USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Worcester > Town annual reports of the several departments for the fiscal year ending December 31, 1848/49-1855 > Part 16
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PUBLIC WEIGHERS. Lincoln Square,-Chas. H. Waters. Washington Square,-John H. Knight. New Worcester,-Fred. Cutting. POUND KEEPER. James Campbell. CAPTAIN OF THE WATCH. Frederick Warren. WATCHMAN OF THE CITY HALL. John D. Welts. WATCHMEN. Wm. W. Codding, Stephen Shumway, Lathrop Dorman, Gustavus El- liot, Ebenezer Lund, Arvin Thompson.
WATER COMMISSIONERS. Henry W. Miller, Rufus D. Dunbar, Edwin Draper. FIRE DEPARTMENT. Chief Engineer, Erastus N. Holmes. Clerk, Sewell Thayer. Assistant Engineers, Joel Wilder, Sewell Thayer, Loring Coes, Alzirus Brown, Tilly Raymond, Sam'l A. Porter. HOOK AND LADDER COMPANY. Foreman, Elbridge G. Watkins. Clerk, John F. Watkins.
HOSE COMPANY NO. 1.
Foreman, Chas. Forbes. Clerk, Ethan R. Cheney. HOSE COMPANY NO. 2. Foreman, Joel Hammond. Clerk, George Woodbury. WASHINGTON ENGINE COMPANY NO. 1.
Foreman, Silas J. Brimhall. Clerk, John Willoughby. RAPID ENGINE COMPANY NO 2. Foreman, Levi W. Towle. Clerk, Charles Hersey.
NIAGARA ENGINE COMPANY NO. 3.
Foreman, Perry Wilbur. Clerk, W. D. Andrews. TORRENT ENGINE COMPANY NO. 4.
Foreman, B. E. Hutchinson. Clerk, E. P. Winter. CITY MARSHAL. GEORGE JONES. CONSTABLES.
Jeremiah Kane, Jonathan Day, Elbridge G. Watkins, Frederick War- ren, Wm. A. Howland, David Gleason, Levi Jackson, Edward L. Holman.
City Document, Ho. 5.
RULES
OF THE
SCHOOL COMMITTEE,
AND
REGULATIONS
OF THE
PUBLIC SCHOOLS
OF THE
CITY OF WORCESTER.
RCEST E
TOWN
JUNE
FEBY.29.1848.
14.1722
WORCESTER: PRINTED BY HENRY J. HOWLAND, 199 MAIN STREET.
RULES AND REGULATIONS.
ESTABLISHMENT OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
By special enactment of the Legislature of the Common- wealth, twenty-four persons are annually elected, who with the Mayor, constitute the Board of School Committee, and have the superintendence of the Public Schools. These schools are graded as follows : Primary, Secondary, Gram- mar, Classical and English High School :- and when it is necessary to unite two or more grades, the school is called a Mixed School. Of this class are the Young Men's School, the African and the Evening Schools, and the seve- ral schools in the Suburban parts of the city. In these schools, instruction is freely given to children of both sexes, who reside in the city, and who have reached the age of four years.
CHAPTER I. ORGANIZATION OF THE BOARD.
SECTION 1. Organization, Election of Officers, and Ap- pointment of Committees. The first meeting of the Board shall be held during the week following the first Monday in January, in each year. The Mayor of the city is Pres- ident of the Board ex-officio. A Secretary shall be chosen at this meeting, and committees appointed as follows: a
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Committee of Visitation on the Classical and English High School consisting of five members, and a Committee on each of the other schools, consisting of two members; a Committee on Books and School Apparatus; a Committee on School Houses; a Committee on the Examination of Teachers, and a Committee of Estimates, each of which shall consist of five members. A Prudential Committee of one person shall be appointed for each of the Suburban school houses, and one for all the school houses in the Centre. There shall also be a Committee of Conference, consisting of the Mayor, Secretary and three other mem- bers. See ch. iv. sec. 9.
SEC. 2. Regular meetings. The Board shall hold regu- lar meetings during the first week of every month, on the day and hour previously designated.
SEC. 3. Quorum. For the transaction of ordinary bus- iness, seven members shall constitute a quorum, but when matters of importance, such as the election of teachers or the appropriation of money, are to be acted upon, a ma- jority of the whole Board shall be present.
