[No. 125.]

AN ACT to amend section fifteen of act number one hundred ninety-four of the public acts of eighteen hundred eighty-nine, entitled "An act to revise and consolidate the laws relative to the State Board of Education," being section one. thousand eight hundred twenty-six of the Compiled Laws of eighteen hundred ninety-seven.

The People of the State of Michigan enact:

SECTION 1. Section fifteen of act number one hundred Section ninety-four of the public acts of eighteen hundred eighty- amended. nine, entitled "An act to revise and consolidate the laws relative to the State Board of Education," being section one thousand eight hundred twenty-six of the Compiled Laws of eighteen hundred ninety-seven, is hereby amended to read as follows:

grant cer

SEC. 15. Said board shall hold at least two meetings Meetings of each year, at which they shall examine teachers, and shall board to grant certificates to such as have taught in the schools of tificates. the State at least two years and who shall, upon a thorough and critical examination in every study required for such certificate, be found to possess eminent scholarship, ability and good moral character. Such certificate shall be signed Certificate. by the members of said board, and be impressed with its seal, and shall entitle the holder to teach in any of the public schools of this State without further examination, and shall be valid for life unless revoked by said board. No certificate shall be granted except upon the examination herein. prescribed: Provided, That the said State Board of Educa- Proviso, intion may, in its discretion, indorse State teachers' certifi- dorsement of cates, granted upon examinations, normal school diplomas tificates. or certificates, or other State certificates granted in other states, if it be shown to the satisfaction of said board that such certificates are for life and that the examinations required or courses of study pursued are fully equal to the requirements of this State.

Approved June 5, 1907.

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Section amended.

Board of trustees, meetings.

Powers.

[No. 126.]

AN ACT to amend section four of act number one hundred forty-four of the public acts of nineteen hundred one, entitled "An act to provide for the establishment and maintenance of rural high schools."

The People of the State of Michigan enact:

SECTION 1. Section four of act number one hundred fortyfour of the public acts of nineteen hundred one, entitled "An act to provide for the establishment and maintenance of rural high schools," is amended to read as follows:

SEC. 4. Said board of trustees shall meet on the third Monday in April of each year and organize by electing one of the trustees as president. Regular meetings of the board shall be held on the second Mondays of May, August, November and February in each year. Special meetings may be called upon five days' notice by the president or secretary. The board shall have power:

(a) To supervise and visit the school;

(b) To admit all children of the township above the sixth grade and to admit and provide rates of tuition for non-resident pupils if they so elect; but nothing in this act shall be so construed as to limit the operation of the laws of this State relative to the compulsory education of children, or the liability of children to attend school thereunder, and it shall be the duty of the officers charged by law to enforce the provisions of said laws relative to the compulsory education of children, to enforce in like manner the attendance at such high schools of children admitted to attendance thereat under the terms of this act;

(c) To select and adopt text-books;

(d) To appoint legally qualified teachers;

(e) To fix wages, make general rules and regulations for the control of the school, suspend or expel pupils, fix the time of school which will not be more than ten months nor less than seven in any one year;

(f) To rent or to purchase and hold real estate for such township high school, build and furnish schoolhouses, determine location of grounds and building, which shall be as near the center of the township as practicable, according to sanitary conditions, and to receive and hold bequests and gifts for the benefit of the school, and to dispose of property belonging to the district subject to the provisions hereinafter named;

(g) To provide a course of study which shall be approved by the Superintendent of Public Instruction and the president of the Michigan Agricultural College, and shall not consist of more than four years' work; said course of study may

include instruction in manual training, domestic science, nature study and the elements of agriculture;

(h) To estimate and vote the amount of tax necessary to support the school at a meeting previous to October first in each year and report the same to the supervisor, which amount shall be spread upon the tax roll the same as other district taxes, and in their discretion borrow money for current expenses, which amount shall not exceed fifty per cent of the amount of tax voted;

(i) To publish annually in one newspaper of the township or county a statement of the proceedings of the board meetings and an itemized account of all receipts and expenses, and file a copy of the same in the office of the county school commissioner and State Superintendent of Public Instruction within sixty days of the date of publication of the same;

(j) To call special elections or meetings of the township, if necessary, to vote on the amount of money to be raised for the purchase of grounds and erection of buildings and for such other purposes as may be necessary within the authority of the provisions of this act or of the general school laws. This act is ordered to take immediate effect. Approved June 5, 1907.

[No. 127.]

AN ACT to amend section seven and section eight of act one hundred forty-seven of the public acts of eighteen hundred ninety-one, entitled "An act to provide for the election of a county commissioner of schools, for the appointment of school examiners, and to define the duties and fix the compensation for the same, and to repeal all existing acts or parts of acts conflicting with the provisions of this act," and acts amendatory thereof, being sections four thousand eight hundred fourteen and four thousand eight hundred fifteen of the Compiled Laws of eighteen hundred ninety-seven.

