L.D32I8 T4A5 School Grounds, School Buildings and Their Equipment m m ANNIE WEBB BLANTON State Superintendent of Public rnstruction L. D. BORDEN Chief Supervisor of Rural Schools ^wowSecooc*^' BULLETIN 148 JULY. 1922 ISSUED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION STATE OF TEXAS Ifoaog-mfet School Grounds, School Buildings and Their Equipment ANNIE WEBB BLANTON State Superintendent of Public Instruction L. D. BORDEN Chief Supervisor of Rural Schools BULLETIN 148 JULY, 1922 ISSUED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION STATE OF TEXAS A59-622-25M-L180 THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION. Annie Webb Blanton, State Superintendent of Public Instruction DIVISION OF ADMINISTRATION S. .M. N. Makrs, First Assistant Superintendent Mary Jo Popplewell, Second Assistant Superintendent Mrs. Ella F. Little, Third Assistant Superintendent DIVISION OF HIGH SCHOOL SUPERVISION Katherine Gray, Chief Supervisor Gordon Damon, Carrie Belle Sterrett, W. B. Mikesell, J. H. Wisely, Mrs. R. L. Ragsdale, Charles M. Rogers, Susan Miles division of rural schools L. D. Borden, Chief Supervisor W. H. Bowman, S. E. Clark. John T. Conn, W. E. James, T. A. Fisher. Guy T. McBride. J. S. Rasco, Geosgie Walker, Sf.t.ry Attwet.l division of negro schools L. W. Rogers division of vocational education C. L. Davis, Director of Agriculture J. H. Hinds, Assistant Director of Agriculture J. B. Rutland, Assistant Director of Agriculture Jessie Harris,' Director of Home Economics Lillian "Peek. Assistant Director of Home Economics N. S. Hunsdon, Director of Industrial Education Lizzie Barbour. Assistant Director of Industrial Education division of statistics Mrs. J. B. Gay, Statistician division of audits and accounts Amy V. Allen, Auditor Meta Huppertz, Assistant DIVISION OF CERTIFICATION OF TEACHERS Alma Boothe, Certificate Clerk J. F. Oglesby, Assistant. DIVISION OF TEXT BOOK ADMINISTRATION Minnie Lee Barrett, Director L. S. Thrift, A. S. Thweatt, 0. P. Basford, Randolph Warben, Anne Rutherford, Bob Henderson division of correspondence and supplies Marguerite McHeNry, Correspondence Clerk Anne McDonald, Kittie M. Shands, Royall Calder, Annie Steussy. Irma Johnson, Minnie Nowlin, Lola Kneip, M. M. Haberle, Mrs. M. Downing, T. Y. Collins Stenographers state roard of examiners Emma Mitchell, Chairman Roberta Matthews J. R. Reid STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION LIBRARY OF CONGRESS ■»*CSIVEO APR9 1*23 DOCOIV»«£»\TS o.v.olO: Pat M. Neff, Governor, Chairman S... L. Staples, Secretary of State Lon A. Smith, Comptroller AJnnie Webb Blanton, Secretary CONTENTS. PAGE Introduction 5 The State Schoolhouse Building Law 9 School Grounds : Location 13 Fences 13 Size 15 Division of grounds 15 School Buildings: Foundation : . . . 16 Basement 16 Floors 16 Walls and ceiling \ 17 Halls and stairways 18 Doors and windows 18 Class rooms ■ . . 20 Cloak rooms " 21 Library and reading room 21 Work rooms 22 Assembly room 23 Lighting 25 Painting and tinting ; 27 Heating and ventilation 27 Care of building 30 Insurance 30 School equipment 30 Water supply 31 The drinking fountain 35 Playgrounds and play 36 Sanitation 38 Toilets 40 Teachers' cottages 45 Appendix : Plans for school buildings 48 Rosenwald Aid for negro schools 68 Building plans 69 Schoolhouses now erected ' 73 SCHOOL GROUNDS, SCHOOL BUILDINGS, AND THEIR EQUIPMENT INTBODUCTION In 1913 the Thirty-third Texas Legislature enacted the schoolhouse building law, which makes definite requirements in the matter of light- ing, heating, and ventilation for all buildings costing more than four hundred dollars erected after its enactment. In 1915 the Thirty-fourth Legislature made the first appropriation for special State aid for rural and small town schools, the purpose of which was "to encourage the people of the rural districts to better support their schools by local taxation, to provide attractive school grounds and erect modern school buildings, to install the equipment necessary for effective teaching, to improve the sanitary and hygienic conditions for the sake of the health and morals of the children, to employ better trained teachers and pro- vide longer terms." — Superintendent Doughty. Succeeding Legislatures have continued and increased this special aid. As a consequence, lit- erally thousands of old schoolhouse shanties of the pioneer type of fifty years ago have been torn down during the past six years; and in their place are found modern school buildings, constructed with proper re- gard to light, heat and ventilation, and equipped with good school fur- niture and teaching material. Much attention has also been paid to improving the sanitary conditions, especially those pertaining to water supply and outhouses. Great as has been the progress, there are yet very many school build- ings in the one, two, three and four-teacher class which are unsightly, unhealthy and age-worn reminders of the days of the ox wagon, the mud roads, the log cabin, and the rail fence. It is indeed possible to find in almost every county some rural communities where are seen com- fortable homes, commodious barns, well kept fences and improved high- ways with automobile transportation and telephone connection which yet permit the old shoe-box schoolhouse, outgrown and outclassed, to mar the landscape, — outstanding evidence that, while material progress and improvement have been made in everything else, school interest and school equipment have not kept the pace, — a clear case of suspended development. And there are other communities where the first forward step necessary to bring about better farm and living conditions will be the building of a modern, comfortable and attractive schoolhouse, with grounds ample and properly laid out, providing a community center for education, amusement and social recreation. Experience has fully shown that a community which has been persuaded to erect and equip a modern, well-lighted, well-located and attractive school building, at once becomes proud of its possession and develops an interest in school affairs and community betterment not before possible or attainable. It is the registered Jersey, the "big bone" Poland China, the standard bred Leghorn or Plymouth Rock in which the rural minded take pride and pleasure. One can arouse no interest or enthusiasm in the "scrub" cow, the "razor back" hog, the dilapidated rent house, fallen fences and crumbling barns. — 6— A rapid evolution in the type of plant required to properly house and equip our schools is going on. The changing view as to the aim of public school education, the recognition that social efficiency and prep- WttaMB Fast Disappearing ; Will Soon Be Extinct. aration for citizenship, rather than disciplinary training and exercise of the mental "faculties/' should be the ends for which the wealth of the State and the Nation can be rightfully taxed, calls for a more suit- Old Type, Now Replaced. able plant adapted to such broader purposes. In addition to class rooms, the new type of building must provide library, laboratories of various kinds, work shops and kitchens where lessons and practice in domestic arts, mechanics, and experiments in agriculture and gardening may be given, auditorium where the school as a whole and the community may meet together as often as desired, toilets, sanitary water supply, modern heating, ventilating and cleaning equipment. Outdoors there must be ground for soil experiments, facilities for other agricultural instruction and provision for a variety of playground games and recreation. Many requests have been coining to the State Department of Edu- cation, especially from rural and small town communities, for plans, information and suggestions relative to the construction and. equipment of school buildings varying in size from one to eight class rooms. Union School, Lubbock County. It is the purpose of this bulletin, therefore, to present to boards of education, county superintendents, and to the general public such in- formation and suggestions gained by very careful and continued study of modern school plants, assisted by observations of the efficiency and satisfaction afforded by the hundreds of school buildings erected in Texas during the past six years. The floor plans and front elevation of the buildings herein submitted are drawn to scale, and are based on conclusions of some of the best school authorities and architects. For the larger buildings (of four or more class rooms), it would be wise for school trustees to employ a competent architect to prepare complete working plans and specifi- cations before undertaking the construction of a school building. Con- tractors will then know exactly upon what they are bidding, and much more satisfactory results obtained. Before the work on a school build- ing is begun, the plans and specifications should be submitted for ap- proval to the proper legal authority, and a permit secured as required by Section 13 of the State Schoolhouse Building Law. —9- THE STATE SCHOOLHOUSE BUILDING LAW _ Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Texas: LIGHTING Section 1. That in the public school buildings of Texas no window admitting light shall be so placed in a class room or study hall that it must be faced by pupils when seated at their desks. Section 