ments of the public schools of this Commonwealth, and in all educational institutions supported wholly or in part by money from this Commonwealth.

Tuberculosis.

Section 1610. Instruction in humane education shall Humane be given to all pupils up to and including the fourth education. grade, and need not exceed half an hour each week during the whole school term. No cruel experiment on Experiments. any living creature shall be permitted in any public school of this Commonwealth.

of pupils.

Section 1611. Teachers in the public elementary Grading and schools in this Commonwealth shall, under the direc- classification tion of the proper superintendents of schools, grade and classify the pupils in their schools so that they may pursue the courses of study herein provided for, and all pupils found proficient may be promoted twice each year.

Promotions.

fourth class.

Section 1612. In school districts of the second, third Second, third and and fourth class, every teacher in the public elementary or high schools shall make and keep a proper re- Record of work. cord of the work and progress of each pupil, and at the

end of each term shall include, in the last monthly re- Monthly report. port required from such teacher by the provisions of this act, the grade of proficiency of each pupil and his standing in the several branches pursued by him in said school, as well as the conduct of such pupil, together with such recommendations for his promotion or retention for additional preparation as such teacher deems just and proper; and until his record and report as herein required shall have been examined and approved by the district superintendent, supervising and approval, principal, or the secretary of the board of school directors, no teacher shall be paid any salary for the last month of his term.

Examination

Section 1613. The district superintendent, super- Copy of standing vising principal, or secretary of the board of school of pupils. directors, in every school district in this Commonwealth, shall on or before the opening day of school in each term furnish to each teacher or principal in every school a true copy of the standing of each pupil in such school, together with the recommendation made thereon by the principal or teacher of said school at the close of the preceding term.

Section 1614. In school districts of the second, third, second, third and and fourth class, every teacher employed in the public fourth class. schools in this Commonwealth shall, at the end of each school month, or within five days thereafter, make

Contents.

a report for the past month to the board of school di- Monthly report. rectors in the district, such report to state correctly the number of days the schools were kept open, and, if closed on any days, the reason therefor, the number, age, and sex of all pupils, and the number of days attended by each. Such reports shall be made on blank forms to be furnished the teachers by the board of school directors, and no teacher shall be paid until

Filing of reports.

Proviso.

Classification.

First class.

Second class.

Third class.

Proviso.

Number of teachers.

Admission of pupils.

Second, third and fourth class.

Branches of study.

Annual statement.

such report is made; such reports shall be filed with the secretary of the board, and shall at all times be open to inspection by the public: Provided, That any school principal may make such report for the entire school.

ARTICLE XVII.

HIGH SCHOOLS.

Section 1701. All high schools maintaining four or more years' courses of study, of not less than nine months in each year, shall be high schools of the first class. All high schools maintaining three years' courses of study, of not less than eight months in each year, shall be high schools of the second class. All high schools maintaining two years' courses of study shall be high schools of the third class. The class to which any high school belongs shall be determined by the length of its shortest course for graduation: Provided, That hereafter no new high school shall be established in a school district of the fourth class without the consent of the Superintendent of Public Instruction and of the superintendent of schools of the county in which such district is located.

Section 1702. Every high school of the first class shall employ at least three properly qualified teachers during the entire term, and every high school of the second class shall employ at least two properly qualified teachers during the entire term.

Section 1703. In all school districts there shall be admitted to the public high schools therein all children, under the age of twenty-one years, residing within the school districts, who shall be found qualified for admission thereto, after having undergone such an examination as shall be prescribed by the board of school directors, subject to such rules and regulations as the Superintendent of Public Instruction shall prescribe, together with such additional pupils from other districts as are herein provided for.

Section 1704. Except in school districts of the first class, the board of school directors of every school district which shares in the special appropriation for high schools shall employ for its high school, during the entire term, a sufficient number of teachers for the teaching of any of the following branches; namely: bookkeeping, civil government, general history, algebra, geometry, rhetoric, English literature, Latin (including Caesar, Virgil, and Cicero), physical geography, and the elements of botany, of zoology, of phy sics, and of chemistry. But no teacher shall be employed to teach any branch other than those en umerated in his certificate.

Section 1705. The board of school directors of every district maintaining a high school shall, on or before the first day of September of each year, furnish to the

Superintendent of Public Instruction a sworn statement, giving such information concerning said high school as he may require.

Where pupils

Section 1706. Every public high school shall be un- Supervision. der the supervision of the superintendent of the county or district in which said high school is situated. Section 1707. Pupils residing in school districts in may attend. which no public high schools are maintained may attend, during the entire term, the high schools in other districts which are nearest or most convenient to their homes. If any district maintains a high school with a course less than a four years' course, pupils who have satisfactorily completed the same may attend, during the remaining years of a three or four years' course, the nearest or most conveniently located high school of such class as they may desire to attend: Provided, That pupils wishing to attend a high school in a district other than the one in which they reside shall obtain the consent of the board of school di- Consent of rectors of the district in which such high school is located, before attending the same.

Proviso.

board.

pupils.

