USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Somerville > Report of the city of Somerville 1914 > Part 23
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In cold and inclement weather they shall provide suit- able shelter and care for little children who may have come to school earlier.
Tardiness Reported.
Every teacher shall be in her schoolroom ready to re- ceive her pupils fifteen minutes before the beginning of each session. The tardiness of teachers shall be regularly re- ported to the Superintendent.
Moral Instruction.
SECTION 86. Teachers shall punctually observe the hours appointed for opening and dismissing the schools, and during school hours shall faithfully apply themselves to their duties. In all their intercourse with their scholars they shall strive to impress on their minds, both by precept and example, the great importance of earnest efforts for improvement in morals, manners, and deportment, as well as in useful learning.
Pupils shall be carefully instructed to avoid idleness and profanity, falsehood and deceit, and every wicked and disgraceful practice, and to conduct themselves in an orderly and proper manner; and it shall be the duty of the teach-
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èrs, so far as practicable, to exercise a general supervi- sion over them in these regards, both in and out of school.
SECTION 87. Teachers must aim at such discipline in their schools as would be exercised by a kind and judicious parent in his family. They shall avoid corporal punishment in all cases where good order can be maintained by milder means. In no case shall they resort to confinement in closets or dressing rooms, or to any form of cruel or un- natural punishment. Blows upon the head are expressly prohibited. Ridicule, provoking sarcasm, and all harsh ex- pressions are to be studiously avoided. If the principal re- commends the use of corporal punishment, let it be re- stricted to blows upon the hand, but administered with prudence and deliberation, always after school hours, in the absence of other pupils, and after twenty-four hours shall have intervened.
Teachers must record in a book furnished for that pur- pose, all cases of corporal punishment, giving the date, the name of the pupil, the offence, and the nature and extent of the punishment inflicted, and report the same to the Superintendent through the principal.
By corporal punishment is understood any infliction what- ever of bodily pain, or application of physical force.
SECTION 88. Teachers shall be responsible for the dis- cipline of their schools. Appeals to the principal or commit- tee, in ordinary cases, tend to weaken the influence of the teacher, and should be avoided.
When a pupil refuses to receive punishment from his teacher, his case shall be referred to the principal for treat- ment.
SECTION 89. In cases where the conduct and habits of a pupil are found to be immoral and injurious to asso- ciates, it shall be the duty of the principal, with the advice of the standing committee, to suspend such pupil from school.
SECTION 90. For flagrant or repeated acts of miscon- duct or for extreme disobedience and insubordination, after other means of reformation have been tried in vain, the principal of the school may suspend a pupil, provided that such case of suspension, with the reasons therefor, shall be reported in writing to the parent or guardian of the pupil, and also to the standing committee, within twenty-four hours after its occurence. Any child under suspension, who shall express regret for his fault, and whose parents or guardian shall promise co-operation in the enforcement of the regulations, may be reinstated by the standing committee on such conditions as shall be thought best ; but, if such suspension is continued by the standing com-
Discipline.
Corporal Punishment.
Appeals.
Suspension of Pupils.
Reinstate- ment.
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ANNUAL REPORTS.
mittee, the pupil shall not be admitted into any school in Somerville except by vote of the Board.
Pupils sent from School
SECTION 91. No pupil shall be sent from school for purposes of discipline unless he is suspended by the prin- cipal.
Truancy.
SECTION 92. Teachers are expected to use all suitable means to prevent truancy and to reclaim truants. When such means prove inadequate, the principal shall report offenders to the truant officer, who shall return them to school and give suitable warning of the consequences of their offence.
Quarterly Reports.
SECTION 93. Quarterly reports of the standing of pu- pils of the high and grammar schools, showing attendance, deportment and scholarship, shall be sent to parents and guardians for their examination and signature.
Registers.
SECTION 94. There will be kept in every school a reg- . ister of the name, age, dates of admission and discharge, absences, tardinesses, dismissals, and half days of truancy of each pupil. Principals shall be responsible for the correct- ness of said register, and for the proper returns from it to the Superintendent.
Classes in Sections.