2. That all window openings admitting light into class rooms or study halls shall not come lower than a point three and a half feet from the floor, and shall extend to a point within six inches of the ceiling. Section 3. That the area of clear window surface for the admission of light into any class room or study hall shall not be less than one- sixth of the area of the floor space in said class room or study hall, and no part of the said class room or study hall in which pupils are seated or required to study shall be at a greater distance from the window than twice the height of the window above the floor, except in cases in which adequate skylights are provided. Section 4. That the main light in all one-room schools shall come from the left of the pupils as they sit at their desks, and in all larger buildings this condition shall be approximated as nearly as architectural demands and the demands of ventilation will permit. HEATING AND VENTILATING Section 5. That all schoolhouses shall be provided with sufficient heating apparatus. Section 6. That all stoves, radiators or other sources of direct heat located within the class rooms or study halls shall be so jacketed, ven- tilated or otherwise protected that the desks upon the side next to the stove, radiator or other source of heat shall not be more than five de- grees Fahrenheit hotter than, the desks upon the opposite side of the room. Section 7. That all stoves, radiators, or other sources of direct or indirect heat supplying heat for a class room or study hall shall be equipped with an automatic temperature regulator that will regulate the temperature of said class room or study hall automatically to within two degrees of any set standard. Section 8. That every class room or study hall shall be provided with an efficient apparatus whereby in cold weather a supply of thirty cubic feet per minute of fresh, warm air shall be supplied to each pupil in such manner as not to place any pupil in a disagreeable draft, and shall be provided with exhaust flue or flues, with inlets at or near the floor line, so arranged as to effectively carry out of the room the cold and impure air without placing any pupil in a disagreeable draft. INTERIOR WOODWORK Section 9. That all interior woodwork in school buildings shall be without such unnecessary fluting, turning or carvings as catch dust and microbes, and all floors shall have their surfaces made impervious —10— to water and germs by a coat of boiling paraffine oil or other floor dressing having similar effect, applied immediately after the floor is laid. Section 10. That all school buildings of two or more stories shall be provided with not less than two widely separated flights of stairs, and no stair shall have winding treads, but every tread shall be full width and turns be made flat landings not less than four feet wide. Section 11. That all stairs shall have a handrail on each side and of such size and so placed that it can be held easily by the pupils using these stairs, and all stairs shall have at least one landing not less than four feet wide between floors. Section 12. That all outside doors and all doors leading from class rooms or study halls shall be so hung as to open outward. BUILDING PERMIT REQUIRED Section 13. That no public school building shall be constructed in the State of Texas at an expense of more than four hundred dollars, until the board of school trustees of the district or city or town in which the work is to be done shall have first secured a school building permit from the officer legally authorized to grant such permit, certi- fying that the plans and specifications of said proposed building con- form to the hygienic, sanitary and protective regulations established by this act for public school buildings in Texas. The petition for said permit shall be made in writing, and shall set forth such details of the plans and specifications as are necessary to pass upon the legality of the lighting, hearing (heating), ventilation, sanitation and fire pro- tection in such proposed building. For buildings in a common school district the county superintendent of public instruction of the county in which the school is to be located, and for buildings of an independent school district, or in a city or town that has assumed control of its schools, the superintendent of public schools in that district or city or town is hereby authorized, empowered and required to examine all plans for all proposed public school buildings, costing over four hun- dred dollars, and to grant permits only for such buildings as conform to the requirements of this act, and to make a report to the State De- partment of Education of all such permits granted, transmitting all evidence. PENALTY Section 14. That no person charged with the duty of disbursing school funds or of authorizing disbursement of school funds in the State of Texas shall pay or authorize the payment of any vouchers, or in any other manner pay out any sum of public money for the con- struction of any school building at an expense of more than four hun- dred dollars until the board of school trustees of said district or city or town has secured from the properly constituted authority a legal permit for such work, and that any disbursing officer failing to observe the provisions of this act shall be held liable for such amount as is paid out on account of such building as is not legally permitted. Section 15. That the State Department of Education shall imme- diately upon the passage of this act have prepared and sent to every county superintendent of public instruction, to every superintendent of schools in an independent school district, or city or town, and to —11— every board of school trustees in Texas a bulletin setting forth this law, indicating the reasons for each of the regulations, and indicating ways in which the provisions of this act can be easily, effectively and economically met in the construction of school buildings. Section 16. The provisions of this act shall apply only to buildings constructed after this act takes effect. Section 17. The fact that there is now no law regulating the con- struction of public school buildings, and that hundreds of thousand (s) of dollars will be wastefully spent in unsanitary and unhygienic school buildings within a few months, creates an imperative public necessity requiring that the constitutional rule providing that bills be read on three several days be suspended, and that this act take effect and be in force from and after its passage, and it is so enacted. —13— SCHOOL GROUNDS LOCATION In general, the school building should be placed as near to the center of population as conditions will permit. It is, however, of much greater importance to have well-drained grounds, sanitary water supply, ample space for playgrounds, and for experiments in agriculture and garden- ing, with possible space for a teachers' home, than to give preference to a central location at the expense of these other more vital advantages. Healthfulness, ample space, freedom from disturbing noises or other objectionable influences, and accessibility should receive first consider- ation. The point selected must be accessible for all by the roads and paths leading to it. But a school building may be too close to a public highway; it is thus exposed to the abuse and vandalism of tramps and Two-Teacher School, Crockett, Jones County. other irresponsibles who often do not hesitate to break into and damage the building at night or when found unoccupied and unprotected. The proper remedy for such a situation where the school employs three or more teachers is a "teaeherage" on the school grounds. Unless such protection is afforded, no rural school building should be nearer than one hundred and fifty yards to a public highway. FENCES A strong and well-built fence around the school grounds will prove a great protection, not only against occasional stray stock, but also from those who, seeing the exposed and undefended building, make free to ride or drive across the grounds whenever occasion suggests. Certainly no effort at beautifying either with trees or with flowers can hope to be successful without such protection. No farmer living on his farm would be willing to leave his home thus unprotected by a fence. How much more do the school house and grounds so often unoccupied need it ! The fence should not be made of barbed wire nor of pickets. It should be strong and durable, and not too difficult to climb when the boy's ball in play accidentally flies over it. Eegular six-inch fencing plank, nailed to cedar posts eight feet apart, and five or six planks high a z —15- makes the best fence. The posts should be sawed off at the top plank and a cap plank of same dimension nailed down firmly upon the posts. Finally a coat of whitewash given by the larger boys each year as a "project" will give a finish, attractiveness and air of distinction which will a hundredfold repay the investment. SIZE "The effort to adapt country schools to country life will amount to very little unless the country schools are furnished sufficient grounds for their needs. Under existing conditions it is useless to expect any sort of successful teaching of agriculture in most country schools. When school grounds are larger, a small school farm and a home for the- teacher provided, and the school plant made a community center during the entire year, there will be fewer to leave the farm for the city.'