no one of said three months.

schools shall be kept for a less term than Stat. 1850, c. 274.

7. Any town in the Commonwealth containing less than five hundred families or householders, may establish and maintain such schools as are mentioned and described in the fifth section of the twenty-third chapter of the Revised Statutes. Stat. 1852, c. 123.

8. Any town, containing less than five hundred families or householders, may establish and maintain such a school, as is first mentioned in the fifth section, for such term of time, in any year, or in each year as they shall deem expedient. R. S. c. 23, § 6.

9. In every school in this Commonwealth containing fifty scholars as the average number, the school district or town to which such school belongs, shall be required to employ a female assistant or assistants, unless such school district or town shall, at a meeting regularly called for that purpose, vote to dispense with the same. Stat. 1839, c. 56, § 1.

10. The several towns are authorized and directed, at their annual meetings, or at any regular meeting called for the purpose, to raise such sums of money, for the support of the schools aforesaid, as they shall judge necessary; which sums shall be assessed and collected in like manner as other town taxes. R. S. c. 23, § 9.

11. The power of towns to vote and grant money for the support of schools is not restricted to the amount that is necessary to support the schools, which the first five sections of this title require them to support, but they have power to vote and grant money for the support of other town schools, for instruction in branches of knowledge which those sections do not require to be taught. 10 Met. 508.

12. In addition to the grants of money for common schools which cities and towns are now, by law, authorized

to make, any city or town may appropriate such further sums of money as it may deem expedient, for the support of schools for the instruction of adults in reading, writing, English grammar, arithmetic and geography. St. 1847, c. 13, § 1.

13. Such moneys shall be assessed, levied, collected and paid into the treasury, in the same manner that other town or city taxes are, and shall then be at the disposal of the school committee of the town or city, to be expended by them for the purposes aforesaid, in such manner as they may deem expedient. Ib. § 2.

14. All moneys raised by taxation in the towns and cities for the support of public schools, and all moneys which may be appropriated by the State for the support of common schools, shall be applied to, and expended in, no other schools than those which are conducted according to law, under the order and superintendence of the authorities of the town or city in which the money is to be expended; and such moneys shall never be appropriated to any religious sect for the maintenance exclusively of its own schools. Amendment to Constitution, 1855, art. 5.

1.

II.

SCHOOL BOOKS AND STUDIES.

Bible to be read daily, authority of school committee as to other books. 2. Physiology and hygiene to be taught in the public schools.

3. Scholars to be supplied by their parents, &c., with the books prescribed. 4. Books may be provided by school committee.

5. What constitutes a compliance with the requisitions of the last section. 6. Books to be furnished to scholars at expense of the town.

7. How committee may procure books. 8. Expense of books so supplied, to be taxed to parents, &c.

9. If parents, &c., are unable to pay, such tax for books may be wholly or partially omitted.

10. Books not to be bought, which favor any particular sèct of christians.

11. School books and stationery may be furnished at expense of city or town.

1. The school committee of each town and city in this Commonwealth shall require the daily reading of some portion of the Bible in the common English version, and shall direct what other books shall be used in the public schools. Stat. 1855, c. 410.

2. Physiology and hygiene shall hereafter be taught in all the public schools of this Commonwealth, in all cases in which the school committee shall deem it expedient. Stat 1850, c. 229.

3. The scholars at the town schools shall be supplied by their parents, masters or guardians, with the books prescribed for their classes. Ib. § 18.

4. The school committee of each town may procure, at the expense of the town, or otherwise, a sufficient supply of such class books, for all the schools aforesaid, and shall give notice of the place where such books may be obtained ; and the books shall be supplied to the scholars, at such prices, as merely to reimburse the expenses of the same. Ib. § 19.

5. The requisition of the in regard to the duty of the the place where such books tially complied with, if the books are placed in the hands of the schoolmasters, with notice to the schools that they may be obtained of the masters. 13 Pick. 229.

Statute in the above section, committee in giving notice of may be obtained, is substan

6. In case any scholar shall not be furnished by his parent, master, or guardian, with the requisite books, he shall be supplied therewith by the school committee at the expense of the town. R. S. c. 23, § 20.

7. The committee may either get the books on the credit of the town, or may buy them themselves and thereby make themselves creditors of the town. 13 Pick. 229.

8. The school committee shall give notice, in writing, to the assessors of the town, of the names of the scholars so supplied by them with books, and of the books so furnished, the prices thereof, and the names of the parents, masters, or guardians, who ought to have supplied the same; and said assessors shall add the price of the books so supplied, to the next annual tax of such parents, mas

ters or guardians; and the amount so added, shall be levied, collected, and paid into the town treasury, in the same manner as the town taxes. R. S. c. 23, § 21.