SECTION 95. Teachers whose pupils are all of one grade shall divide their classes into two sections, that as far as practicable one section may be studying while the other section are reciting.
Home Study.
SECTION 96. A reasonable amount of home study may be required of pupils in the high schools. Home study re- quired of grammar school pupils shall not exceed one-half hour in the seventh grade, forty-five minutes in the eighth grade, and one hour in the ninth grade.
Pro- grammes.
SECTION 97. During the first month of the school year each teacher shall prepare two copies of the programme of the daily exercises of his school, one to be kept in the school room, accessible to the substitute teacher, and one for the Superintendent.
Ventilation.
SECTION 98. It shall be the duty of all teachers to give frequent and vigilant attention to the ventilation, tempera- ture, and light of their schoolrooms. A regular system of ventilation shall be practiced, as well in winter as in summer by which the air in the schoolrooms shall be effectually changed during recess and at the end of each school ses- sion. The schoolroom should be kept at a uniform tem- perature of sixty-eight degrees F., as shown by a thermo- meter hung in a central place at the level of the pupils' desks.
Temper- ature.
Visits of Teachers.
SECTION 99. Teachers, by direction of the Superinten- dent, shall visit other schools occasionally, to observe the discipline and instruction of the same. During the absence
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of teachers for this purpose the Superintendent shall pro- vide substitutes for their schools.
SECTION 100. It shall be the duty of teachers to en- Reading and courage their pupils to adopt some systematic course of Public general reading, to advise them in the selection of such Library. books as will improve their taste and cultivate a love for good reading, and to co-operate in efforts to extend the ad- vantages of the Public Library to the pupils of the schools.
SECTION 101. Teachers shall not allow themselves to Interrup- be interrupted in their work by prolonged interviews, even tions of Teachers. on matters relating to the school; nor shall they allow the suspension of their regular duties or changes in their pro- grammes on account of the visits of other teachers or personal friends.
SECTION 102. Unless specially excused by the Super- To Attend intendent, teachers shall attend all meetings called by the Meetings. Superintendent or the Board for their benefit and profes- sional improvement by means of lectures, discussions, or otherwise.
SECTION 103. The course of study and the time sched- ule of different studies adopted by the Board and made a part of these Regulations must be faithfully followed in ac- of Study. cordance with the directions therein given, and no other text-books than those authorized by the Board shall be used in the schools.
SECTION 104. No persons except those appointed for the purpose by the Board or those officially connected with the schools shall be allowed to give instruction or deliver lectures in the schools.
SECTION 105. No advertisement shall be given in any school or distributed or posted on school premises, nor shall any agent or other person be permitted to enter any school building for the purpose of securing subscriptions, presenting articles for sale, photographing pupils, copying names from school registers, or transacting any other private business without permission of the Board, pre- sented in writing. The sale of books or stationery to pu- pils by teachers is prohibited.
SECTION 106. The use of tobacco in any form on Use of school premises, or by pupils on the way to or from school, Tobacco. is strictly prohibited. Principals and teachers are especially enjoined to use their influence to enforce this prohibition. Pupils violating this rule may be temporarily suspended, and shall not return to school without the written permis- sion of a member of the standing committee or the Super- intendent.
SECTION 107. No contribution or collection of money for any purpose shall be permitted in any school without
Time Schedule and Course
Unauthor- ized In- structors.
Advertise- ments, Book Agents, etc.
Contribu- tions Pro- hibited,
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ANNUAL REPORTS.
consent of the chairman of the standing committee in charge thereof.
Co-operation of Teachers.
Not to Engage in Other Business.
SECTION 108. Teachers are expected to co-operate heartily with the Superintendent, principal, and with one another in promoting the interests of the schools. During the school year they shall engage in no business or employ- ment for salary or wages except that for which they are hired and paid by the City of Somerville, without the con- sent of the standing committee in charge of the school or department.
SECTION 109. Teachers regularly employed in the day schools shall not be eligible for employment in evening schools, except by the vote of the standing committee hav- ing their day school or department in charge.
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SCHOOL DEPARTMENT.
GENERAL REGULATIONS OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
Regulations Common to All Schools.
