meeting.

township district, and such graded districts shall become a part of the township district. The question of changing any organized township into a single school district to be governed by the provisions of this act, shall not be submitted to the qualified school electors of said township until a petition therefor, signed by one-fourth of the qualified school electors Petition of of such township, requesting the submission of such proposi- electors. tion, shall be filed in the office of the township clerk. Upon the receipt and filing of such petition, it shall be the duty Township of the township clerk to call a meeting of the township board clerk to call and it shall be the duty of the township board of such township to attend such meeting, which shall be held not more than five days after the filing of such petition. It shall be the duty of the said township board at such meeting to consider the said petition with the names appearing thereon, and if it be found and determined that one-fourth of the qualified school electors of said township have signed the said petition requesting that the said township of which they are residents be organized as a single school district under the provisions of this act, it shall be the duty of the township board to call an election at which the question of the organization of the said township into a single school district shall be submitted to the qualified school electors of such township. Such elec- Election. tion shall be called by the township board within thirty days after the meeting of the township board at which it is determined that the petition herein provided for is sufficient: Provided, however, That if any such petition is determined to Proviso. be sufficient not more than four months and not less than twenty days prior to the annual township election, such question shall be submitted at the annual township election. Notice of such election, whether it be of a special or of the Notice of annual election, shall be given by the township board by posting notices thereof in at least five public places in the township and at least one notice in each organized school district in the township, which notice shall state that at such election, giving the date, the question of the organization of the township into a single school district shall be submitted to the qualified school electors of the township. The ballots Ballots, upon which such question shall be submitted shall be in the form, etc. following form: Shall (name of

township) township be organized into a single school district? () Yes. Shall

election.

(name of township) township be organized into a single school district? ( ) No. Each ballot which has a cross marked in the square to the left of the word "Yes" on any such ballot shall be counted in favor of the organization of such township into a single school district, and each ballot which has a cross marked in the square to the left of the word "No" shall be counted against the organization of such township into a single school district. Any such election shall be conducted Election, by the township board of election inspectors in the same ducted. manner in all respects and the ballots shall be taken, counted,

how con

Notice of election.

Proviso.

Township board to file certified copy.

Proviso.

Accounting of property, etc.

are

and canvassed in the same manner that is now provided for the counting of ballots under the general election law. If a majority of the school electors of such township voting at such election votes in favor of the proposition, such township shall, after the second Monday in July subsequent to such election, be considered a single school district and shall be governed by the provisions of this act. Whenever a majority of the qualified school electors of any township votes in favor of the organization of any township into a single school district it shall be the duty of the township board to call a township election for the second Monday in July, at which election the trustees for the township school district shall be elected by the qualified school electors of such township. Notice of such election shall be given by the township board by posting notices thereof in at least five public places in the township and at least one notice in each organized school district that on the second Monday in July following trustees for the township school district will be elected, and it shall be the duty of the township board of election inspectors of such township to conduct such first election and perform such duties in connection therewith as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this act: Provided, That if in such township, or as a part of such township, there fractional school districts already organized, the school house of which is within the boundaries of the township, such fractional districts shall be considered a part of the township for school purposes, and qualified school electors residing anywhere in such fractional school district shall be qualified to sign the petition for or vote upon the question of the organization of the township district. The township board shall make and file, both with the county clerk and with the county commissioner of schools of the county in which such township is located, a certified copy of the above mentioned petition together with its findings and decision thereon, and when the trustees or district officers shall have been duly elected and shall have filed a written acceptance of office with the township clerk of such township and shall have complied with the general provisions of this act pertaining to the election and acceptance of school officers, the said board of education shall immediately become the custodian of all the property pertaining to the public schools of the township and shall have all the powers and privileges conferred upon school officers by the general laws of this State, and said general laws shall apply and be in force in such district in all particulars not otherwise provided for in this act: Provided, That immediately upon the organization of the board of education herein provided for said board shall call a meeting of the officers of the school districts of the township as heretofore existing, if any, and at such meeting there shall be an accounting of the property, records, and funds of such districts and a settlement of the same, and the officers of the several school districts of the

township as heretofore existing shall immediately thereafter turn over to the said board of education all the books, records, money, property, and other matter or material in their possession and belonging to the public schools of their respective districts to the township board of education and said board shall give to such officers proper receipts, and the secretary of said board of education shall place a full statement of such several settlements in the records of the board of education for said township.