SEC. 4. Order of Business. The order of business at the regular meetings of the Board shall be, 1, Calling the Roll : 2, Reading and correcting the records of the last regular meeting, and of any special intervening meeting : 3, Reports of visiting committees : 4, Reports of other committees : 5, Reception of petitions : 6, Unfinished business : 7, Any business appropriately belonging to the Board.
SEC. 5. Rules of Order. The meetings of the Board shall be conducted in accordance with the rules usually adopted by deliberative assemblies ; and no member shall speak more than twice on the same question without a vote of the Board.
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SEC. 6. Assignment of the Schools. The assignment of the schools to Visiting Committees, shall be made by a com- mittee of seven members appointed for that purpose at the first meeting of each new Board, and so made, that each member shall be allotted to one or more schools.
SEC. 7. Calling the Roll. At each meeting of the Board, the roll shall be called at the hour appointed for the meeting, and the names of the members then present, and such as may afterwards be in attendance, shall be en- tered on the records.
CHAPTER II.
DUTIES OF THE PRESIDENT.
SEC. 1. To Preside, &c. It shall be the duty of the President to preside at all the meetings of the Board when present ; to appoint special meetings when he shall deem expedient, or when any five members of the Board shall request him in writing to do so; and to charge himself with a general supervision of the business to be transacted by the Board.
SEC. 2. To appoint Committees. The President shall appoint all committees unless otherwise ordered.
SEC. 3. To visit Schools. It shall also be his duty to make such visitations of the schools, as his other duties will allow.
CHAPTER III.
DUTIES OF THE SECRETARY.
SEC. 1. General Duties. It shall be the duty of the Secretary to keep a fair record of all the doings of the Board; to give notice to each member, of all meetings ;
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to notify the chairman of every committee appointed, and state the commission and the names of the members; to transmit and see to the execution of all orders of the Board, unless otherwise directed ; to receive all applications for employment as teachers; to give certificates of appro- bation to all teachers who have been examined and engaged by the Board; to keep a list of all the teachers employed in the public schools of the city, with the amount of their salaries annexed ; to notify, immediately, all new teachers of their appointment ; and to see that the teachers are furnish- ed with utensils for the blackboard, and with registers and blanks for such reports as the Board may require of them. He shall also inform the principals of the schools of the names of the officers of the Board and the several commit- tees to whom they may refer ; and shall keep constantly on hand such blanks as may be necessary and convenient for the discharge of his duty as the Board's executive officer, and carefully preserve all books, documents, reports, and papers, suitably arranged for convenient reference. He shall certify all orders for money yoted by the Board.
SEC. 2. Reports. He shall at the end of each term, present to the Board an abstract of the teachers' reports, and shall prepare the Returns which the statute requires to be made to the Secretary of the Board of Education.
SEC. 3. Books for Indigent Scholars. He shall furnish books for indigent scholars, and those who are not supplied by parents or guardians, whenever requested by the teach- er or Committee, taking care to conform to the statute pro- vided in such cases.
SEC. 5. Compensation and Expenses. The Secretary shall receive a salary of two hundred dollars per annum, and all the incidental expenses of his office shall be paid.
SEC. 6. Text Books. It shall also be his duty to furnish
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each teacher's desk with a copy of every book prescribed by the Board to be used in that school; and he shall cause a printed label to be placed in a suitable manner in each book, with these words upon it: The property of the City of Worcester : For the use of the Committee and Teachers.
CHAPTER IV. DUTIES OF COMMITTEES.
SEC. 1. Visitation of the Schools. The Committees of Visitation shall have charge of the schools to which they are severally assigned, and shall visit them according to the provisions of the statute (Rev. St. ch. 23, 5, 16), not less than once in four weeks, and generally, on the week pre- ceding the monthly meeting of the Board, and at that meeting shall report their true condition.
SEC. 2. Examinations. At the close of each term, the Committees, with such other members as the Board may designate, shall make a more thorough examination of their respective schools, and at the end of the year, present a written report of their condition to the Board.
SEC. 3. Advice and direction. The Committees shall give such advice and directions to the teachers, as they may deem suitable, and take cognizance of any difficulty which may have occurred between the teachers, pupils or parents, relative to the government and instruction of the schools. An appeal to the whole Board shall always be the privilege of every citizen or teacher.
SEC. 4. Promotions. They shall also make promotions to the higher schools at the examinations of their schools, as they may judge expedient, except to the Classical and English High School.