SECTION 110. The public schools of Somerville shall be classified as Kindergartens; Primary schools contain- ing the first, second, and third grades; Grammar schools containing grade's four to eight, inclusive; the High School, containing four grades to be designated as the first, second, third, and fourth classes, the first being the ninth grade or entering class; Day Vocational schools having courses two years in duration for persons over fourteen years of age; atypical and special classes; Ele- mentary Evening schools for persons over fourteen years of age; and an Evening High School.
SECTION 111. The school year shall begin and end on such dates as shall be determined annually by the School Board at its regular February meeting.
SECTION 112. The following shall be the holidays and vacations granted to all the schools :-
Holidays .- Every Saturday ; October 12; Thanksgiving Day, together with the afternoon preceding and the Fri- day following it; February 22; Patriots' Day; Memorial Day ; June 17. Whenever any holiday falls on Sunday the schools shall be closed on the following day.
Vacations .- The week in which the 25th of December occurs; the two weeks that separate the last twenty-four weeks of the school year into three terms of eight weeks each; from the close of the school year to the time fixed for its beginning.
The Chairman of the School Committee may dismiss all the schools on extraordinary occasions of general in- terest.
SECTION 113. The high schools shall hold a five-hour session on each school day beginning at 8.15 o'clock.
The grammar and primary schools shall hold a morn- ing session from 9 o'clock until 11.45, and an afternoon session from 1.30 o'clock until 3.30.
The sessions of the kindergartens shall extend from 9 o'clock until 12.
SECTION 114. In case of severe storm or excessive Storm heat or cold the Superintendent is authorized to announce Signal. the omission of the next session of the schools by strik- ing the signal 5-5 twice on the fire alarm bells. The storm signal for the high schools shall be struck at 7.30; for all other schools forty-five minutes before the open- ing of the session.
SECTION 115. The morning session of all schools
Classifica- tion of Schools.
School Year
Holidays.
Vacations.
Special Holidays.
Sessions.
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ANNUAL REPORTS.
:
Scriptures to be Read.
shall commence with the reading by the teacher, without comment, of a selection from the Scriptures in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth.
SECTION 116. . There shall be twenty-five minutes of recess in the high schools at such time as the head master shall choose.
Recesses.
In elementary schools there shall be a recess of ten minutes midway of the morning session.
In the first three grades of the elementary schools there shall be a recess of seven minutes midway of the afternoon session. This recess may be allowed in other grades of elementary schools by the principal.
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Pupils shall not be required to take an open-air recess in inclement weather.
No pupil shall be deprived of any portion of the regular recess of his class.
Admission of Pupils.
SECTION 117. Pupils shall be admitted to school and assigned to their proper grades by the principal, who shall require satisfactory evidence that they reside within the district, are of the proper age, and have complied with the law regarding vaccination.
Beginners shall be admitted to the first grade during the months of September and February. Any child six years of age, or who will attain that age before the first of October following, shall be eligible for admission in September. Any child six years of age, or who will attain that age before the first of March, shall be eligible for admission in February.
SECTION 118. Residents of other cities and towns, and children residing in Somerville for the sole purpose of attending school, shall be admitted to school only by special permit of the Superintendent, who shall re- quire evidence that tuition has been paid for the year or half-year before granting said permit.
The tuition for non-resident pupils shall be a sum equal to the average expense per pupil during the year next preceding in the school they are to attend.
Contagious Diseases.
Quarantine.
SECTION 119. No person affected with any contagious disease shall be allowed to attend the public schools. No person who is a member of a household in which a per- son is sick with smallpox, diphtheria, scarlet fever, or measles, or of a household exposed to contagion from a household as aforesaid, shall attend any public school during such sickness, or until the teacher of the school has been furnished with a certificate from the board of health of the town or city, or from. the attending physi- cian of such sick person, stating in a case of smallpox, diphtheria, or scarlet fever that a period of at least two
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weeks, and in case of measles a period of at least three days, has elapsed since the recovery, removal, or death of such person, and that danger of the conveying of such disease by such person has passed. [See Section 162.]