SEC. 2. All cities organized as school districts and all Exemption. graded school districts having a population of more than nine hundred shall be exempt from the provisions of this act. Their boundaries shall remain the same and they shall continue to administer the public schools of such city or graded district in the same manner as heretofore provided by statute: Provided, That if any such city or graded school dis- Proviso. trict shall desire to give up its own organization as a school district and become a part of the township district, and such district and the other district or districts of the township shall respectively so express themselves by ballot by a majority vote of the legal voters of each district at an annual or special meeting of such districts, the Superintendent of Public Instruction shall have authority to declare the organization of such city or graded school district for school purposes dissolved, and he shall make such declaration in writing and serve the same upon the officers of the township district and upon the officers of such city or graded district, and such officers shall immediately turn over to the board of education of such township all the building, property, appurtenances, money, and material heretofore belonging to such city or graded district to the board of education of the township district, and thereafter such city or graded district shall be a part of the township district and controlled by the township board of education as herein provided: Provided further, Further That where fractional school districts have been organized heretofore the organization of the township district for school purposes shall conform to the boundaries of such school districts, and that the said fractional districts shall become a part of the township district in which the school house of such district is located, and that in the election of school officers said boundaries shall be recognized by the officers of the township: Provided further, That in any case where a Further proviso. fractional district has been organized heretofore, such territory may be divided so that the township school district boundary lines shall conform to the township boundary lines, said division being made in their discretion by the township boards of the townships in which the territory may be located, said boards meeting in joint session for such purpose. When such division has been made, the township boards at said joint meeting shall immediately proceed to make an equitable division of the property, and money, if any, belonging to such district between the townships in which such dis

proviso.

trict was located. The township clerk of the township in which the school house of such fractional school district is located shall give at least ten days' notice to the township clerk of the other townships interested of the time and place of such meeting, and each township clerk upon receiving such notice shall notify each member of the township board of his township of the time and place of such meeting. The joint meeting of the township boards when assembled shall elect from their number a chairman and a clerk, and a majority of the joint board shall be necessary to determine all questions submitted. The clerk of said joint board shall provide each township clerk with an exact record of the proceedings of said meeting.

SEC. 9. The board of education shall have the following powers and duties:

(a) To fill any vacancies that may occur in the office of trustee until the next annual meeting, and the person or persons so appointed shall file his acceptance and affidavit as hereinbefore provided;

(b) To purchase or lease in the name of the district such site or sites for school houses as may be necessary, out of the fund provided for that purpose, and make sale of any site or other property of the district when lawfully directed to do so by the qualified voters: Provided, That the board shall not build a stone or brick school house upon any site without having first obtained a title in fee to the same or a lease for at least ninety-nine years, nor shall a frame school house be erected on any site for which the board has not secured a title in fee or a lease for at least fifty years, and in all cases where school sites are leased the board shall reserve the privilege of removing the school property from the site on the expiration of the lease;

(c) To estimate the amount of money necessary to be raised for buildings and sites and report same to the voters at the annual meeting;

(d) To vote the taxes necessary in addition to other school funds for teachers' wages which shall be accounted for under the title of "general fund;" and if no high school be established, to vote such taxes as may be necessary to pay the tuition of any and all children of high school age resident in such township, to high schools already established, and to vote such taxes as may be necessary for the regular running expenses of the school, which shall include school furnishings and all appendages, library, the care of school property, record books and blanks, and all apparatus and material which may be necessary in order that the schools may be properly managed and maintained, and such taxes when collected and received by the treasurer of the board shall be accounted for under the title "general fund." All moneys received from penal fines for library purposes and all moneys received for buildings and sites shall be kept in separate accounts under proper title: Provided, That when the dis

trict or the board has voted a tax for any legal purpose and the money is needed before the tax can be levied and collected the board may borrow on the warrant of the district a sum not to exceed the amount of tax voted for such purpose;

(e) Between the second Monday of July and the first Taxes levied. Monday of August in each year, to make out and deliver to the township clerk a report in writing, signed by the president and secretary, of all taxes for school purposes voted by the district and by the district board, to be levied on the taxable property of the district;

moneys,

(f) To apply and pay over all school moneys belonging to School the district in accordance with the provisions of the law regu- uses, etc. lating the same, and no money raised by tax shall be used for any other purpose than that for which it was raised without the consent of a majority of the taxpaying voters of the district present at an annual meeting or a special meeting, and no moneys received from the primary school interest fund shall be appropriated to any other use than the payment of teachers' wages, except as hereinafter provided, and no money received for teachers' wages shall be paid to any person who is not the holder of a proper certificate of qualification authorizing him to teach, and granted to said person before the commencement of his school. The board shall not apply any moneys received by it from any source for the support or maintenance of any school of a sectarian character, whether the same be under the control of any religious society or made sectarian by the school board;

school

(g) To have the care and custody of all school property Custody of and to provide suitable school privileges and sanitary condi- property. tions for all schools, a suitable water supply and all record

books and blanks;

(h) To specify the studies to be pursued in the schools of the district and adopt a suitable course of study for said schools;

(i) To select and adopt suitable text books for use in the Text books, adoption of, schools, and the secretary shall make a record of such adop- etc. tion. Text books once adopted under the provisions of this act shall not be changed within five years except by the consent of a majority of the qualified voters of the district present at any annual or special meeting: Provided, That in the Proviso. adoption of text books the board shall provide for instruction in the subject of physiology and hygiene with special reference to the nature of alcohol and narcotics and their effects upon the human system, and sanitary science. Text books Text books, adopted in this subject shall give at least one-fourth of their approval of. space to the consideration of such subjects, and for the high schools such books shall contain at least twenty pages of such matter, and the instruction in this subject shall be given in such manner and at such times as may be suited to the grade of the pupils. The text books used in giving such instruction shall first be approved by the State Board of Education. Each teacher or superintendent shall report to