*" — Superintendent W. F. Doughty, 1917. The area of the grounds should be sufficient to accommodate the pupils in all their games, to provide for shrubbery, trees and flowers, school buildings and necessary outhouses, water supply, school garden" or farm. The smallest country school could well use to advantage a site containing at least two acres. Where a teachers' home, a school garden or farm, and possible space' for transportation equipment as in consolidated schools are all to be- included in the school plant, the plot should contain from five to ten- acres. DIVISION OF GROUNDS The plan of laying out the grounds will depend upon the size andf slope, or drainage, location of native trees and public roads. Assum- ing that the school site has been wisely selected, the following require- ments should be carefully considered: (1) The location of the school building, which should be placed where no surface water will collect, and as far from the public road as other conditions will permit; (2) a boys' playground; (3) a girls' playground; (4) a general playground for the smaller children and for those not taking part in the ball games ; (5) the school garden and plots for demonstrations in agriculture; (6) gravel walks and drives, shade trees and shrubbery; (7) the site for the teachers' cottage or home. The boys' playground should contain a baseball diamond and basketball court. The girls' playground should contain a volley ball court and one or more tennis courts. Basketball for girls in general is now condemned as being too great a strain upon certain nerves and muscles. The heart especially is subjected to strains which too often mark the beginning of disease and from which the- patient never recovers. The directors of the Interscholastic League and the American Women's Conference of College Athletics have de- clared against it. There should be ample space on the general playground for such apparatus as giant strides, slides and swings, and other devices for the small children who are so often neglected in the matter of provision for interesting games and sports. Failure to provide ample playgrounds is a sin against childhood and deprives the children of their birthright. Play must have a largo place in the efficient modern school. Play, which teaches co-operation through —16— '•team-work," which stimulates quick action, prompt decision and sound judgment; play which develops character while strengthening the body; play which educates body, mind and heart must be better provided for all the children in every rural school. The school garden and agricultural plot should be selected where the soil and the drainage will be suitable for such purpose. When a site for a teachers' home is included in the school grounds, the garden and farm should be selected adjacent to it. SCHOOL BUILDINGS FOUNDATION A good foundation is very essential, if the building is expected to remain true in all its parts, and to withstand the force of the winds for a number of years. It costs too much in the long run to take even the slightest risk of making a mistake in this part of the building. In some sections of the State it is very difficult to obtain a secure founda- tion, but the additional cost of making the best one possible will be a wise investment. This is true in the case of small buildings as well as of large and expensive ones. All competent architects and con- tractors will agree as to the importance of looking well to this feature of the building when drawing up the specifications. It is too late, and also useless to express regret when the walls of an expensive building begin to crack or sag because of an insecure foundation. For a num- ber of obvious reasons the foundation ought to extend to a considerable distance above the ground line. If the building is too near the ground, the rooms will be kept damp and musty and the wood material in the foundation will decay. In no part of the State should the floor be nearer than 24 inches to the ground, and in the eastern counties it should be even further above the ground. A solid concrete foundation extending 24 inches above ground with iron ventilators on two sides has been found to be the most satisfactory. If the building is supported by blocks or piers, it should be neatly and tightly underpinned to the ground line. BASEMENT Very few buildings, especially frame structures, have basement rooms. In larger buildings of brick or stone, such rooms are expensive to con- struct properly and very difficult to keep dry. As a general rule, they are damp, ill-ventilated and worse lighted. Even when constructed with cement, they must be surrounded with tile drains set below the level of the basement floor, or the building must be surrounded with tile drain- age. The chief advantage of a basement lies in providing room for a hot air or steam furnace, fuel, storage and toilet rooms. FLOORS Floors should be double-laid, with some deadening material between the upper and lower layers. This will keep out the ground-damp be- low the floor and make the room easy to heat. The extra cost of a double-laid floor over a single-laid floor is more than offset by the saving in fuel, not to mention the protection of the children against colds and other discomforts. —17— The under layer should be of good material laid diagonally across the floor joists, and closely joined together. Over this should be laid some kind of deadening material or good quality of strong building paper. The upper layer should be laid at right angles with the joists, and should be made of clear hard pine tongue-and-groove flooring not over three to four inches wide. Every board should be carefully driven up, blind-nailed at every bearing, and joints should line up within less than four boards. Seasoned white oak or hard maple is much better than pine for the top layer of the floor; but no grade of pine flooring less than B & B edge-grain should ever be used. Before the floor is used it should be sandpapered or planed to an even surface and treated with a boiling mixture of linseed oil and paraffine, in the proportion of two pounds of paraffine to each gallon Mt. Gibson School, Van Zandt County. of linseed oil. This mixture should be applied with a brush, about one gallon to every 500 square feet of surface to be covered. About once every three months after the building is in use the above mixture or one having similar effect should be used to keep the floor in good condition and to keep down the dust. In oiling the floors be careful lest too much oil be used and the floors be made greasy and unsightly. The linseed oil suggested prevents the lumber from shrinking by clos- ing the pores and the paraffine coats it with a wax and prevents the adherence of dust. WALLS AND CEILING The walls for class rooms should be at least 12 feet high, inside dimensions, and the ceiling be made of smooth tongue-and-groove floor- ing. Every board should be driven up tight and blind-nailed at every bearing. Beaded ceiling catches dust more than the plain and should not be used. Beaver board must never be used for ceiling; it tends to sag between joists and is ruined by one wetting from a leak in the roof. -IS— HALLS AND STAIRWAYS To avoid interference of pupils in passing, the halls in school build- ings of more than three rooms should not be less than 8 feet wide. The stairways in buildings of two or more stories must not be less than four feet wide, and the flight must be broken by at least one flat land- ins: not less than four feet wide. There must be also "not less than Martindale School, Caldwell County. Six Class Rooms. Cass County Rural School. two widely separated flights of stairs, with a handrail on each side and of such size and so placed that it can be easily held by the pupils using these stairs." (Sees. 10 and 11, Schoolhouse Building Law.) DOORS AND WINDOWS Wherever it is possible to do so, plain doors without panels should be used, especially for outside entrances. Plain doors are easily cleaned. —19— Careful observation seems to have proved that it is a serious mistake to use doors with glass panels or panes. The slamming of the doors often causes the glass to be broken, it is expensive to replace it, and often an unsightly sheet of tin is nailed over the opening. If it is necessary to utilize the space about the door for lighting halls or cor- ridors, the panes of glass should be of the smaller sizes and placed in the walls by the side of or above the door. The outer doors of the building are required by law to swing outward, both as a protection against danger from fire and against driving rains. The doors leading from school rooms into halls should also open outwardly into the halls or corridors. There should be an approach to the entrance of the build- ing to prevent having to open outside doors back against the outside wall. In selecting locks for outside doors care should be taken that only such locks are put on as cannot be easily unlocked or removed. The most satisfactory method of fastening outside doors seems to be Union Hill, Cass County. by the use of a strong Yale lock and a separate bronze-finished or black- steel door-set with handle, latch and lift attached to door by means of strong metal bolts extending to inside and put on with lock nuts. The ordinary lock may be turned with a common skeleton key, and if any screws are exposed either in the knob bolt or elsewhere in the lock, the lock is soon out of repair and becomes useless. All panes for outside windows should be of a good quality of clear glass. 