The People of the State of Michigan enact:

SECTION 1. Section seven and section eight of act one Sections hundred forty-seven of the public acts of eighteen hundred amended. ninety-one, entitled "An act to provide for the election of a county commissioner of schools, for the appointment of school examiners, and to define the duties and fix the compensation for the same, and to repeal all existing acts or parts of acts conflicting with the provisions of this act," and acts amendatory thereof, being sections four thousand

Revocation

missioner,

preferred.

Duty of board at hearing.

eight hundred fourteen and four thousand eight hundred fifteen of the Compiled Laws of eighteen hundred ninetyseven, are amended to read as follows:

SEC. 7. The board of school examiners may suspend or of certificates. revoke any teacher's certificate issued by them for neglect of duty, incompetency, or immorality, or for any other reason which would have justified said board in withholding the same when given, and said board may suspend the effect of any teacher's certificate granted by the county commissioner of schools which said certificate licenses the holder thereof to teach in a specified district for which it shall be granted. Duty of com- Whenever written charges accusing any teacher of neglect of when charges duty, incompetency, or immorality shall be filed with the county commissioner of schools, said commissioner shall immediately notify said accused teacher that charges have been filed against him and shall attach to such notice a certified copy of said charges together with the name or names of the person or persons filing the same, and said commissioner may, and on the written demand of the accused teacher shall, within twenty days after the filing of said charges, call a meeting of the board of school examiners of the county and shall summon the teacher, against whom charges have been preferred, and also summon any witnesses who may have knowledge of the facts, to appear before said board of examiners on the date mentioned in the summons. Said summons shall have the force of a summons or subpoena at law. On the day set for the meeting of the board of examiners, said board shall proceed to hear the case. The chairman of said board shall have authority to administer an oath to the several witnesses and examine them under oath if he deems it advisable. The board of examiners shall proceed to examine the party charged and the witnesses for and against said party, and if it shall appear that the charges made are true, then the said board shall have authority to suspend or revoke the certificate of the accused : Provided, That no certificate shall be suspended or revoked without a personal hearing, unless the holder thereof shall, after a reasonable notice, neglect or refuse to appear before the said board for that purpose: And Provided further, That any person summoned to appear before the board of examiners for the purposes mentioned herein and who shall fail to appear before said board on the day specified in the summons, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction in any court of competent jurisdiction, shall be fined a sum not less than five dollars nor more than twenty-five dollars, or by imprisonment in the county jail for not more than twenty days or both such fine and imprisonment in the discretion of the court. The county comsuspension of missioner of schools in any county shall have authority to temporarily suspend the force of any teacher's certificate when from his personal inspection of the work of said teacher, or from his personal knowledge, he is satisfied that

Proviso.

Proviso as to non-appearance of person summoned.

Temporary

certificate.

teacher be

such teacher has been guilty of wilful neglect of duty or is incompetent to instruct or govern the school, or has been guilty of gross immorality. The county commissioner of To summon schools shall, upon suspending the force of any teacher's cer- fore board. tificate, immediately, and within ten days thereafter, call a meeting of the board of school examiners and summon said teacher to appear before said board to show cause why his or her certificate should not be indefinitely suspended or revoked: Provided further, however, That it shall be the Proviso, as duty of the board of school examiners to file in the office of to filing dethe county school commissioner its decision within ten days after the close of any hearing above mentioned, and it shall be the duty of the county school commissioner within five days after the filing of said decision to mail a copy thereof to said teacher: Provided further, however, That any teacher Proviso, apwho feels aggrieved at the decision of the county board of pete to proschool examiners may, within twenty days after the filing of such decision, take an appeal to the probate court of said county, who is hereby authorized to hear and determine said

cause.

cision.

bate court.

county com

SEC. 8. It shall be the duty of the county commissioner: Duty of First, Immediately after his or her qualification as commissioner. missioner, to send notice thereof to the Superintendent of Notice of qualification. Public Instruction and to the chairman of each township board of school inspectors of the county;

Second, To keep a record of all examinations held by the Record of board of school examiners and to sign all certificates and meetings, etc. other papers and reports issued by the board, and to keep a record of all meetings of the board of examiners and of all hearings for the suspension or revocation of any teacher's certificate, and to call meetings of the board of examiners at such other times than those mentioned in section five of this act as he may deem best;

Third, To receive the institute fees provided by law and Institute fees. to pay the same to the county treasurer quarterly, beginning September thirtieth in each year;

certificates.

Fourth, To keep a record of all certificates granted, Record of suspended, revoked or transferred by the said board or commissioner, showing to whom issued, together with the date, grade, duration of each certificate, and, if suspended or revoked, with the date and the reason therefor;

authorized

Fifth, To furnish, previous to the third Monday in July List of in each year, to the township clerk of each township in the teachers. county, a list of all persons legally authorized to teach in the county at large during the preceding school year, and in such township, with the date and term of each certificate, and if any have been suspended or revoked, the date of such suspension or revocation;

Sixth, To visit each of the schools in the county at least Visit schools. once in each year and to examine carefully the discipline, the mode of instruction, the text-books in use, the apparatus belonging to the school, the library, the progress and proficiency