to 5. Books to be furnished scholars at expense of the town. 6. How committee may procure books. 7. Expense of books so supplied, to be taxed to parents, &c. 8. If parents, &c., are unable to pay, such tax for books may be wholly or partially omitted. 9. Books not to be bought, which favor any particular sect of christians. 1. The school committee of each town shall direct what books shall be used in the several schools kept by the town; and may direct what books shall be used in the respective classes. Ib. § 17. 2. The scholars at the town schools shall be supplied by their parents, masters or guardians, with the books prescribed for their classes. Ib. § 18. 3. 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 Ib. § 19. same. 4. The requisition of the Statute in the above section, in regard to the duty of the committee in giving notice of the place where such books may be obtained, is substantially 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. 5. 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. ch. 23, § 20. 6. 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. 7. 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, masters 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. ch. 23, § 21. 8. 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. 16. § 22. 9. 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. lb. § 23. III. SCHOOL COMMITTEE. 1. School committee to be chosen | cord their votes, &c. and deliver it annually. 2. Additional members of, in towns of more than 4000 inhabitants. 3. Duty of committee where school is kept for benefit of all the inhabitants. 4. Shall select and contract with teachers, unless, &c. 5. To examine as to qualifications of instructors. 6. Instructors, not to be paid unless the committee certify, &c. 7. Committees may dismiss teach to their successors. 11. Registers to be kept, &c. 12. Compensation of Committees. 13. 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. 14. Duty of committees in relation to records of births. 15. Committees to prosecute for breaches of certain provisions of law. 16. Children under 15 years of age not to be employed in factories, unless they have attended school 3 months in the preceding year. 17. Penalty on owners, &c., for employing children contrary to the preceding section-and to what use and how recoverable. 1. The inhabitants of every town shall, at their annual meeting, choose, by written ballots, a school committee, consisting of three, five, or seven persons, who shall have the general charge and superintendence, of all the public schools in such town. R. S. ch. 23, § 10. 2. Any town, containing more than four thousand inhabitants, may choose an additional number, not exceeding six, on such committee. b. § 12. 3. In any town, containing five hundred families, and in which a school shall be kept for the benefit of all the inhabitants, the school committee, chosen under the preceding sections, shall perform all the like duties, in relation to such school, the house where it shall be kept, and the supply of all things necessary therefor, which the prudential committee of a school district may perform in such district. Ib. 11. 4. The school committee shall select and contract with the teachers for the town and district schools; provided, however, that the teachers for the town and district may be selected and contracted with by the prudential committee as heretofore, whenever the town shall so determine. lb. $2. 5. The school committee shall require full and satisfactory evidence of the good moral character of all instructors, who may be employed in the public schools in their town, and shall ascertain, by personal examination, their literary qualifications and capacity for the government of schools. R. S. ch. 23, § 13. 6. Every instructor of a town or district school shall obtain, of the school committee of such town, a certificate in duplicate of his qualifications, before any payment is made to such instructor on account of his services. Ib. $14. 7. The school committee of any town is authorized to dismiss from employment any teacher in such town, when ever the said committee may think proper, and from the time of such dismissal such teacher shall receive no further compensation for services rendered in that capacity. St. 1844, c. 32. 8. The school committee shall determine the number and qualifications of the scholars, to be admitted into the school, kept for the use of the whole town, as aforesaid, and visit such school, at least quarter yearly, for the purpose of making a careful examination thereof, and of ascertaining that the scholars are properly supplied with books; and they shall, at such examination, inquire into the regulations and discipline of the school, and the habits and proficiency of the scholars therein. R. S. ch. 23, § 15. 9. The school committee, or some one or more of them, shall, for the purposes aforesaid, visit each of the district schools in their town, on some day during the first or second week after the opening of such schools, respectively, and also on some day during the two weeks preceding the closing of the same; and shall also, for the same purposes, visit all the schools kept by the town, once a month, without giving previous notice thereof to the instructors. Ib. $ 16. 10. The school committee in each town shall be provided with a record book, in which all votes, orders, and proceedings of the committee shall be duly recorded, and said record shall be delivered over by the committees, at the expiration of the year, to their successors in office. St. 1838, ch. 105, § 3. 11. The Secretary of State is required to transmit register books, sufficient to last for five or more years, and in such form as the Board of Education shall prescribe, to the school committees of the respective towns, to be kept in all the town and district schools in the Commonwealth; and said committees shall cause the registers to be faithfully kept in all said schools, according to the form pre scribed; and no school teacher shall be entitled to receive payment for his or her services, until the register for his or her school, properly filled up and completed, shall be deposited with the school committee, or with such person as they may designate to receive it. St. 1838, ch. 105, 6. St. 1845, ch. 137. 12. The members of the school committees, except in the city of Boston, shall be paid by their respective towns, one dollar each per day for the time they shall be actually employed in discharging the duties of their office, together with such additional compensation as the town may allow. Ib. § 4. St. 1838, ch. 105, § 4. 13. In every city and town in the Commonwealth, in which it is required by law that the school committee shall be elected in the month of February, March or April, the school committee of the year preceding such election, shall continue to hold their office, and to discharge the duties thereof, notwithstanding the election of successors, until the winter terms of the several schools shall have closed, and until the certificate, return, and report, as hereinafter provided, shall have been by them made and transmitted to the office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth; provided, however, that, in regard to the examination of teachers for the summer schools, the visitation of those schools, and all other duties, except the making and transmitting of the said documents, the term of office of the new committee shall be held to commence immediately after their election to the same. St. 1846, ch. 223, § 1. 14. The school committee of each city or town shall, annually in the month of May, ascertain from actual inquiry or otherwise, all the births which have happened within such city or town, during the year next preceding the first day of said May, together with the date of the birth, the place of birth, the name of the child, (if it have any,) the sex of the child, name and surname of one or both of the |