'Panes of the smaller sizes should be used rather than the larger ones, because if broken they may be obtained at much less expense than the larger ones. All window sash should be heavy enough to pro- vide double-hung windows so they can be easily raised and lowered. Windows admitting from 18 to 24 square feet of light each should be selected to obviate the use of too many mull ions or wooden divisions between the windows in the group. Window glass should be kept free from paint or coloring of any kind but should be provided with light- colored shades to regulate the amount of light. A painted or stained —20— window gives a confused and dazzling light which is very harmful to the eyes of the pupils. CLASS BOOMS The class room is the fundamental unit about which the schoolhouse is designed, and should be planned to accommodate about forty pupils. One teacher cannot manage efficiently a greater number. Each pupil should have a comfortable desk and the floor area should not be less than 15 square feet per pupil, with at least 200 cubic feet as the mini- mum cubic volume. Thus, for a forty-desk class room, the dimensions should be: width, 22 feet; length, 30 feet; and height, 12 feet from floor to ceiling. A room of these dimensions will accommodate com- fortably 40 pupils by using five rows of desks with eight desks in each TOW. .Careful attention should be given to the orderly arrangement of the furniture and equipment in the class room. The teacher's desk should be at least three feet from the wall, directly ."-„' ■;'*»' - Circleville School, Williamson County. in front of the pupils, and midway between the right and left walls. The cases containing maps should be hung on the wall in front of the pupils. The pupils' desks should be neatly arranged in rows. The aisle on the window side of the room should* not be less than 24 inches wide. All interior aisles should be uniform and not less than 20 inches wide. Aisles opposite the window side of room should be as -wide as practicable. No pupil's desk should be nearer than three feet to teacher's desk, and the space at the rear of the room back of the desks should be at least 24 inches. Where there are two or more rows of desks of the same size in a room, they should be in perfect alignment both from back to rear and from side to side. No row should contain desks of more than one size. A mistake is often made in arranging seats, the method being to place the largest seat in the rear of the room, then the next smaller in front and so on, down to seats of the smallest size. Such an arrangement places many pupils seated on a large seat with —21— the desk of a smaller seat immediately in front. Such pupils are thus required to bend forward over their work to a degree that is a menace to health. The vital organs are compressed unduly and shoulders stooped. The proper way is to arrange the seats of the same size in one or more rows from back to front. When desks are properly arranged, they should be securely screwed to the floor. ISTo desk is complete until the legs are securely fastened to something that will act as a brace. Much damage and breakage has resulted from failing to observe this requirement in the construction of all school desks. If conditions seem to require the desks to be moved at certain times, then they should be fastened in sets of not more than three to neatly finished beveled wood slats, $-x2§ inches. Screws should be run up full with a large screwdriver and not driven. CLOAK EOOMS Cloak rooms, or some substitute therefor, are a necessity and are pro- vided in all plans of modern school buildings. In many of the larger and more expensive school buildings of recent years steel lockers, placed in the corridors, or set flush in the walls thereof, have taken the place and saved the space formerly held by the cloak rooms. No class room can be made to appear attractive and well kept when wraps, hats, overshoes, umbrellas, lunch buckets and baskets are hung upon the walls or thrown upon desks and tables. The cloak room should be located so it can be supervised by the teacher. Preferably it should have two doors, one for the entry of pupil, the other for his passing into the class room. In some plans wardrobes 18 to 24 inches deep are provided in the rear of the class room. If these are made open at the top and bottom, so as to provide ample ven- tilation, they prove a fairly satisfactory and inexpensive substitute for the cloak room. LIBBAEY AND BEADING BOOM Each school should have a library room in the building for the care, use and distribution of books belonging to the school. This room need not be large, for a small school, but it should be separate from the class room and should be made quiet and attractive. Adults cannot give undivided attention to their reading when surrounded by much noise and confusion, and children have even less power to concentrate their attention under such conditions. A library room can be made attractive at small expense. The size of this room is a question to be determined by the conditions involved. In most country schools there will not be a large collection of books, hence, but little space will have to be provided in the form of shelves or bookcases. However, a room large enough for a few chairs and a reading table will be necessary. The library room can also be used as a teacher's room in which private conferences with patrons and school officials may be held. A room 10 feet long by 8 feet wide, provided with necessary windows for lighting and a door opening into the class room, will usually be large enough. Such a room should not be omit- ted, even at the expense of a reduction in cloak room space. The library itself will be discussed under the head of equipment. -22— WORK ROOMS The plans prepared by the Department of Education and reproduced in this bulletin are designed to accommodate and encourage some very important phases of school work, the interest and value of which the rural communities are just beginning to realize. All schoolhouses, in- Industrial Work, Crockett School, Jones County. eluding those for one-teacher schools as well as those of the consoli- dated type, should have at least one work room, where farm carpentry and mechanics, household arts, dressmaking, nursing, gardening, ele- ments of agriculture and animal husbandry can be taught by actual practice. It is becoming more and more apparent that teaching chil- Industrial Work, Crockett School, Jones County. dren merely to read, write, and cipher, in a more or less defective man- ner, with a little "book learning" in grammar, geography, history, and physiology, has fallen far short of fitting boys and girls for good citi- zenship, or giving them the proper attitude toward life's duties and responsibilities. The entire country is slowly awakening to a realization —23- that the old traditional course of study as followed in most rural schools has failed to hold the interest of a large per cent of the school children above the sixth grade, has failed to arouse the boys' and girls' interest in home and farm vocations, and has helped, rather than checked, the constant drift of our farm youth to the cities and the large towns, where all too often a life of miserably paid service, of periodic unem- ployment and suffering, of degrading labor or crime awaits them. Educational thinkers and students are coming to see that some form of industrial training must be given in order that children may acquire knowledge, ideals and skills which will serve for vocational guidance, which will tend to arouse an abiding interest in home and farm voca- tions, Avhich will develop a feeling of worthiness and self-confidence because of tangible and satisfying results obtained, and give them a right attitude toward honest labor and the preparation necessary to be made for successful living. Where only a two-teacher school building is required, one work room can be made to accommodate both boys and girls, provided the work is alternated. In the erection of all school buildings it is very earnestly advised that provision be made for the work rooms as planned, for an aroused public opinion will soon be demanding that suitable industrial training be made a regular feature of the daily program. ASSEMBLY KOOM ISTo school building is complete that does not contain an assembly room or auditorium where the school may be assembled for general and special exercises during the school term, and where the people of the community may convene frequently in social center and other com- munity meetings. It is not enough that the school building should serve only as a place where the children may attend school for a few hours each day during five or six months of the year. This use is essential and im- portant, but the school building owes a larger service. The American public school ought to be a school for all the people, — for the children and also