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SEC. 5. Special favors. It shall be their duty general- ly to make any arrangement which they may find necessa- ry, relative to their schools, and the convenience and tem- porary indulgence of the teachers, in cases not provided for by the general regulations. But they shall not release a teacher from school, for a longer period than one week.
SEC. 6. Visitation by each member of the Board. Al- though the interests of the schools demand special Com- mittees, yet each member of the Board shall consider it his duty to watch over all the public schools in the city, at- tend their examinations and visit them at other times, as his convenience will permit.
SEC. 7. The Committee on Books and School Apparatus, shall have in special charge the text-books and apparatus used in the public schools ; shall examine such other books, apparatus and maps as they may be able, and recommend such changes as they shall deem worthy of the attention of the Board. But no report of this Committee shall be acted on until after it shall have laid upon the table one month.
SEC. 8. The Committee on School Houses shall make such recommendations as to the erection of new, or the alteration of old houses, as in their judgment the educa- tional interests of the city require; have the general over- sight of the erections and alterations recommended by the Board and voted by other branches of the city govern- ment; give special attention to the arrangements for venti- lating and warming the houses ; consult with Committees of other Boards, when needful, and make report of their doings to this body.
SEC. 9. The Committee of Conference, consisting of the Mayor, Secretary and any three members of the Board, shall confer with other members of the Board, when re- quested, and give advice in the premises.
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SEC. 10. Examinations of Teachers. The Committee on the examination of Teachers, shall unite with the Visiting Committee of the school in which the vacancy is to be filled, and having received the applications left with the Secretary, proceed to examine the candidates according to the statute (Rev. St. ch. 23: 13), and always with reference to the office then to be filled, and recommend to the Board such as they approve for election, stating their qualifica- tions in all respects, so far as they can ascertain them, and also report the names and qualifications of the princi- pal applicants.
SEC. 11. Estimates for the year. The Committee on Estimates shall carefully investigate the probable expenses of the public schools of the city for the current year, and make a report of their investigation in detail, in season to be incorporated with the annual appropriations.
SEC. 12. Prudential Committees. The Prudential Com- mittees shall have the powers, and perform the usual duties of such officers, as provided by the statute, subject in all cases of difficulty to the advice and directions of the Com- mittee on School Houses, and always subject to the control of the Board. The Committee who has charge of the school houses in the centre shall, in addition to other du- ties as provided for in the statute, visit each house as often as twice every month, observe the condition of the yards and out-buildings connected therewith, cause all minor repairs that are needed to be made immediately, see that necessary blackboards and fixtures are provided, and make report of his doings to the Board monthly.
SEC. 13. Written Reports. All reports of Committees, except the monthly reports of the Visiting Committees, shall be made in writing.
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CHAPTER V.
APPOINTMENT OF THE TEACHERS.
SEC. 1. Elected annually. In December annually, all the Teachers who are employed by the year, in the public schools, shall be elected by ballot and their salaries deter- mined ; and no alteration shall be made in the amount of salary at any other time. Whenever vacancies occur, and in schools that are not permanent, Teachers may be ap- pointed when the Board see fit, and their compensation determined.
SEC. 2. Public notice to be given of vacancies. When- ever a vacancy occurs in any permanent school, the Secre- tary shall give public notice thereof, in the daily papers of the city, for at least one week, stating, that the Board will receive applications for the office, until a day named there- in.
SEC. 3. Tenure of office. The permanent teachers shall hold their office for one year, unless sooner removed by a vote of the Board, and no one will be allowed to resign, except for cause satisfactory to the Board; and in all cases, a month's notice will be required.
SEC. 4. Salary of Teachers. The salaries of the perma- nent teachers shall be paid in equal quarterly instalments on or before the first day of January, April, July and Oc- tober; but in case a teacher leaves the service of the Board before the end of the year, the compensation shall be in proportion to the number of weeks actually employed in school. All other teachers shall be paid at the end of the term for which they are employed.
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CHAPTER VI.
DUTIES OF THE TEACHERS.
SEC. 1. The Teacher's main business. Teachers are re- quired to make teaching their main business, to give to it their best thoughts and energies, and to devote themselves to it to the exclusion of all other regular employment.
SEC. 2. Punctuality. The teachers shall punctually observe the hours appointed for opening and dismissing the schools; and during school hours shall faithfully devote themselves to the public service.