SECTION 120. Pupils shall attend school only in the district in which they reside, except by permission of the Superintendent. A pupil who changes his residence dur- ing the latter half of the school year may, if his parents so elect, complete the year in the school that he has been attending.
SECTION 121. When a pupil changes his residence with the intention of entering another school, he shall receive a discharge card showing his age, grade, and the number of weeks of attendance during the school year. This card shall admit him to the same grade in any school in this city which he may enter.
SECTION 122. Every pupil must come school cleanly in person and dress, and with his clothes properly repaired. In case of neglect in this respect. the teacher may send the negligent pupil home, to be suitably pre- pared for school.
SECTION 123. Pupils shall be prompt and regular in their attendance. In case of absence, tardiness, or dis- missal a written or personal explanation from the parent or guardian shall be required. Tardiness, without a writ- ten or personal explanation from the parent or guardian, is accounted a misdemeanor. A pupil who is tardy with- out a satisfactory explanation shall not be sent home, but shall be required to furnish it subsequently.
SECTION 124. If any pupil of the high school is ab- sent two days in four consecutive weeks, or any pupil in the grammar schools is absent six half-days in four consecutive weeks, except for causes satisfactory to the principal, he shall not return without a written permit from the standing committee of his school, or the Super- intendent.
SECTION 125. No pupil belonging to a public school shall be absent from school or excused from any school exercise in order to receive regular instruction elsewhere.
SECTION 126. In recording the attendance of pupils teachers shall observe the following rules :-
1. Every pupil who enters the room after the time for beginning the session shall be marked tardy.
2. Every pupil who leaves school at the request of his parents or guardian before the close of a session shall be marked dismissed.
3. Every pupil not present at least one-half of the session shall be marked absent,
Transfer of Pupils.
Discharge Cards.
Cleanliness.
-Attendance of Pupiis.
Suspension for Absence.
Absence for Special Instruction.
Marking Attendance.
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ANNUAL REPORTS.
4. Whenever a pupil is suspended from school, his name is to be taken at once from the roll of member- ship.
5. Whenever a pupil leaves school without the in- tention of returning during the school year, he shall be disenrolled, but any absences recorded against him before the fact of his leaving comes to the knowledge of his teacher shall remain.
6. After a pupil has been absent ten consecutive days for any cause, his name shall be taken from the roll, but the absences recorded against him shall stand.
Detention of Pupils.
SECTION 127. No pupil shall be detained for any pur- pose after the close of the morning session. Detention at other times shall in no case exceed thirty minutes, and shall be for willful neglect of duty only.
Injury to Property.
SECTION 128. Any pupil who shall deface or injure any school property shall be required to pay in full for all damages.
Calls at Door.
SECTION 129. Pupils shall not be permitted to answer calls at the door, except from parents and guardians, or their accredited messengers.
Kindergartens.
Authority to Open.
SECTION 130. Kindergartens may be established and maintained by the Board whenever it is deemed wise.
Age of Admission.
SECTION 131. Children between five and six years of age may be admitted to the kindergarten nearest their homes during the months of September and February.
Number of Pupils.
SECTION 132. A kindergarten shall contain not less than twenty nor more than fifty pupils. An assistant may be employed when the number exceeds thirty.
Sessions.
SECTION 133. The sessions of the kindergarten shall be from 9 to 12 o'clock. Teachers shall employ their af- ternoons from 2 to 4, except when the time is needed for preparation for their work, in visiting the homes of their pupils to confer with parents in promoting the interests of the children and securing regularity of at- tendance.
Promotions and Graduation.
Regular Promotions.
SECTION 134. Regular class promotions in the schools shall be made at the end of and in the middle of the school year, according to the judgment of the class teacher, the principal, the Superintendent, and the dis- trict committee.
Individual Promotions.
SECTION 135. Individual promotions shall be made whenever, in the judgment of principal, Superintendent, and chairman of the district committee. the interests of pupils require them. It is especially enjoined upon prin-
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cipals to make such arrangement of classes and appor- tionment of work as will give constant employment to Work. pupils of varying degrees of ability, and to advance the whole or any portion of a class as rapidly as possible, irre- spective of the grade limitations of the courses of study.