for the grown-ups. The assembly room or auditorium is the class room or lecture room for the people, and if properly used will exert a powerful and conscious influence in the development of the community. It is a very necessary and integral part of a properly organized school plant and should not be omitted in the building plans. If at all possible, a separate room should be arranged for this special purpose, and should be provided with a stage, dressing rooms, and simple and attractive scenery and furnishings. In buildings of three class rooms or less it is customary to save expense in the construction of a special assembly room or auditorium by arranging so that two class rooms may be "thrown together" to accom- modate such meetings as may be held for the social or civic improvements of the community. Such an arrangement may be provided by means of movable partitions, folding doors, rising sliding doors or hinged blackboard sections. This is a difficult piece of construction, and often results are unsatisfactory, especially in houses erected at smallest pos- sible expense. The ceiling joists and the rafters are not sufficiently supported and strengthened to sustain the extra weight of these parti- tions; they soon sag in the middle and the doors refuse to work' properly. —24— For small buildings, probably the best solution is to use the doors as separate panels held in grooves at the top and bottom so that they may be lifted out, set to one side and replaced as occasion demands. If funds will permit, and proper care is observed in "trussing" the joist above the partition, the folding or accordion doors may prove more sat- isfactory. These should hang from pivots running on an overhead trolley, and are guided by castors running in a track on the floor. The doors are hinged together in four places and fold back on each side. If a rising sliding door partition is installed, it should consist of two doors, one on either side of a small central column and extend to within about four feet of each side of the rooms. These doors may be allowed to fit at the bottom into a stool, window-fashion, about 24 to 30 inches "jinn— Bethel School, Runnels County. high, and when raised to full height, fit into a sheath or case, so that the top of the opening will be about eight feet above the floor line. Each of these doors should be carefully balanced, preferably with molded cast-iron weights, run on pulleys like window weights. These doors provide ample space for large pieces of blackboard and the stool at the bottom answers very well for a chalk rail. They should be made of the best selected hard pine and substantially framed or edged with a light strong board about % by 3 inches in dimensions. It will be unsatisfactory if a rising partition is made of one piece. It will be too, heavy to operate easily, difficult to properly balance; and the span across the room, unsupported, will be in danger of sagging and thus injure the entire building. —25— Instead of using folding doors, it may be cheaper and better to place hinges on a blackboard section at the top edge and by the use of pulleys raise the section when desired. Duro-plate, hylo plate or beaver board on both sides of a light frame may be used in this way. Below the blackboard and above it the walls may be of permanent construction. Whenever the school is of such size as to require four or more class rooms, there should be an assembly room, or auditorium, entirely sep- arate and apart from any class room. First, because the separate audi- torium can be equipped with comfortable seats for a much larger audi- ence, and with a stage, curtains and lights that add much to its useful- ness and effectiveness as a meeting place for the school as a whole and the community at large. Second, because in spite of the best intentions and care, the public use of class rooms is always attended with more or less abuse and damage to the equipment and furniture of the rooms. A school building with four class rooms can be built so as to provide a separate auditorium at very little extra expense. This is done by planning all the rooms except the auditorium, on the first floor in the shape of a square, or rectangle nearly square. Cover with a hip roof with large dormer windows for light and ventilation. Within the large space beneath this roof there is ample room for an auditorium seating 250 people, and approached by two separate stairways on opposite sides of the building. LIGHTING A very important problem in schoolhouse construction is the proper lighting of the class rooms. Under no circumstances should pupils be required to face the light, and, if possible, the teacher should be equally favored. The proper light is that admitted over the left shoulder of the pupils for the reason that most children are right-handed and the admission of the light from the left prevents the pupil's own shadow being in his way. In this climate it is advisable, for the purpose of ventilation in warm weather, to place windows in the other walls of the room as well as on the left-hand side. However, all windows for purposes of ventilation should be covered with louvers or fixed latticed blinds to shut out the light but admit air for ventilation. The greatest objection to the admission of light from the rear is the slight shadow produced in front of the pupil and also the strain on the teacher's eyes. The former is not serious and the latter is not great if the rear of the building is toward the north because no direct sunlight enters the room from that direction. The law requires that the amount of clear glass surface of the win- dows for a class room shall be not less than one-sixth of the floor space, and a larger amount is desirable; also, that the bottom of the windows for lighting purposes shall be at least three and one-half feet above the floor line, and that the top of the window opening shall be six inches from the ceiling. The windows for lighting should be arranged in a group with as little intervening wood space as may be necessary to give the building sufficient strength. The front window of the group on the left should be opposite the front row of desks, and should not be nearer than six or eight feet to the front wall, while the rear window of the group may come within one or two feet of the rear wall of the room. Under no circumstances should any light whatever be admitted to a class room —26- from the front or right of the pupils as they are seated at their desks. It has been previously stated that the building should be so placed on the site that the main light will enter the room from either the east or the west, if possible; from the south or north only when it cannot be avoided. Light is best when it comes from above the left shoulder. There are then no interfering shad- ows and the page or object studied is best illuminated. Good window shades of the right type are needed in every room that receives its light from the east, south or west. No shades should be put up on the windows which admit light from the north. The shades should not be of the usual dark type attached to the tops of the windows, as is cus- tomary in the home; it should be made of linen, light in color and trans- lucent. Above all else, it should be attached so that it can be lowered from the top. The type shown in the cut is one of the most dur- able and satisfactory. It has two separate spring rollers, is fastened at the middle of the window, and either upper or lower shade may be worked independ- ently of the other. The habit of keeping the shades that are attached at the top of the windows drawn down half way, under the insane impression that it looks better from the out- side, is most pernicious and hurtful. On cloudy days, it gives the school room an air of gloom and jail-like darkness, only too suggestive to the children of what the school is like. This habit should be corrected by the trustees, even if it becomes necessary to go to the extent of demanding the resignation of the offending teacher. The atmosphere of the school room should al- —27— ways be bright, cheery and attractive. This cannot be if on cloudy or other days the room is dark and gloomy, with constant suggestion of a coming storm. On such days care must be taken that pupils have enough light, that shades are so adjusted as to give the greatest possible amount of light — that from the upper half of the window, — and that what, is written upon blackboards or printed on the page may be seen without eye-strain or fatigue. PAINTING AND TINTING Nothing adds more to the ornamentation of the inside of the school building than paint properly applied according to some harmonious and artistic color scheme. Perhaps, the most satisfactory suggestions relat- ing to painting and tinting of the inside of the building come from a report made to the school board of New York City by a committee of the most prominent oculists of that State. According to their re- port, the lower portion of the walls to wainscot height (about 3^ feet) should be light brown; the upper walls should be light buff or light gray; and the ceiling should be ivory white or light cream. The effect of this combination of colors is very restful and cheerful. Eed is stim- ulating, irritating and unrestful; blue is quieting, but depressing. Neither red