SEC. 3. Morning Exercises. The morning exercise of all the schools shall commence with the reading of the Scriptures ; and it is recommended that the reading be followed with prayer by the teacher, or the Lord's Prayer by the school.
SEC. 4. Morals and Deportment. Teachers shall take special pains to impress upon the minds of their scholars the importance of good manners, as well as the value of truth, honesty and benevolence ; and instruction in morals and deportment shall be daily given in conformity with the provisions of the statute. Rev. St. ch. 23: 7.
SEC. 5. General supervision of the scholars. It is ex- pected that the teachers will exercise a general inspection over the conduct of the scholars, not only while in school, but also during their recess, while in the aisles and yards, and while coming to and returning from school. They shall exert their influence to prevent all quarrelling and disagreement, all rude and noisy behavior in the streets, all vulgar and profane language, all improper games, and all disrespect to citizens and strangers.
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SEC. 6. Discipline. The teachers are enjoined to main- tain a kind and faithful discipline over their scholars, avoiding all harsh punishments and provoking and improp- er language.
SEC. 7. Teachers may exclude a scholar. For violent or pointed opposition to authority, a teacher may exclude a scholar from School for the time being, and he shall there- upon inform the parent or guardian of the measure, and apply to the Committee for advice and direction.
SEC. 8. Refractory pupils may be dismissed. When any pupil shall continue for a length of time violent and re- fractory under proper discipline, the case shall be reported to the Committee, and they shall dismiss from the school or otherwise deal with such pupil according to their dis- cretion.
SEC. 9. Immoral pupils to be dismissed. When a pupil shall be convicted of grossly immoral conduct, it shall be the duty of the teacher to make known the case immedi- ately to the Committee, and by their authority the offender shall be dismissed from the school.
SEC. 10. Pupils under censure. In case of any schol- ar's leaving school when under censure for misconduct, the teacher shall immediately give notice thereof to the Com- mittee of such school, and such scholar cannot be re- admitted to any school in the city, without making such satisfaction as shall be required by them.
SEC. 11. Arrangement of classes. Principals of the schools shall carefully arrange their classes according to their capacities and attainments, and shall rearrange them, from time to time, as the interest of the pupils may require.
SEC. 12. Duties of the Principal. When there is more than one teacher in a school, the Principal shall exercise
13.
a general supervision over the school, and examine the classes of the Assistants, at least once in four weeks.
SEC. 13. Duties of the Assistants. The Assistants shall in addition to the instruction of the classes assigned to them, co-operate with the Principals in their efforts for the general welfare of the schools, and do what they can to promote the advancement of the pupils.
SEC. 14. Returns of the Schools. Principals of the schools shall make a return to the Secretary of the Board of the state of their schools, at the end of each term. They shall also make a monthly report of each pupil to parents or guardians. The blank forms in both cases to be furnished by the Secretary of the Board.
SEC. 15. Register. Teachers are required to keep ac- curately the School Register recommended by the Board of Education, and present it to the Committee at their monthly visitation.
SEC. 16. Application to their Committees. In cases of difficulty in the discharge of their official duties, or when they may desire any temporary indulgence, teachers shall apply to the Committees of their respective schools for ad- vice and direction. But no teacher can be absent from school except by special permission.
SEC. 17. Observance of the Rules. In all cases, teach- ers are to comply with the regulations of the Board and the directions of the Committee of their school.
SEC. 18. Responsible for school property. Each teacher shall feel bound to preserve the school property entrusted to his care. But all injury done to it shall be paid for by the parent or guardian of the scholar convicted of the same.
SEC. 19. Ventilation. Teachers shall give vigilant at- tention to the ventilation and temperature of the school
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rooms. A regular system of ventilation shall be practised, at all seasons of the year, by which the air in the rooms shall be effectually changed at the end of each session, be- fore the house is closed.
SEC. 20. Cleanliness of the premises. Teachers shall prescribe such rules for the use of the yards and out- buildings connected with the school houses, as shall en- sure their being kept in a neat and proper condition, and shall examine them as often as may be necessary for such purpose, and they shall be held responsible for want of neatness or cleanliness about their premises, and the general condition of the school house.
SEC. 21. Repairs. It shall be the duty of the teachers to see that the school rooms and entries are kept neat and clean, and whenever, through accident or otherwise, any repairs are needed, they shall immediately report the same to the Prudential Committee.