Section 1708. The board of school directors in any Certificate as district maintaining a high school which is attended to non-resident by any pupils residing in another district, as herein provided, shall, at the close of the term, properly certify to the board of school directors of the district in which such pupils reside, the names of all such pupils and the length of time they attended said high school, together with the cost of tuition, text-books, and supplies for such attendance, which shall not exceed the cost of tuition, text-books, and supplies of other pupils in said high school pursuing similar studies for the same length of time, and the cost of such tuition, textbooks, and supplies shall, within thirty days after being so certified, be paid to the district maintaining such high school by the district to which the same was so certified.

Payment
of cost.

Attendance at more convenient

Section 1709. If any child has completed the elementary course of study in the public schools of the school. district in which he resides, and resides three or more miles, by the public road, from the nearest high school in said district, unless proper free transportation is furnished, he may attend any more convenient high school in another district, without the consent of the board of school directors of the district in which he resides, and the district in which he resides shall be liable to the district whose high school he attends for the cost of his tuition, text-books, and supplies, as pro- Cost. vided for in this act.

superintendent

Section 1710. All pupils desiring to attend any high Approval of school outside the district in which they reside shall er principal. first satisfy the superintendent having supervision of

Estimate of cost per pupil.

Recommendation of courses of study.

Apportionment

of appropriations.

Proviso.

Agriculture.

Joint high school.

Power to

confer degrees.

the district in which they reside, as well as the superintendent or principal of said high school, of their fitness to enter the same.

Section 1711. The board of school directors of any district, in which there is located a high school receiving a share of any appropriation made specifically for the maintenance of said high schools, shall deduct its share of the last such appropriation received, from the total cost of tuition, text-books, and supplies, before computing the cost per pupil, in order to certify properly the expense for pupils attending the same from other districts.

Section 1712. It shall be the duty of the superintendent having supervision over any high school to prepare, and recommend to the board of school directors maintaining the same, suitable courses of study, which shall be adopted by said board of school directors, with such changes as they may deem wise, subject to the provisions of this act.

Section 1713.

From the annual appropriations in aid of high schools, a high school of the first class shall receive, each year, a sum not exceeding eight hundred dollars; a high school of the second class, a sum not exceeding six hundred dollars; a high school of the third class, a sum not exceeding four hundred dollars: Provided, That any high school which shares in any appropriation hereafter made for township high schools shall give such instruction in agriculture as the Superintendent of Public Instruction shall prescribe. If the appropriation is insufficient to pay the maximum amounts, as above specified, then the appropriation shall be distributed to the schools of the respective grades in such a manner that each school shall receive its pro rata share thereof.

Section 1714. If two or more districts establish a joint high school, under the provisions of this act, said high school shall share in the special appropriation made for high schools, under regulations made by the Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Section 1715. The power to confer academic degrees, honorary or otherwise, heretofore granted to and possessed by any board of public education, board of school directors, or controllers of any school district, at the time of the passage of this act, is hereby vested in the board of public education or school directors of such school district created by the provisions hereof. And any public high school, in any school district, existing at the time of the passage of this act, with a course of study of not less than four years, and upon whose students of the full prescribed course of study such academic or other degrees have heretofore been conferred, shall be continued by the said board of public education or school directors of the district in which it shall

be located, under such name or title, with such regulations, and courses of study of such length and character, as the said board may deem necessary.

ARTICLE XVIII.

JOINT SCHOOLS.

and maintenance.

Section 1801. The boards of school directors in any Establishment two or more adjoining school districts may establish, construct, equip, furnish, and maintain joint elementary public schools, high schools, or any other kind of schools or departments provided for in this act. The cost of establishing, constructing, equipping, furnish- cost. ing, and maintaining such joint schools or departments shall be paid by the several districts establishing the same, in such manner and in such proportion as they may agree upon. The action of the several boards establishing and maintaining such joint schools or departments shall be recorded in full in the minutes Record of of the respective boards.

Boards' action.

estate.

Section 1802. The several boards of school directors, establishing and maintaining such joint schools or departments, are hereby authorized to meet jointly, Joint meetings. and exercise the same power and authority over the same as the several boards exercise over the schools in their respective districts. The title to any real es- Title to real tate, acquired for the purpose of establishing any such joint school or department, shall be held in the name of one or more of the districts establishing the same, as they may agree. No joint school or department shall be established without receiving the affirmative vote of a majority of the members of the board of school directors in each district establishing the same.

Section 1803. No joint school or department of any kind shall be established, unless the several districts intending to establish the same shall first enter into and record in their respective minutes a written agreement, by and among themselves agreeing that Agreement. such proposed joint school or department shall be established and maintained by the several districts, in such manner and proportion, and upon such terms as the several districts may then agree upon, and no change shall be made therein without the consent of each district first obtained, by the affirmative vote of a majority of the school directors thereof.

Annual meeting.

Section 1804. The several boards of school directors of the school districts establishing such joint school or department shall meet in joint session at least once a year, for the purpose of employing the necessary teacher or teachers for such joint school or department, and fixing the salary of the same, and at such joint session they shall elect, from the treasurers Treasurer. of their respective districts, one who shall act as the treasurer of such joint school or department, to whom