Deaf mute children. School board to open and maintain a special school for their education.

208. The board of school directors of any school district within this Commonwealth having a population of more than twenty thousand inhabitants, and having within the limits of the city or township, in which said school district shall be, eight or more deaf mute children of proper age for attending school, are hereby authorized to open and maintain a special school for the education and training of such deaf mutes, either in sign language or in articulation as to such board of directors shall seem best for such children.'s

Expenses paid out of school district funds.

209. Any such school so organized by any such board of school directors, shall be a part of the common school system of such school district, and shall be under the control of such board of school directors in the same manner as the other schools in said district: Provided, the deaf mute children may be sent from any school district in the county in which such school shall be established, upon payment, by such district, to the treasurer of the school board by which such school shall be maintained, its proportionate share of the expense of maintaining said school: And provided further, That the expense of educating said deaf mute children shall not exceed the sum of one hundred and fifty dollars for each child during any one year. 16

Indigent blind children. Expenses paid out of school funds.

210. The school boards of this Commonwealth are hereby authorized and recommended to provide suitable apparatus for the instruction of indigent blind children between the ages of nine and thirteen years, and pay the sum out of the school fund as in the case of seeing children, the cost thereof not to exceed twelve dollars for each person in any one year."7

Extension of time.

211. The time for which indigent pupils of this Commonwealth may be taught in institutions for the instruction of the blind, at the expense of the Commonwealth, is hereby extended to twelve years from the time of entering said institution. 18

Homes for friendless children. Powers of trustees and managers. May petition court.

212. The board of trustees and the board of managers, or a majority of each thereof of any school, commonly known as a home for friendless children, or institution for the purpose of educating and providing for friendless, destitute or vagrant children, now formed, organized or established, or that may hereafter be formed, organized or established in this Commonwealth, not of a denominational or sectarian character, shall have the right to petition the judge or judges of the court of common pleas of the county in which such school or institution is located, asking for a decree authorizing and directing the payment of moneys, out of the funds of said county, for the education and support of the children of said school or institution.19

Contents of petition to court of common pleas.

213. Said petition shall set forth, under the oath or affirmation of the president of the board of trustees and the president of the board of managers of such school or institution, the number of children cared for during the current year, the number of children bound out or apprenticed, and the age and sex of the same, the income and expenditures of such school or institution, the cost of educating and maintaining the children per capita, and such other matter relative to the wants and condition of the school or institution, and the welfare and advancement of the children, as the said court may direct for its information. 20

Order of court and duty of county commissioners.

214. The court of common pleas have the power, and it shall be their duty, on the presentation of a petition as provided for in the preceding section, after full investigation of the same, to order and direct the commissioners of the county or city in which such school or institution is situate, to pay to the treasurer of such school or institution, out of the county funds, such sum or sums of moneys, and in such installments as, in the discretion of the said court, may be deemed just and necessary, and it shall be the duty of the commissioners to draw their warrants, upon the county or city treasurer for the payment of such appropriation, in such manner and form as shall be provided for by the said court.21

Court to appoint one-third of trustees and managers.

215. The court of common pleas shall appoint onethird in number of the trustees and managers of any such school or institution accepting the benefits of this act."

Duties of treasurer.

216. It shall require the treasurer of any such school or institution to furnish the county or city commissioners an itemized account of the receipts and expenditures of such school or institution at the end of each fiscal year, and to advertise the same in not less than two weekly newspapers published in the county, supporting any such school or institution, one insertion weekly, for four successive weeks.23

Duty of auditors.

217. It shall require the county auditors, controllers or city controllers, of any city or county, as the case may be, and it shall be the duty of said officers, to audit, settle and adjust the accounts of said treasurer, and to make report thereof to the said court. 24

Admission of friendless children.

218. When any such school or institution has accepted the provisions of this act and has sufficient building capacity the management thereof shall admit to the benefits of any such school or institution any friendless, destitute or vagrant child, recommended for admission by the board of school directors of the school district in which said child may reside or be found, or by the directors of the poor of any county in which said school or institution is located, guardians of the poor, overseers of the poor or poor directors, as the case may be, of any city or district included in said county; and in case any child is refused admission, the said court of common pleas, on complaint made thereto by any person after due and legal proof of such refusal, shall enjoin the payment of moneys out of the county funds as authorized by this act; Provided, however, That no child shall be admitted under the age of four nor above the age of sixteen.25

Visitors of institutions.

219. The judges of the court of common pleas of the several counties of this Commonwealth are hereby constituted and appointed ex-officio visitors of any such school or institution; and the grand jury of the court of quarter sessions of the county in which any such school or institution is located, shall, as often as directed by said court, visit, examine and inspect the needs and management of any such school or institution, and the condition of the children therein, as directed by the said court and report the same to the said court. 26

Acceptance of act and employment of teachers.

220. The board of trustees and the board of managers of any such school or institutions desiring to accept the provisions of this act, shall set forth the same in their first petition presented to the said court of common pleas, as authorized in the first section of this act; no teacher shall

be employed in any such school or institution who has not received a valid certificate from the superintendent of the schools of the county in which such school or institution is situate.27

Admission of orphan and friendless children to the public schools. Tuition.

221. The school directors of every school district in this Commonwealth shall admit the inmates of any orphan asylum or home for poor and friendless children, situated in their school district, to the schools of the district, provided there is building capacity, upon the payment of a reasonable tuition per capita, which tuition shall be fixed by the superintendent of the schools in the county in which the orphan asylum or home for poor and friendless children is located, upon the application of the directors of said school district, or the managers of the orphan asylum or home for poor and friendless children; Provided, That where said orphan asylum, or home for poor and friendless children, is located in a city, the superintendent of schools in that city shall fix the tuition. 28

Children of soldiers.

222. The act of assembly approved July 2, 1895, P. L. 434, and entitled "An act to amend section of the act of April 18, 1893, P. L. 23, entitled 'an act relative to the admission and instruction of children of soldiers of the late war of the rebellion in the common schools of districts outside of those in which their parents, guardians or others entitled to their custody may reside'" is unconstitutional and void, coming within the inhibition of section 7, of article III, of the constitution, providing against class legislation.29

27. Act April 12, 1875, Sec. 6, P. L. 46.

28. Act March 22, 1901, P. L. 55.

29. Sewickley School District vs. Osburn School District, 6 D. R. 211,