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14
in the District, with a view of ascertaining if any infected
children were in attendance, I officially informed the Clerk
to the School Board of my intention, suggesting dates and
schools when such visits should be made.
I regret having to report that the School Board deemed it
necessary to raise objections and impede me in the work of
detecting infected children whilst attending school. I received
a letter from the Clerk to the School Board enclosing a resolution
passed at a specially-convened Meeting of the School
Management Committee, informing me " That the Board had
issued instructions to their Head Teachers not to permit the
personal examination of any scholars to take place in the
schools or on any part of the premises adjoining the schools,
pending a reply from the Local Government Board, to whom
they had appealed for information relating to the powers of
the Medical Officer of Health to the Urban District Council to
carry out this work."
In pursuance with the Council's instructions I visited the
Shaftesbury Boad and Shrewsbury Road Schools on 10th
November, and Plashet Lane School on the 11th November,
and made a personal application to the Head Teachers to suspend
lessons and assist me in the work of examining the
children. To this application they declined.
I reported the circumstances to the Council, who
instructed the Clerk to send full particulars to the Local
Government Board, applying for their ruling.
On 24th December the East Ham School Board received
a communication from the Local Government Board, the substance
of which was, that as the Local Government Board
were advised, a Medical Officer of Health had no right, either
with or without an order from a Sanitary Authority, to insist,