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8. An Offer That Was Refused
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8. An Offer That Was Refused Trust not their presents. Virgil For three months every request for a rehearing was rebuffed. Even the visit by the man from the state’s Department of Education failed to trigger a meeting. Apparently determined not to be pushed around, the school board members dug their heels in deeper. At the end of August, Mr. Benson was still principal and the graduates’ grievances still had not been addressed. The parents were getting impatient. So, on September 2, the Committee on Action submitted a second formal request for an appeal hearing to the county superintendent . Soon it would be time to pay the coming year’s school fees. Determined to prevent a repeat of the previous year’s swindle, the committee sent the following notice to parents: The Committee on Action request that no parent or child pay any more to any teacher or school official until an understanding and agreement is reached between the Parents Committee and those . . . in Authority. This applies to the parents and children of Scott’s Branch School . . . alone. Money paid to a school should be used for the benefit of the children of the school, and the parents should know how it is spent; especially when it is coming out of the parents’ pockets. A principal who receives his salary from monies appropriated for public instruction should be glad to let the parents know what is being done with the monies they give, unless it is going in the “Rat Hole” or the “Private Sinking fund.” Seemingly, an effort is being made at Summerton to keep the parents ignorant of the school affairs and also to keep them divided, one group against the other. By such methods the past practices may be continued in the future or made worse. Little gifts and nice talk should be carefully watched and proved. If parents want a Better Deal and assurance over a long period of time, they must stand together. The good of their children and future An Offer That Was Refused 69 generations is at stake in the grievances of this community, as well as many others. This is not aimed after any one man, it is to slow down the evil practices which have existed for so many years. Around the middle of the month, my father was in the courthouse in Manning on personal business. As he passed the open door of Mr. McCord’s office, the superintendent hailed him, saying, “I see those fellows still haven’t given you another hearing.” Rev. De Laine agreed, “No sir. And I reckon they don’t intend to.” It was Mr. McCord’s turn to agree. “I guess I’m going to need to give your folks a hearing.” Pleased, Rev. De Laine responded that would be good. But he was taken aback when Mr. McCord immediately set the date for Wednesday of the following week. In one breath the hearing for which they had fought so long was finally granted. In the next the opportunity to present the case properly was being denied because the witnesses would not be able to attend. The May high school graduates who had so effectively raised their parents’ hackles were now enrolled as September’s college freshmen. My father replied that the timing was very bad. The college students couldn’t be taken out of classes during the week, and the committee needed time to call a meeting to ask the parents to send for their children. Mr. McCord was accommodating . The two men agreed on a date two weeks from then—Saturday, October 1—and the superintendent subsequently mailed formal confirmation to each committee member. It read, in part, Your appeal to the County Board of Education of Clarendon County for a hearing on charges against I. S. Benson has been received. We are calling a meeting of the County Board of Education in connection with the local board of Trustees of Summerton, School District, No. 22, to hear this case on Saturday, October 1, 1949—(nine-thirty) 9:30 a.m., in the Manning Court House. You are at liberty to present witnesses to prove the charges made against said I. S. Benson. A separate letter was sent to Mr. Benson, informing him that he could appear to defend himself against the charges, if he so wished. Determined that nothing would go wrong, the Committee on Action got busy planning. Rev. De Laine met almost daily with...