nor blue should be used inside the class room. It is very necessary for wood buildings to be painted on the outside, both from the standpoint of economy and attractiveness. To properly paint a building not less than three coats of the best grade of paints should be used, and no coat should be applied on a wet or damp sur- face or until the preceding coat has had ample time to thoroughly dry. The following suggestive combinations of colors are here presented as being suitable for outside painting : Eoof Black or dark green Dark brown Dark green Black It will be observed that white is not suggested as a suitable body color. Authorities agree that on account of the fact that white reflects the light too much it should not be used as a body color for public buildings. Another reason for not using white as a body color is on account of its showing weather effects so quickly. Outside houses and toilets should be painted and trimmed according to same color scheme used in painting school building on outside. Combination Body Trimming No. 1 Steel gray White, brown or lead No. 2 Straw Dark brown No. 3 Silver gray Stone No. 4 Slate Pearl gray HEATING AND VENTILATING In planning and constructing a heating and ventilating plant, the main problems are to maintain 'a uniform temperature throughout the entire room and secure a constant supply of pure fresh air. The proper temperature of a school room is 68 to 70 degrees Fahren- heit at the breathing line. This uniform temperature, experience shows, cannot be maintained by means of the ordinary unjacketed stove or radiator. It is, therefore, necessary to provide some kind of heating system which will adequately heat and, at the same time, properly ven- —28— tilate the room. This may be done in either one of two ways: (1) the fan system, by which the heated air is forced into and the foul air out of the room; (2) the gravity system, which keeps the air in circulation due to the difference in weight of the same bulk of hot and cold air. Inasmuch as the fan system is too elaborate and expensive for coun- try and village schools, and its proper installation requires an expert, Properly Installed Ventilating Heater and Flue. the discussion in this bulletin will be confined to the gravity system as applied to jacketed stoves. A jacketed stove, as its name indicates, is a stove surrounded by a metal casing or jacket between which jacket and the stove is an air space connected directly by means of one or two ducts with the outside fresh air. These ducts permit the cold fresh air from the outside of the build- -20 — ing to be brought into contact with the stove. When this air is warmed it rises and circulates throughout the school room. The jacket, when properly fitted, serves to keep the fresh air close enough to the stove to heat it, and at the same time to deliver it into the room well above the breathing line. To complete the circulation of air by means of such jacketed stove there must be an outlet or exit flue for the foul air. This may be built in connection with the smoke flue by building a chimney large enough to contain a fire-clay tile, terra cotta, or iron pipe with which the smoke pipe connects to carry the smoke, leaving sufficient space between pipe and wall of chimney to carry the foul air. The entrance for the foul air into the foul air flue must be made in the chimney at the floor line. Dampers should be placed in the fresh air duct and also in the foul air vent to regulate, when necessary, the amount of air entering the room. A room fitted with an adequate system of ventilation will be heated more cheaply and more readily because it is easier to remove the cold air by means of the foul air vent than it is to heat it by radiation from the warm air in the upper part of the room as is the case when the common stove is used. Splen- did patent jacketed stoves are now on the market and a list of those approved by the State Department of Education will be furnished to anyone on request. The stove should be of heavy construction, without rims or other projections, and with a medium base. For a room of the usual size, 22x30 feet, with wall 12 feet in the clear, the fire-pot at the bottom of the stove door should not be less than 18 inches in diameter for places south, and not less than 20 inches north of latitude 32 degrees. A stove with a fire-pot of less diameter may heat the room very satis- factorily, but in extremely cold weather it will be necessary to heat the stove so intensely that the material being lighter than in the larger sizes, will soften and burn out. Careful observation has demonstrated that no heater with a fire-pot of less than 18 inches in diameter should ever be installed if satisfactory heating and ventilation is to be expected. The shield or jacket of the stove should be made of Russian iron or plated steel of not less than 24-gauge, and should be lined with heavy corrugated sheet tin or bright sheet iron, and with a heavy layer of asbestos between the lining and the jacket. The shield or jacket should be as nearly radiation-proof as possible. The shield or jacket should not be less than eight inches from the stove, about six inches above the floor, and about six inches taller than the stove. The open space at the base of the jacket allows the cold air near the floor to be drawn into the jacket and heated. The door in the jacket should be large enough to permit the easy passage of fuel to the fire-pot door. The fresh-air inlet duct should not draw the air from beneath the floor but should be connected with the fresh air outside by means of an opening in the side wall of the building, and should be of sufficient dimensions to permit the passage of at least 30 cubic feet of fresh air per minute for each pupil on the basis of the number of pupils to be accommodated by the room. This duct should not be less than 12x16 inches in cross-sectional area, should enter the room through the wall above the floor line and be connected with the jacket, bringing the cold fresh air into direct contact with the fire-pot or combustion chamber of the heater. —30— Flues for class room heaters should be constructed of hard-burned brick, with inside dimensions of flue not less than 12x12 inches for each stove for full height of flue, and should have a foul air vent at the floor line equally as large. If a flue is to accommodate more than one stove there must be a partition for the full height of the flue, and each division made the size indicated above. No single flue should carry more than one stove. Great care should be given to see that the flue is built high enough above the roof. When the flue comes out at the ridge, it should extend at least two feet. If erected at the eaves, it should extend one or two feet higher than were it built through the ridge. In such position it must be braced to the roof by steel rods to prevent being blown down by high winds. CARE OF BUILDING Nothing contributes more to the efficiency of school work than neat, well-kept school buildings. Public property should have the same care and consideration that should be given private property. During school hours, the superintendent or principal is the legal custodian ' of the school building. It is, therefore, most important that he keep con- stantly on the alert to prevent marking or mutilation of the property. During the time that the school building is not in actual use for school, it is the duty of the trustees to see that it is kept securely locked and the keys placed in the hands of some reliable person with definite in- structions as to when the building shall be opened. No schoolhouse nor its equipment should be subjected to wilful abuse or destruction, nor used as a meeting place for any kind of assembly which will not or cannot be responsible. INSURANCE The cost of insurance against damage to school buildings by fire or tornado is too small for this important matter to be overlooked by trustees. Care should be taken to see that the company issuing the policy is a reputable one. The provision of fire and tornado insurance is especially urged for the protection of school districts against which there are unpaid schoolhouse bonds, because if the school buildings are uninsured and should be destroyed by fire or storm it would be a great burden on the people to rebuild them. SCHOOL EQUIPMEN1 The cost of adequate equipment should be figured as a necessary part of the expense when bonds are to be voted. A sufficient amount of bonds should be issued to fully construct and equip the school building. Too often it has occurred in the erection of a new building that the matter of equipment has not been considered, and as a result insufficient or inferior equipment has been purchased with such funds as could be spared from the local maintenance. A worse evil and more far-reaching in its consequences has been the practice many district trustees have followed of contracting with school supply firms for equipment which they could not pay for out of current funds, and signing vouchers pay- able in one, two or three years. Such procedure in the end is not only —31— costly to the district, but is positively illegal and renders the trustees individually liable for the full amount of the indebtedness, besides re- ducing the term of school. for several years in order