SECTION 136. In the high and grammar schools the Basis of basis of promotion shall be the teacher's estimate of the Promotion. oral and written recitations and effort of the pupil, which shall be recorded and reported to parents at least quarterly.
Written test examinations, not exceeding one hour each, may be given at any time without previous announce- ment by the teachers, principal, or Superintendent, not as an exclusive basis of promotion but as aiding teachers to correct estimates, showing results or indicating lines of in- struction.
SECTION 137. Teachers' estimates shall be indicated by one of the following terms :-
Excellent . E, A, or 5 Unsatisfactory . U, D, or 2
Good G, B, or 4 . Poor . P, E, or 1 Fair
F, C, or 3 .
As far as possible, the standard and terms used in marking shall be uniform in each school.
SECTION 138. All pupils whose scholarship record Uncondi- as shown by teachers' estimates averages "fair" shall be tional unconditionally promoted to the next grade, provided their conduct and 'effort through the year have been satisfactory.
Pupils who fall below the standard of promotion may Conditional be conditionally promoted to the next grade on trial for Promotions. two months provided their age, character, capacity, and best interests seem to justify it.
Parents of pupils promoted conditionally shall re- Parents ceive notice of the fact, and shall receive monthly state- Notified. ments from the teacher showing the progress of their children.
SECTION 139. The standard and method of promo- tion from the grammar schools to the high schools shall be the same as from grade to grade in these schools.
Grammar school pupils promoted to a high school grade shall receive certificates of qualification signed by the principal, which shall secure their admission to either high school.
SECTION 140. At the beginning of the school year there shall be an examination of applicants for admis- sion to the high school under the direction of the com- mittee on high schools. A fair knowledge of the studies of the grammar schools shall be required for admission. The questions shall be prepared by the Superintendent,
Apportion- ment of
Examina- tions.
Marking of Estimates.
Promotions.
Admission to High Schools.
Examination for High School
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ANNUAL REPORTS.
and approved by the chairman of the high school commit- tee.
Transfer to Lower Grade.
SECTION 141. Pupils who have fallen behind their grade by absence, indolence, or inability may be trans- fered to a lower grade, provided that no such transfer shall be made unless parents have received at least four weeks' previous notice, and the principal, the Superinten- dent, and the chairman of the committee in charge of the school concur therein.
Diplomas.
SECTION 142. Pupils in the grammar and high schools who have honorably completed the prescribed course of study to the satisfaction of the principal, the Superin- tendent, and the standing committee in charge of the school shall receive diplomas of graduation.
Graduation Exercises.
SECTION 143. The graduation exercises of the gram- mar schools shall be under the direction of a special com- mittee, composed of the chairmen of the several district committees.
The graduation exercises of the high school shall be under the direction of the standing committee on high school.
Public Visitation.
SECTION 144. While it is understood that the schools are always open to the inspection of parents and citizens, the last school week in May of each year is especially set apart as public visitation week for the grammar and pri- mary schools. The last school Wednesday in May is as- signed as public day for the high schools.
No departure from the regular work of the schools shall be made on public days.
Exhibitions.
SECTION 145. Exhibitions of the regular work of any school or department may be made at the option of the standing committee in charge of the same.
Evening Schools.
SECTION 146. Evening schools for adults of both sexes, and for children over fourteen years of age who are unable to attend the day schools, together with a school for industrial drawing, shall be established by the committee on Industrial Education, as they may deem necessary, subject to the approval of the Board.
SECTION 147. The committee on Industrial Educa- tion shall have general charge and supervision of all eve- ning schools, and each school may be placed under the special charge of one member or more of that committee.
Numbers.
SECTION 148. No school shall be open until fifty per- sons have pledged themselves to attend regularly. When the average number attending any school for four con- secutive sessions is less than twenty-five, the school shall be closed.
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SCHOOL DEPARTMENT.
SECTION 149. Applications for admission to the eve- ning school for persons under eighteen years of age must be made by parent or guardian.
No person shall attend the school of industrial draw- ing who is under fourteen years of age.
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