9. In case the assessors shall be of opinion, that any such parent, master, or guardian, is unable to pay the whole expense of the books so supplied on his account, they shall omit to add the price of such books, or shall add only a part thereof, to the annual tax of such parent, master or guardian, according to their opinion of his ability to pay. Ib. § 22.

10. The school committee shall never direct to be purchased or used in any of the town schools, any school books, which are calculated to favor the tenets of any particular sect of christians. Ib. § 23.

11. Each city and town is hereby authorized to furnish the school books and stationery used in all the public schools, under the supervision of the school committee, at the expense of said city or town; and the school committee shall make such regulations as they may deem suitable and expedient respecting the supply, use, care and preservation of said books. Stat. 1855, c. 436.

III. SCHOOL COMMITTEE.

1. City or town may require school committee to appoint a superintendent of schools, school committee then to receive no compensation &c.

2. Act not to apply to cities whose charters provide for choice of superintendant.

3. School committee to be chosen annually.

4.

Vacancies in school committees how filled.

compensation of teachers and bind the town to pay it.

10. To examine as to qualifications of instructors.

11. School teachers must be examined in the elementary principles of physiology and hygiene.

12. Instructors, not to be paid unless the committee certify, &c.

13. Duplicate certificate of the qualification of school teachers to be depos

5. Additional members of, in towns ited with the selectmen. of more than 4000 inhabitants.

6. Duty of committee where school is kept for benefit of all the inhabitants. 7. Shall select and contract with teachers, unless, &c.

8. Teachers wages to be paid at expiration of quarter or term.

9. School committee can fix the

14. Committees may dismiss teachers. 15. Committee, to decide on admission of scholars into school kept for the whole town.

16. Remedy for the unlawful exclusion of a child from public school instruction.

17. Race, color or religious opinions, not to affect qualifications of scholars.

18. Child excluded for race, color, &c. may recover damages of city or town. 19. Interrogatories for discovery may be put to school committee.

20. Reasons for exclusion to be stated, in writing on demand.

21. The general school com. of Boston can make provision for the instruction of colored children in separate schools. 22. Power of school committees to exclude from the public schools children whom they deem to be of a licentious and immoral character.

23. Committee to visit all the district schools.

24. Shall keep a record book, record their votes, &c. and deliver it to their

successors.

25. Who to prescribe form of registers-duty of teachers in regard to them. 26. Compensation of Committees.

27. In cities and towns where the school committee is required by law to be elected in the months of February, March or April. term of office extended for certain purposes beyond the year.

not to apply to children coming into state until after six months residence. 32. Penalty for violation of act.

33. Children to be sent to school twelve weeks in each year.

34. Penalty for neglect to send. 35. School committee to inquire into cases of neglect and report.

36. What are sufficient excuses for not sending.

37. Treasurer of town or city to prosecute.

38. Towns &c. authorized to make by-laws relative to children not attending or absenting themselves from school.

39. Persons to be appointed to make complaints of a breach of such by-laws. 40. Truant children &c. may at discretion of justice instead of being fined be committed to any institution of instruction &c.

41. Children fined may in default of payment be committed to institution of instruction &c., or if unable to pay may be discharged.

42. If not so discharged shall be discharged like poor convicts.

43. Powers of justices &c, in unfinished cases to continue under immedi

28. The prudential school committee duly chosen in March and authorized to contract with teachers cannot interfere with a teacher engaged by the gen-ate reappointment. eral school committee of the preceding year for the entire winter termi &c.

29. Duty of committees in relation to records of births.

3). Committees to prosecute for breaches of certain provisions of law. 31. Statute of 1836, ch. 245, § 1, how construed-said statute and present act

44. Jurisdiction of offences may be vested by city ordinance in Police Court. 45. Truant children &c. instead of being fined may be committed to any institution of instruction &c. for not more than two years.

46. Act to take effect on acceptance by city council,

1. The several cities and towns in this Commonwealth, by an ordinance of the city government in said cities, or by a vote of the qualified voters of said towns in legal town meeting, may annually require the school committee. to appoint a superintendent of public schools, to have the care and supervision of said schools, under the direction and control of said school committee; the salary of such superintendent to be fixed as the city government of said cities, or the inhabitants of said towns, at a legal meeting shall direct; and in every city and town in which such superintendent shall be appointed the school committee shall receive no compensation unless otherwise provided for by the city governments of said cities, or by a vote of said town. Stat. 1854, c. 314.

2. Every city in this Commonwealth whose act of in