to meet this addi- tional expense. Every well-equipped school should contain the following articles : (1) Enough modern single desks of suitable sizes to accommodate all pupils in the room, with every desk in good repair and securely fastened to the floor or to neat wood slats. In a small school in which several grades recite to one teacher, at least two recitation seats seven feet long should be provided. (2) A standard teacher's desk of sanitary construction having at least three drawers with locks, and a good strong chair. (3) Not less than thirty lineal feet of first class blackboard to each room. The best material is slate, and where funds will permit, slate should always be used. It lasts as long as the building, requires only to be washed occasionally with soap and water, and is always serviceable and satisfactory. Its first cost is the only cost. Artificial plate composition boards manufactured under such names as dufo-plate, hylo-plate and fibrite are usually satisfactory. They cost some less than slate, and can be renewed once or twice by the appli- cation of liquid slating. These composition boards if nailed to the wall or to a wood frame at 'both top and bottom will sometimes buckle or stand out from the wall in the center. This can be avoided by nail- ing securely one side only, preferably the top, leaving the other side free under the molding so that it may expand as temperature conditions may require. (4) A neat and attractive bookcase with glass doors which can be locked and at least $25 worth of suitable and approved books per teacher and one good high school dictionary. (5) A set of standard geographical maps, including political maps of Texas, United States, North and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia. For the most satisfactory and durable service, each of these maps should be mounted in a separate wood or steel case. (6) An approved jacketed ventilating heater properly installed. (7) A dustless floor brush, some oiled dust cloths, a poker and fire shovel. (8) An adjustable shade of light color for each window on the east, south, or west. (9) A standard phonograph or talking machine with at least twenty selected records. (10) A few carefully selected pictures on the wall that will make an artistic appeal to the pupils. (11) A clock, a thermometer, a call bell, and waste basket. (12) A supply of noiseless erasers, a box of dustless crayon, some rubber-tipped pointers, a foot scraper and door mat. (13) An approved type of drinking fountain. The bubbler drink- ing fountain is the most sanitary and satisfactory device for supplying pure water to each pupil. The individual drinking cup is a delusion and a snare. In practice they soon become dirty and are often loaned or swapped by the children. Unfortunately for the bubbler fountain's reputation, some very cheap and worthless "contraptions" have been sold in Texas by school supply houses, which have proven wholly unsatis- factory and useless. School boards desiring reliable information on this —32— or other articles of equipment for school use should write for the State Department's list of approved apparatus and supplies which have stood the test of actual use and service. WATER SUPPLY Every school should have an ample supply of pure water. In main- taining the health of school children no factor is of greater importance than an adequate supply of pure, good drinking water. Water is the vJ/c ///'»a £>ox . /7<7S7c/ P*c/rryo PbrcT7j'p& Gear & A" t*-f- Pcs/vyo p/<7r>pe 1 CToncrc/-^ P/erfforrry \ Poc/rcc/ /3/-/-<^r- Pt/rryf? /J s3c-A tff rots p^/yoaS JOcsnyo Cy//n Br 3EWERPIPM WOMKS Jan Antonio. Tex^s. TO STAPT OPPPATJOAZ-pf/X ~ SO GALLONS OFWATPP WITH - ZO LBS. C/IUSTJC SOPA.OZ CAUS7JC POTASH ~APP / LB CJUSTJC- - SOPA PER MOUTH — — USE TOUETPAPBR o.vzy TrfB. C MAr BE CON STRUCT- ep from either rrpe A or ~B VESICAS BC ADDING AD- P/r/0*A£. SECTIONS T*,s Type, to be Used Where More Than One Sea t 15 /?EOll/RED.- SAME ArRA* CEMENT CAN BE Used for Any A/umbee of Seats THJSDESIGN WAS COP/ ED FPOM THE STA TE BOA RD OF HEALTH SAN/TAPY £UREA U -PES/GH A"? 9Z4 Chemical Toilet with Three Seats. Vitrified Sewer Pipe. and windows should be kept open while the sweeping is being done ; and in the morning before school opens the desks and other furnishings should be wiped with a soft cloth moistened with kerosene. The most satisfactory means of avoiding dust in school buildings is to have all floors thoroughly oiled at least twice during the session with a good quality of regular floor oil. The first application should be given a few days before school opens, and the second during the month of January. Dustless crayon should be used in all schools. It is a well established fact that fresh air and sunlight are germ destroyers. It is important, therefore, that school buildings be con- structed so that, at the proper time, the necessary amount of fresh air and sunlight may be admitted. When weather conditions will permit, the children should be on the playgrounds, the doors and windows open, and shades raised during intermissions. The school site may be well selected and artistically planned, but deprived of much of its beauty and attractiveness because of the accu- mulation of trash, leaves, or filthy waste paper. A suitable and con- venient arrangement should be provided in every school for the proper disposal of such accumulations. The uncovered and seldom cleaned garbage can is a nuisance, and becomes an attraction to flies and other insects which come to feast on this unguarded filth. A garbage pail, when provided with a closely-fitting cover, and when properly attended to, is desirable, especially in schools having more than one hundred pupils. "TW>EA" Chemical Toilet ffijMAHUFA CTU/ZED 3Y JA/V/lVTOrt/O, T£XjAS. TO 5TA£T OPFRAT/ON M/X ZS" 6AUONS OF HATER W/TH 10 IBS CAUST/C SOD A, OX OM APP / 10 CJU5r/{ 50 PA - - PEP MONTH. Vf£ POMET PAPER ONLY - ftfTASH Tm/s Trf>£ to be Used Wheue 0/yt. 0»£ 5e/>T IS PEft//KED. TWSPES/Gff 1VAS COPJ£P FROM THE STATE BOARD OF HEALTH SANITARY 3VXEA U -PESJGH N 2l£. CAl/STJC SOPA PER MONTH us-£ to/zee paper mly — ,__ FOTASH THI5 PESIGN MS COPIED TPOM THE STATE BOARD OF HEALTH SANITARY BUREAU -PESIoN If 3Z4 Chemical Toilet, Vitrified Sewer Pipe. The Eural School Division of the State Department of Education has been studying the problem and investigating the several types of improvements that have from time to time been suggested by state boards of health, by state school authorities and by commercial concerns. After two and one-half years of testing and investigating, a sum- mary of the conclusions reached is here submitted, with the belief that a practicable solution to the problem has been found. In order of merit and putting the best first, there are three types of acceptable toilets which may be considered favorably by boards of trustees, according to local conditions existing and funds available for this purpose. I. Indoor flush toilets, installed in school building, where water pres- sure from standpipe or pump affords a constant supply of water, and where sewer connection with a sewage disposal plant can be made. This type is not available in rural districts nor in small towns without water pressure and sewerage. II. For all rural communities and small towns where constant water supply and sewerage are not found, the Department recommends as w,(-sr$t(7s>t> of Cr><;/r>'CO , S3 l or Jio \*s/ may £>e erf c**sJ y/-cs? w/t/? po or cor> CS~<*tf Jl// r r&rts cofo<7c- Veil £/,£>« or /bar* to 6e /&J/&3& t /?¥ S/jc <5P»wW rotf Omc/ a^i/cyfrosr) cyo&rvrr^G *Exte/?cy 2? c76a/t 9o/vi/of->to fiov* a aft Aits on of SO ^/>es} ■{/?€ s/'S/JTf&^ermi S>OS a/fl&rroS c oeff/c/ei-t of 3. Jf&€fi ton/*: cyea"* Ones' rec/xyr? \a//4/> £S /6s. of CairSt'c />ot. or 9ocy<^ to *~ ocsty to te/cff ce>r& »y ^T /^Goyb/e for or fJ&r/ct/ Of tzAoc/i & Jstonths *Br«c/4 c/fp Of-iO 1 \3t*r cor>ter>~iis of SarrtA os?C& <7 ws^Ac. CliEKllCJll* CZ&SJ5T 7%Z7i3 S^zm T££> 6&R& OTHBA ZTJET £M>. CWZ&l-&£/ -S'jrjaSC 2LB71LTH GJ^ricZ8& Sorecso o/~^bf\JS?r7& Jlvstjn 7&/0S Chemical Toilet, as Constructed with Reinforced Concrete. best and most sanitary some one of the following three kinds of chem- ical closet. They are all based on the same principle — the use of a strong caustic chemical dissolved in a definite amount of water, the action of which dissolves all solid matter, destroys all disease germs and offensive odors, and effectively prevents the breeding of flies. The —46— difference between the three kinds lies in the first cost of installation and durability of the tank. As in the case with flush closets, they may be installed in the school building; but in no case should they be located in a space adjacent to a class room. Suitable and satisfactory location for indoor installation will be seen in Building Plan No. 4, pages 60 and 64; No. 2, page 58,. and No. 1, page 68. 1. The chemical toilet constructed of vitrified sewer pipe. See detail plans of construction printed herewith. The material can be purchased from any dealer in sewer pipe or direct from the manufacturers. It is everlasting and will neither rust nor decay. The first cost is small enough to be with- in the means of every school district. 