George Turner vs. Board of Education
The Kentucky Post, Wednesday, 3 July 1907, page 3
DAYTON BOARD OF EDUCATION
The Dayton Board of Education was confronted with a peculiar and
serious situation last evening, when a communication, drawn up by Attorney
Howard M Benton, of Newport for George Turner, a colored man, was read. Turner
is a resident of Dayton and a taxpayer of the town. He is married and has a
family and his children have now reached an age where they must attend school,
but Turner has no place to send them, as Dayton provides no school for the
education of colored children.
The board has a contract to send the colored children to Newport, but Turner does not like that, and he wants some other arrangement made. In inclement weather the children are allowed to ride on the street cars, but in good weather they are compelled to walk, no matter how small they are and how hot the weather.
Turner requested that some provisions be made for the education of his children and as there are other colored families in Dayton, and also several in Bellevue, it may be the first step toward the establishment of a colored school for the two towns. The matter was carefully considered by the members last night, but they were in a quandary to know what to do. The matter was therefore referred to the law committee with instructions to report back at the next meeting.
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The Kentucky Post, Wednesday, 5 February 1908, page 5
NO SEPARATE NEGRO SCHOOL
Attorney Edward Hawkins, sitting as special Judge in the Campbell County Court, to try the mandamus case of George Turner, negro, against the Dayton Board of Education, seeking to compel the board to provide and maintain a separate school for negro children, decided the case yesterday in favor of the Board of Education.
The Court holds that the record shows that by a contract between the defendant and the city of Newport, colored children of Dayton are receiving the benefits of a good free school education in Newport: that the thorough fares between the two cities are in good condition, and that the location of the negro school in Newport is within two miles of the geographical center of Dayton. It is also held that there is nothing in the statute that compels the Dayton Board of Education to provide and maintain a school within the limits of the city. The plaintiff's demurrer is overruled and an exception to the ruling was entered.