raising the sums required, the Trustees can exercise their own discretion as to which mode they will adopt.

9. To apply, if they judge expedient, to the Municipality of their Township, once a year before the August Meeting, (except in case of a Site and Buildings), to raise any School rate authorized by the inhabitants; and to compel the Council to collect it, by mandamus from one of the Superior Courts, should the Council refuse to do so. 10. To exempt all indigent persons from Section School rates.

11. To sue Non-residents for School Rates. School taxes on Absentees must, however, be collected as pointed out in Section One hundred and twenty-seven of the Consolidated School Act. In case the Township Council should refuse to pay these Taxes (duly returned to the Clerk), the Trustees can enter an action, in any competent Court, against the Township Council for the amount.

12. To call a special School Meeting for any lawful School purpose.

13. To unite their School with the adjacent High School.

14. To resign the office of Trustee, with the consent in writing of their Colleagues and of the Inspector.

15. To decline re-election for four years next after going out of office.

16. To apply to County Council against act of Township Council in altering the boundaries of the School Section.

N.B. No School Meeting of their constituents can deprive Trustees of any of these powers, or prevent their exercise.

* From these Regulations, in regard to the Duties of School Trustees (especially those relating to their Positive Duties") it will be seen what the Law requires the School Trustees to do in regard to providing adequate School Accommodation for all the Children resident in their School Section.

II. SCHOOL TRUSTEES' POSITIVE DUTIES.

1. To call the Annual School Meeting, and also a special one in case of any difference in regard to the School Site, death, or removal of Trustee, etcetera.

2. To prosecute all illegal Voters at School Meetings.

3. To make a declaration of Office within two weeks after notice of election as Trustees.

4. To see that their School is furnished with a Trustees' Book, a Visitors' Book, a Teacher's Register, and a Journal of Education. These two latter are furnished without cost. The two former must be purchased at the expense of the Section.

5. To employ, (and to pay School Moneys to) none but, legally qualified Teachers. 6. To provide suitable School Accommodation for all the Pupils in their Section, as defined in Regulation 9 of the "Duties of Trustees."

7. To permit all Pupils between the ages of five and twenty-one years, on whose behalf School rates are paid, and who observe the Rules, to attend their Schools.

8. To visit the School and see that it is properly conducted; that no unauthorized Books are used; that all the Pupils are supplied with proper Text Books; that the Library is available to the inhabitants, and that it is properly managed.

9. To exercise all the corporate powers vested in them, for the fulfilment of all Agreements, Contracts, etcetera, and to maintain a School in their Section during the

year.

10. To transmit their half-yearly Returns and their yearly Reports to the Inspector, and also to submit their yearly report to the Annual Meeting of their constituents. 11. To affix their Corporate Seal to all Contracts, Agreements, Deeds, etcetera, under their hand.

12. To appoint and take proper security from the Secretary-Treasurer and School Collector.

13. To make a Return to the Municipal Clerk of all Rates imposed by them. 14. To make no Contract with any Member of the School Corporation, except for School Site, or as Collector.

15. To transact no School business except at a Trustee Meeting of which each Member of the Corporation has had due notice.

16. To appoint a School Auditor before the 1st of December in each year, and lay before the Auditors all necessary information.

17. To comply with the Award of the Arbitrations arising between themselves and other parties, under the School Law.

18. To call School Meetings, when desired by the Ratepayers to decide the question of School Site.

19. To establish a free Public School Library, as required by Law and Regulation 21, of the "Duties of Trustees."

EDUCATION RETURNS FOR THE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY.

The following Educational Returns were asked for by the House of Assembly during the present Session:

Mr. Clarke, (Wellington)-A Return of the number of children attending the Public and High Schools of Ontario from 30th of June, 1871, to 30th of June, 1872; and of those attending Private Schools in so far as the same can be ascertained from the Annual School Returns; and of the number of children of School age in Ontario as reported in the Annual Returns of 1871.

The Honourable E. B. Wood-That the Chief Superintendent of Education do with all convenient despatch, lay before the House a Return stating concisely :

1. The date of the Establishment of the Normal and Model Schools in this Province. 2. The total outlay on Capital Account in respect of the said Schools including the purchase of Lands and every expenditure strictly chargeable to Capital Account