establishing such union-graded school shall be situate, the amount which shall become due during such year for principal and interest of such bonds. The amount so certified shall be apportioned and assessed by said assessors in the same manner and in the same proportion as taxes for the current expenses of such union-graded school shall be apportioned and assessed, and the moneys so assessed shall be levied and collected by the collectors of the several taxing districts, and the said collectors shall, on or before the fifth day of January next thereafter, pay the full amount so ordered to be assessed, levied and collected to the custodian of the school moneys of said union-graded school, who shall, upon receipt of the orders of said board of education (which orders shall state at what bank said principal and interest are payable), deposit in such bank the sum of money necessary to pay said principal and interest as they shall become due and payable. ARTICLE XII. KINDERGARTENS. in kindergar 139. The board of education of any school district Ages of pupils may establish a kindergarten school or a kindergarten tens. department in any school under its control, and shall admit to such kindergarten school or department any child over the age of four and under the age of seven years who shall be a resident of the district; provided, Proviso. that no child under the age of five years shall be admitted to any public school unless such school shall be a regularly organized kindergarten school or shall have a kindergarten department. kindergartens 140. Every teacher in a kindergarten school or depart- Teachers in ment shall hold a special kindergarten certificate, issued to hold special either by the State Board of Examiners or the board of examiners of the county or city in which he or she shall be teaching. 141. The expense of kindergarten schools or depart- Expenses of ments shall be paid out of any moneys available for the kindergartens Age of pupils in evening schools. Term. Expenses of evening schools. Text-books to be furnished free to all pupils. Rules for textbooks. current expenses of the schools, and in the same manner and under the same restrictions as the expenses of the other schools or departments shall be paid. ARTICLE XIII. EVENING SCHOOLS. 142. The board of education of any school district may establish and maintain public evening schools for the instruction of persons over twelve years of age residents of the district, and unless such evening schools shall be maintained for a term of not less than four months in each year, each of said months to consist of at least sixteen evening sessions of at least two hours each, said district shall not be entitled to any apportionment on the basis of the number of teachers employed in such schools during the year preceding that for which the apportionment shall be made. 143. The expenses of evening schools shall be paid out of any moneys available for the current expenses of the schools, and in the same manner and under the same restrictions as the expenses of day schools shall be paid. ARTICLE XIV. TEXT-BOOKS AND SUPPLIES. 144. Text-books and school supplies shall be furnished free of cost for use by all pupils in the public schools. Every school district shall raise and appropriate annually in the same manner as other school moneys shall be raised and appropriated in such district an amount sufficient to pay for such text-books and supplies. 145. Every board of education shall make rules for the safe keeping and proper care of text-books, and shall keep an account of all moneys expended by it for such text-books and supplies, and shall report the same in its annual financial statement. and teachers terested in fur 146. It shall be unlawful for any County Superin- School officers tendent of Schools, member of a board of education, must not be inteacher or any person officially connected with the public nishing textschools to be agent for, or to be in any way pecuniarily or beneficially interested in the sale of any text-books, maps, charts, school apparatus or supplies of any kind or to receive compensation or reward of any kind for any such sale, or for unlawfully promoting or favoring the same. A violation of the provisions of this section Penalty. shall be punishable by the removal from office or by revocation of certificate to teach. ARTICLE XV. COMPULSORY EDUCATION. children be and twelve 147. Every parent, guardian or other person having Attendance of the legal control of a child between the ages of seven tween seven and twelve years, shall send such child to public day years. school each day while such school shall be in session, unless such child shall be excused from such attendance by the board of education of the school district in which such parent, guardian or other person shall reside, upon its being shown to the satisfaction of said board that the bodily or mental condition of such child is such as to prevent his or her attendance at school, or that such child is being taught in a private school or at home in such branches as are usually taught in public schools to children of its age, or for other good cause deemed sufficient by said board of education. of 148. Any parent, guardian or other person having the Penalty for legal control of any child who shall fail to comply with section 147. the provisions of section one hundred and forty-seven of this act shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and punished by a fine of not less than one dollar nor more than twenty-five dollars for each offense, or by imprisonment for not less than five days nor more than ninety days for each offense, which said fine shall be paid to the custodian of the school moneys of the school district in which the offense shall have been committed Employment of children under fifteen prohibited in certain cases. Truant officers. Police as truant officers. Definition of truancy. for the use of the public schools therein. Such offense shall be prosecuted upon the complaint of the board of education of said school district, through its truant officer, or other person designated by it, before any magistrate having the power to commit in any city, township, incorporated town or borough. 149. No child under the age of fifteen years shall be employed by any person, company or corporation to labor in any business whatever, unless such child shall have attended within twelve months immediately preeeding such employment some public or private school. Such attendance shall be for five days or four evenings every week during a period of at least sixteen weeks which may be divided into two terms of eight consecutive weeks each, so far as the arrangement of school terms will permit. 150. The board of education of each school district may appoint, and may remove at pleasure, one or more persons to be designated as truant officers, and may fix their compensation, prescribe their duties, not inconsistent with the provisions of this article, and shall make rules and regulations for the performance of such duties. 151. The police authorities in any municipality having an organized police force shall, upon the written request of the board of education of the school district situate in such municipality, detail one or more members of said police force to act as truant officers. Any police officer so detailed shall have all the powers granted to truant officers under the provisions of this article as fully as if appointed as such truant officer by the board of education. Whenever the words "truant officer" are used in this article, the same shall apply as well to the person or persons designated under section one hundred and fifty, as to those designated in this section. 152. Every child between the ages of seven and fifteen years who shall be repeatedly absent from school, or found away from home during school hours, or whose parent, guardian or other person having legal control is unable to cause it to attend school, or who shall be habitually a truant from school, or who shall habitually wander about the streets and public places of any munici pality during school hours having no lawful business or occupation, or any pupil who shall be incorrigible, vicious or immoral in conduct or who fails to comply with the provisions of sections one hundred and forty-nine, one hundred and fifty-six and one hundred and fifty-seven of this act shall be deemed and adjudged to be a disorderly person and proceeded against as provided in section one hundred and fifty-four of this act. truant officer. 153. Every truant officer or other person designated Powers of by a board of education, finding any child between seven and fifteen years of age away from home during school hours, and who shall then be a truant from school, shall take such child and deliver it to its parent, guardian or other person having legal control, or to the teacher of the school which said child is lawfully required to attend. Said truant officer or other person shall examine into cases of children or pupils coming under the provisions of section one hundred and fifty-two of this act, when requested so to do by the inspector of factories and workshops or by the board of education of the district for which he shall have been appointed or detailed, and shall thereupon warn such child or pupil, its parent, guardian or other person having legal control of such child or pupil in writing, of the consequences of any of the acts as set out in section one hundred and fifty-two, if persisted in, and shall request that said pupil shall improve its conduct or said child attend school within five days. from serving said notice in writing, whereupon if said parent, guardian or other person having the legal control of said child or pupil shall fail, neglect or refuse to admonish said pupil for its conduct, or fail, neglect or refuse to cause said child to attend school within said period, said parent, guardian or other person having the Penalty for legal control of said child or pupil shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and punished by a fine of not less than one dollar nor more than twenty-five dollars for each offense, or by imprisonment of not less than five days, nor more than ninety days for each offense, which said fine shall be paid to the custodian of the school moneys of the school district in which the offense shall have been committed for the use of the public schools therein. truancy. |