The Great School Door Standoff

A controversy that looks as if it might prevent the opening of some of the schools Monday morning is on between Building Inspector Sherman and the board of education. The building inspector contends that, to comply with the building ordinance, all the doors in the new buildings should swing outward. The outside doors comply with that section of the ordinance but all the class room doors swing toward the inside of the rooms. Building Inspector Sherman says that he is prepared to enforce the ordinance and will insist that the doors be changed. Superintendent A. B. Warner contends that the class room doors should swing in so that in case of a panic the teachers could better control the children and prevent them all rushing into the hall at one time. He takes the position that the danger from a panic in case of a fire would not be in the class rooms but in the halls, and in his opinion it makes little difference which way the class room doors swing.