HEALTH DEPARTMENT AND EDUCATION BOARD.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 60, 29 July 1907, Page 2

HEALTH DEPARTMENT AND EDUCATION BOARD.

About a month ago the Health D parlinent complained that the headma tar of the Oaonui school had "knowingl allowed" children suffering from seark Una to attend school. The Educatioi Board asked the head teacher, Air Sims for an explanation, and this came befor the Board last week. Mr Sims state emphatically that he did not know tha any child attending school had bee] ill with scarlatina, and he had not rt ccived a note to the effect that any a the Cook's children had been ill wit that disease. A verbal message, he noi understood, had been sent, but he had n consciousness of having received it. H was very careful in such matters. No Jon>' ago he prevented the attendance o certain children at school because the; were feeling ill after measles. On an other occasion, heaving that there was I case of typhoid fever at a Maori pale from which children were coming ti school, he rang up Dr. Morrison to en quire into the correctness of the report As a result he stopped the children fron attending school. Stow, considering tha on that occasion he interested himself t< see that no infection would be likel; to be brought to the school, he though it hard that he should now be accused o negligence in regard to infectious dis eases. "Inspector Gardiner,' in his re port, states that I admitted having re eeived a note from Mrs Cook informin; me of a case of scarlatina in her hous< That is untrue. What I did tell 4h inspector was that a child was lying il at Mrs Cook's, and I advised him to g there and investigate." With regard t Eileen Fleming, he had noticed a sligh peeling of the hands about three week before the date of Inspector Gardiner' visit. On asking the cause, she had toL him plainly that she had not been ill and did not know the cause of the feel ing. The feeling might have been eausei by the cold weather or some trifling die order; at all events, he took the child' word for it that she had not been il and thought no more about it. With re gard to the Health Officer's reference t the teacher's duty, as laid down in th Education Act, he (Mr Sims) wished t point out that clause 139 of the Educa tion Act stated that "It shall be lawfu for the teacher of any school to expec or forbid the attendance at school o any child . . . who may be likely b communicate any contagious disease. Mr Sims added, "What is lawful for ni to do is not necessarily my duty." In conclusion, he would like his posi tion with regard to the Health Depart ment more clearly denned. Whilo at al times when it was necessary ho tool precautions to prevent the spread of an; infectious disease in the school, he wish ed to know if he was bound to carr; out the instructions of a Health Office visiting the school. He had in the schoo a wall-card, issued by the Health Do partment. stating that a child who hai been suffering from scarlatina might re mime attendance at school six week after the rash appeared, and if the feel ing of the skin had ceased. As hot these conditions had been satisfied h allowed Eileen Fleming and three other in the family to resume attendance a school. But a few days later the Healf. Officer told him to send the childvci home and not allow them to attem again until he had received a doctor' certificate to the effect that the hous had lieen disinfected. The House ha now boon disinfected, but Mr Flemin; refused to get a doctor's certiftcat therefore the children were not now a( tending school. What was he to do Should he carry out the instructions o: the wall card, or the instructions' of th Health Inspector? Mrs Cook wrote contradicting th statement Hint she had notified th schoolmaster that her children were eul fering from scarlatina. She had niefel; sent a message by word of mouth tha she thought it was scarlatina. ..; . Mr T. Fleming wrote that he had fou: dliildren attending school, and one oi them had a sore throat early in May. As some other -children had scarlatina the Health Officer said that by the appearnice of ier hands she must have hod a slight attack of it. On the Health Offi;er's instructions the house had been 'mitigated. "As none of the other chilIren suffered from it," she wrote, "I lim't believe that the girl ever had icarltitina at all. He also told me that le would come round in eight or ton lays, but he never did. -The children rere sent to school after the holidays hey were sent home, as they had no icdical certificates."

Mr Kennedy considered the report should lie sent on to the Health Department in Wellington. Mr Morton would ignore the Health

Department altogether in the matter, and moved that the explanation of Mr Sims, head teacher of the Oaouui school with regard to the Health Inspector's complaint be accepted as satisfactory, and that, with respect to the ehilihen who hail been refused admittance at the school by direction of the Health Officer until, a doctor's certificate is received, the teacher be requested to allow them to attend at school in accordance with the printed instructions placed in the schools. Mr Morton explained that he would ignore the Health Department altogether as a protest against the Department's officials interfering with the conditions in the schools, and in this matter he believed the teacher was right and the Department wrong. Mr Trimble seconded.

Mr Adlam supported. This inspector wasn't a doctor; how did he know the children had scarlatina? Just at that time he had noticed several Oakura school pupils with the skins of thoir hands peeling. He didnT depend much on lhe opinion of the inspectors, and mentioned the case of woman having been orctlered by one. into the hospital as a scarlatina patient. The farm was just about to be quarantined when word came that the patient wasn't sufferiii" from scarlatina at all. Mr Monkhoitsc moved an amendment to add that copies of the correspondence and resolution be forwarded to the Department. The Department was doing good work, and he would he the last to ■belliUp them. Whilst he considered that the teacher was quite justified in allowii!.; the children to return to school, but that was no reason why the Board should upcnly (Umf. Hie Department. Mr K.iull considered (] IC Department int.Tf,-r.-Nl too much altogether. 'l'll- amendment was defeated, Messrs li*'h. Monsoii. Mo'ikhouse, and Kennedy supnorting i(.

Mr, Morton's resolution was carried. Mr M.,risoii remarked: And as soon as here s nnylhinij; wrong at a school you'll send for the inspector.