Health Work in the Public SchoolsAyres, Leonard Porter
Science
Health Work in the Public Schools
Ayres, Leonard Porter
Public schools -- Ohio -- Cleveland; Schools -- Medical examinations
Under this organization the activities carried on by the Board of
Education must be assigned to one or another of the departments and
this entails in most cases arriving at a decision as to whether the
work in question is predominantly of an educational nature or of a
business nature. In dealing with health work in the public schools,
the Board of Education rendered its decision both ways. It decided
that provision for health in education was a series of business
transactions and so it placed medical inspection in the executive
department under the leadership of the director. It also decided that
provision for education in health was a teaching problem and so it
placed physical education and training in physiology and hygiene under
the direction of the superintendent of schools.
Despite its decision that provision for health in education is a
business matter, while provision for education in health is a teaching
matter, the Board realized that some sort of unity was essential if
the different sides of the work were carried forward efficiently. They
met this situation by employing a competent director of health work
and giving him an official dual personality. As the official held
responsible for health in education, he is the director of medical
inspection and is subordinate to the director of schools. As the
official responsible for education in health, he is an assistant
superintendent and is responsible to the superintendent of schools. In
one capacity he is appointed by the superintendent and receives a
portion of his salary from educational funds. In his other capacity he
is appointed by the director of schools and paid from business
appropriations. As an employee of the educational department, he is
appointed for a term of one year, but as an employee of the business
department, he is on the civil service list with an indeterminate
period of employment.
In his educational capacity, he may arrange for the organization of
basketball teams for this is held to be a matter of physical
education, but in order to have a basketball game actually played at
any time outside of regular school hours, he must get the permission
of the director, for this is held to be a business transaction.
Instruction in infant hygiene is given to the girls in the upper
grades. Part of the teaching is done by the regular teachers, the rest
by the nurses of the medical inspection department. When the
instruction is given by the teachers, it is considered an educational
activity and is under the supervision of the superintendent; when the
same class is taught by the nurse, it is considered a business
transaction and is under the authority of the director.
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