SEC. 22. Medals and prizes. Teachers shall not award medals or other prizes to the pupils under their charge.
SEC. 23. Contributions prohibited. No subscriptions or contributions for any purpose whatever, or exhibitions, or shows, shall be introduced into any public school by the teachers, without permission of the Visiting Committee.
SEC. 24. Exhibitions and Shows. All invitations to the schools to attend public exhibitions and shows of every kind, are prohibited, unless permission be first given by the President and Secretary of the Board.
SEC. 25. Complaints. Teachers are to entertain no complaints from parents or others, but to refer the com- plainants directly to their Visiting Committees.
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CHAPTER VII.
ADMISSION, ATTENDANCE, AND DUTY OF THE PUPILS.
SEC. 1. Vaccination. Scholars to be admitted to either of the schools, must furnish evidence that they have had the kine pox, or are otherwise protected from the small pox.
SEC. 2. Minimum age of admission. Children of the age of four years may be admitted to the Primary Schools.
SEC. 3. Admission to the Secondary Schools. For ad- mission to the Secondary Schools, scholars must be able to read fluently in the reading books used in the Primary Schools, to spell correctly such words as are common in those books, must be familiar with the stops, abbreviations, numbers, figures, the multiplication table, and with the arithmetic and geography prescribed for those schools.
SEC. 4. Admission to the Grammar Schools. For ad- mission to the Grammar Schools, scholars must be good readers in the books used in the Secondary Schools, and be able to pass a good examination, in all the studies pre- scribed for those schools.
SEC. 5. Admission to the Classical and English High School. Candidates for admission to the Classical and English High School, shall be able to pass a satisfactory examination in arithmetic, geography, grammar, and histo- ry of the United States, to write a fair and legible hand, and to read and spell correctly. Pupils however may be admitted to a partial course, provided they are twelve years old, and are prepared to enter the class engaged in the studies they propose to pursue. Boys may also be admit- ted to prepare for college, at the request of their parents, under such regulations as the Committee may impose.
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SEC. 6. Examinations for admission to the High School. Scholars shall be examined for admission into the High School, on the Monday preceding the commencement of the Spring term, and for advanced standing they may be examined on the Monday preceding each of the other terms. The examinations are to be conducted at the Wal- nut St. School house, by the teachers of the High School, under the direction of the Committee on that school.
SEC. 7. Absentees readmitted. Any scholar belonging to a school above the Primary whose absence has been of more than one month's standing, shall not be admitted by the teacher, without a ticket of admission from the Secre- tary of the Board, or Visiting Committee.
SEC. 8. Promotions. All promotions, shall be made by the Visiting Committee at the annual examination, and at no other time, except in special cases to be determined by the Board.
SEC. 9. Tickets of admission. Teachers shall preserve the tickets of admission of the Scholars who shall attend their schools, and present the same to the Committee at the first examination after they shall have been admitted.
SEC. 10. Transfers. All transfers in consequence of change of residence, shall be made by the Secretary of the Board, or by the Visiting Committee of the school to which admission is sought.
SEC. 11. Legitimate causes of absence. As regularity and punctuality of attendance are indispensable to the success of a school, it is important to maintain the princi- ple, that necessity alone can justify absence. Sickness, domestic affliction, and absence from town, are regarded as the only legitimate causes of absence. All other cases must be considered as in violation of rule, and deriving their only sanction from the private authority of a parent
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or guardian. In every instance of absence, a written excuse or personal explanation shall be required of the parent, master or guardian, on the return of the pupil to school.
SEC. 12. Tardiness. Tardiness, unexcused at the time or at the next session of the school, by parent or guardian, shall be treated as a serious misdemeanor.
SEC. 13. Pupils to remain in school through the session. No pupil shall be allowed to leave school before its dis- mission, sudden emergencies excepted, without a written or personal request from parent or guardian.
SEC. 14. Presence at examinations. No pupil shall be permitted to withdraw from any examination which the Committee may institute in the school to which he may belong, except for special reasons satisfactory to the Com- mittee; and should he be absent without such reasons, he shall not be allowed to take his place in the class the next term, nor be promoted, if such examination is at the end of the year.
SEC. 15. Supply of books. Pupils shall not retain their connection with any of the public schools, unless they are furnished with the books and utensils, required to be used in the school.
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