SCHOOL CLOSED

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 59, 11 March 1937, Page 10

SCHOOL CLOSED

MINISTER'S ACTION

CONCERN OVER PARALYSIS

WADESTOWN CjASES

Because of infantile parialysis the Wadestown1 School was closed today and will remain closed for tjjie remainder of the week. This step J was taken on the instruction of the Kpnister of Health and Education (the t Hon. P. Fraser), following representations made by the Wadestown sdiool committee, which protested agaiijist the reopening of the school. At a special meeting of thei committee on Tuesday last, the follow! ing resolution was passed, and copies ji.vere forwarded to the Director of Education, the secretary of the Wellington Edu- . cation Board, and the Director] General of Health:— •■ i. That the Wadestown Schctal Committee is gravely concerned yith the action of the education authorities in permitting/ the reopening! of tha Wadestown School on March 11, 1937, after a case of infantile para'ffl/sis occurred near the school only six days previously, especially in view? of the representations which were f made by members of the committee and the parents; and now urg.as the authorities, in view of the adcfl tional positive and suspected cases twhich have occurred, that the school be closed until the children can return with some reasonable degaee of safety. I On receipt of this, the Minister,] who was in Auckland at the time, and who returned to Wellington today, wasj consulted, with the result that the school is now closed. i BOARD'S ATTITUDE. i In acknowledging receipt of the rtommittee's resolution, the secretary of the board (Mr. W. I. Deavoll) forwp rded the following letter, dated yesterday, to the chairman of the scbiool committee (Mr. A. Parlane):— i "... With reference to the fflrst portion of your resolution, I have j to say that, when the first case at Wac|2sitown was reported, the board immejliately got into touch with the Honourable the Minister and with the Health, Department, and after investigations were made, received a direction that your- school was to be reopened (cm March 1 in common with other schools in the Wellington education district. The facts of the case, so far as the;/ were known to the board, were full*/ explained to the authorities by th|2 board's secretary. , "Regarding that portion of yoiir resolution which urges that the schodl should now be closed in view of thfe' fact that a further case has been reported, I have to say that the boap:l has kept in close touch with the whol t: situation, and has conferred with tins Education and Health Departments concerning the position. The latter De-< partment believed the circumstancesi were such that the immediate closingj of the school was not necessary, and' in this connection you will have seen in today's Press a statement issued by the Wellington office. "The board appreciates the anxiety of the parents and is concerned about the welfare of the school children. On the other hand, it feels that so far as the closing of the school is concerned, it must be guided by the expert advice tendered by the health authorities. "However, the position was today brought under the notice of the Honourable the Minster, who is absent in Auckland, and he has consented to the Wadestown School being closed for the remainder of this week. Mr. Fraser returns to Wellington tomorrow when the board has no doubt the whole matter will be reviewed and further action determined." COMMITTEE TO MEET. In a statement to a "Post" reporter '.oday, Mr. Parlane said that two positive cases of infantile paralysis and one suspected case were located close to the school, and for this reason the committee considered that adequate precautions should be taken for the protection of children attending the school. "The committee is still watching the positon closely," said Mr. Parlane, "and the matter will be further discussed at a meeting/ of the commit\ee this evening."