2. The chemical toilet constructed of reinforced concrete. See detail plan of construction printed herewith. This can be built on the ground, and if properly constructed by an experi- enced concrete contractor it will be found satisfactory and very effective. The first cost may be less or more than the sewer pipe toilet, according to variations in the price of labor and material. 3. The chemical toilet, the tank or reservoir of which is made of iron, is manufactured and sold under various trade names. It is a commercial prod- uct which cannot be home-made. This is naturally a factor in increasing the first cost, while the life of the iron tank is certainly not permanent. Il- lustration of this type of toilet is shown on this page. Either of the above types of chem- ical toilets may be installed in sepa- rate buildings on the school grounds. When this is done, however, care should be taken that the distance from the main building be made as small ^s possible, in orrb'r that children may be less exnoserl in cold or stormy weather and that there may be closer supervision by the principal. The chemical closet, perhaps of all sanitary types, is the least ex- pensive to care for and maintain; yet it is not automatic and requires some periodic attention and thought. Before beginning to use, a proper "charge," consisting of a definite number of pounds of the caustic chemical dissolved in water according to the specifications, must be ^■fc»L f I 1 MM- 1 H r Chemical Toilet, with underground Iron Pipe. :7— o ana/ \xs*es- Dear**")*} Vert/' {at /o/? fij/be />c£ /*£S t /? abet. So/f C/OS/S7J woae? Seats <3gm S/&rs qf&xcayar tec? ?iT ?RIVY TYPE Ton u3E JTi JBorffaru of &0s>. 32 sm?. Lowest Type of Toilet Permissible. poured into the reservoir. At least once a year, oftener if necessary,, the reservoir must be completely emptied, and another charge put in before using again. The strength of the chemical solution should be maintained by adding a small amount of the dissolved caustic (1 lb. to 2 gal. water) about once a month. III. The dry pit or vault privy is the most primitive method of waste disposal; it is also the crudest of all allowable types. It is the first step toward safe disposal of human excreta; but even when most carefully constructed and looked after, it cannot be endorsed as sani- tary or safe. It is a constant source of danger to the health of the community, and can only be allowed where present conditions do not permit the installation of one of the better types above described. Mini- mum requirements demand that the vault or pit be so carefully screened that flies cannot find a way into it, that the seats are kept covered by hinged, self-closing covers, that an air vent not less than four inches in diameter be provided for each two seats, that the contents of the vault be disposed of by burial periodically whenever needed, and that the- floor, seats and walls be kept clean by washing at least once a week with soap and water. See sectional view of improved closet of pit privy type. TEACHEES' COTTAGES There is a rapidly growing sentiment that the building of homes for country teachers is the next big educational development to take place in the United States. "The day of the tramp teacher is fast drawing to a close. The school is a public institution and the teacher a public servant. He should, therefore, live in the community twelve months in the year and take an active interest in all welfare movements whether the school is in session or not. This can only come about when the teacher has a permanent home in the community. Cottages should be built at public expense and school grounds should be large enough to- provide suitable sites. The difficulty that the average teacher encoun- ters in finding a suitable place to board is proverbial. Occasionally a family may be found that will board the teacher merely as a matter of accommodation, or as a business proposition, but most frequently they 'do not wish to be bothered with a boarder.' " — Alabama State Bulletin. Again, it is often the case that none of the scattered farm houses is- near enough to the school to be convenient for the teacljer, and yet more frequently is it true that the farm house has no accommodation such as the teacher deserves and ought to have. Kitchen, dining room and living room are often combined in one, with no heat in any other room. The farmer and his family spend most of their time working out doors or in, in eating and sleeping. Their occupations and hours of labor in no way agree with those of the teacher, which adds to the difficulty of adjusting the rightful habits of each to those of the other. "A good teacher must spend a considerable portion of time almost every evening upon school work, for which a quiet and comfortable room is essential. If she insist upon such a room when she goes to board in the country she is likely to be considered "stuck up" and unsociable. If she gets a room by herself it is often unheated and too uncomfortable for study in cold weather. On the other hand, if she is forced to spend her entire time in the living room with the rest of the family she has no opportunity to prepare properly for school duties, and is also very —49- likely to be drawn unavoidably into neighborhood gossip and factional disputes, of which, unfortunately, there are altogether too many." — Teachers' Cottages, Bureau of Education. Under these circumstances, the teaching of a country school becomes only the temporary expedient for the teacher while she is getting a little brief experience that will enable her to leave for a position in the city schools, where opportunities, both social and economic, are greater -and living conditions better. The remedy for this is found in the teachers' home on the school ground. Besides providing the comforts and conveniences of a real home for the teachers, it serves also as a protection to the school building and grounds which each year suffer from abuse and neglect during the vaca- tion periods. It will also prove most effective in bringing about the identification of the teacher with the people of the district, the feeling of permanence, contentment and a community of interest that will do more to make teaching in the country attractive for well qualified and devoted teachers than any other factor proposed. According to statistics, Texas is leading in the number of such homes erected on school grounds, although no encouragement has been given either by legislative enactment or appropriation. By the latest figures, Texas has 611 teachers' homes, 522 of which are for white teachers and 89 for negro. -51— APPENDIX PLANS FOR SCHOOL BUILDINGS Detail of floor plans and front elevation enlarged and drawn to scale by H. F. Kuehne, Architect, Austin, Texas, from designs suggested by W. E. James, State Rural School Supervisor. -52- Milium f- e o /vt-£ l£va r/o/V' I n • C '/ o j •S'j&o o no £2 '-o "jc so'-o." S c a / Fe o/y7-> El e va 7~/o/y> 71 M^ s~— 8 i 0"J<3'-3" ^■w;':::\\-a. e-o'xe'-o- '0/1£*T£A CH££-5C/iOOL • 5c a/e z 4 6 a /o —54— Hi'lilllllllJ ^^O/yT-fLtyAT/OS?* *TW0*TEAC/f£PCCH.OOL ■ •/"z o oe°PL AS? "/' 1^„/~ I' ll —I — I -55— •Z 1 JS O /¥T' F L £- \Ss4 T/O/Y -r / I i I i I I 1 i | n=jr —56- riBO/YT-£LE: V AT/n"* >Two»T£;4CM£e -School* •TL OOjQ» Pl* /y> *3 • hi i li l i hj Jea/o o' *' -it' «r k )o' —57— fe o at • • £ l c y ^ t / o sv ■ Sco/e H f f t 1° -58— */* & OJV T •£■££■ l/>4 -T/Ort' T#& ££ »TJ£A CM£:& ' SCHOOL ' f-L O OS <• PL;**' "£[ U I ' I J I j I t ■3 c a /f-g OSY T'£L £ VA T/O/V* zZ-'o'XSO'o" A7o ts Z2-0"X30<-0" I J •rLOO£-PLA/f'*3- -60— o z' +■ e a' /o'. —61— ' f g O r/T- E L fM T/osy- /r', / -■ ■ s-rcf Una'cu^S 9,? A (o. f n i./ a ' T ' e >a c " • - -i<->c)L • F l. o a e • Pl. -» /■* " / • < - - .. 1**9 ■ -62- ft O OG £>L-ASY *2 ■ Jc /e I , 1 '." "J ' ■ ■ . -63- ; re o/y r • £l fva\ t/om • r ^x ■ H U H 1 C / &-3J '<2oom 2 2' o"* 30-0" l/'&rery /z'-Cx/eto" /^/'o/ > > /ot/yerc a woo. =£= m m = C/ojj jPoo/7? 22-'o"*JO'o' C/ffJJ jBoo/n 22 i 0"-X3O i O' ■ www n o c/j9 • Tea cme£°5cmool I' I ' H'H J c a/ e o' t <' 6' 8' AS' —64— >/*£ OftT'£L£rVs4T/0/i' £ou rcrect ^//rt/o /ewered Hf//>t/ei •Fo UJ2 ' Tr<4 Crtf-e • 3CMOOL ' J c o/s O'i'4' ' /a' —65— ■F/2 0/YT'fL£-)/A T/O/f r ffta/t /ouwcrcd was ,4= tftgh /covered \y//>c/o *fJ ft en 2 2-<3"x 30-0'L C/ o 3 J ff o om. 2 £-0"X 30-0" □ Z Z : o "a- so- o" • n. o o e> PlaW/' J c a /(? I' 4- & a' io —66- >/* g OS*T' £ LFV^T/O/*- <> Ft 00 B >PLA/¥*2' Jco/e ' I ' ' ' ' , -67— f- je o/y T-f-L £-Vs4r/os?- tfi&/} /at/r+-3 //o// 1 2 £-'o"*30-O" iiiiiri'inii'iisE C/ojs /?oom 2 2'0"x 30 K 0~ n C / a J J £?oom 22 ! o"x 30'-0" J co /a o-z-t'&'S'K)' -68— \5/y* • TEA CS* '^O CMO a/- • Jco/e i* ' ' ')o' -69- -r e O /¥ T' CL E VA T/ oyy 1=1 f — t C/ajs goom _tf/.„L C/ajs Poo "*30~ •F/ ejT-f- l oo/e ■ J /X - T£s4 C*£-£'<5CfiOOL j£-cof/ o • /** ooe • -70— Mj,S —71— 3cc/c I I ' ' ' J , /S/oA /ovrerrj iv'/h/owj .V/f/l /oufc/v -~s9K IIS 1 fc n ■ ' ' ' fcM. '■---■ : I f) ,1 "If. ' MITT • /CHOOL- lO 76— Flooe Plan ■] CoMM'JNITVi/cHOOL PLAN No 4 ' f A C C^ t A^T O Q Wt.' T 0NLV fnfOMMUNSTY ••/CHOOL-- hill jll I V^ ■rolU- TtACHLB - -D L A N ■ W« 4- ■ J LIJJ] < -C^ -77- Old School and Church, Replaced by Rosenwald Building. *v. ' ; %\ '&&*% Rosenwald School, Shiloh, Houston County. Rosenwald School, Mt. Zion, Morris County. —78— Rosenwald School, Burleson County. Rosenwald School, Fort Bend County. ^SgSSSPrr"* The Giant Stride.