OFIFXCE op
THE AFNBRXEY GENERAL
AUSTIIV.TEXAS
FACAN DICKEON
PRICE DANIEL
ATmRNEK GENERAL Max'oh27, 1948 *mm *IIoemANr
Bon. L. A. Wooda Cplnlon lo. Y-528
state Superintendent
Public Inatrrrotion Be: Authority of Board oi
Department OS Eduoation Bdudatloh to aooept
Austin, Texas publisher~a~ gift or
ooples of a H.otioaal
Attentionr Hon. H.A. Olass work on the early hla-
tory of a raligloos
mot for disthlbution
to the publio aohoole.
Dear Qlw
We refer to your letter of r?osat date whioh
read8 aa iollom -
yAt the..se ~, ~ileetlag iii.; the mate
‘y
Bosrid 'Of 3Muoation .U Boud vab off,@m4
ati a gift I#$ r~pabl%ihev f6p dietributi6n
to’thi3 publLo eohoola .of the State 10 QOO-
oopies of’ a 2&6X iiiititlad FRIBRD~~dBUA-
SIOR., .The oiT6r’ was ‘llrdii 66ntl&jent upon
the B~srdii~- pry*. th0 a-0 ht 0itwh0 lo,-
000~aopiea Zr68Rev Y*lc -013, f’ to. thd Weto
Textbook Deposit&y ih Atiiitia, Texas, frik
whldh~@oUat the book ootU4~be 4liitMbuted
to ‘loos1 rrohobls; l%e ~book i8 in ao sefim
8~tbxtboolc that oould be uae4 80 the barils
for a aourse’o? lnstriidtion. -It lh a-iia-
Mona1 et* dealSag uitb the early life’
an4 ouzftosts~ of ,the Quaker8 in th&s oouatry.
‘In oonsl4e&g-this ratter, a qGrtloi
arose to the Boaml’e~ authority to aoaept
auah an oiler an4 to prorble a book for, 1180
in’the public sohools of the rtste that h84
zgapti~ lided or provided for by the leg-
Homover, there wae a question
of the p&ment 02. fhi 't from Rev York City
to the State Textbook %tposltoq In Austin.
Aooordlngly the Boar4 requested that your
opinion be sollolted with mmpeot to it8
authority on the roregoing points. . .
-.
Hon. L. A. Woods, page 2 (V-528)
"(1) Does the State Board of Educa-
tion have authority to accept as a gift
from 8 publishing compmy a book that does
not meet the reqtir&ents ?or a textbook
In any of the subjeot fields prescrLbedby
the legislatureand wbieh~has not been re-
gularly adopted and placed under contra&
according to the provisionsas set but in
the Articles of the Free Textbook bw?
"(2) Is the State Board of Educa-
tion authorized to pay the.?relghtfrom
Nen York City to Austin, Texas on such a
book as the one described,inQuestion #l?"
Article 28112,V. C. S., provides, In part:
"It .sballbe the duty of the State
Board af Education . . . to meet annually
a114at such other tlmee as It may
ie'&leQ together by the Chairman, for
the purpose of copsiderlngthe advlsabll-
ity of continuingor 4lscontlnulng,at the
expirationof each oUrrent contract, any
or,811 o? the State adopted textbooks in
use in the public aohoola of Texas, an4'og
maklna such adODtiOn8 as are Drovlded for
in Artloles.2843. 2844 an4 2844a. . i .
as amended . . ." U%iphasls ours)
Thus, the basal and suppU$uent&y textbooks
which the Board o? Education may adopt'.?or uae",lnan4
dlstribtitgonIn :the'Publlc~"Free
&hiiols -of this State
O$ .liated.inArticles 2843, 2844 and
are tinumerat@d'
28&a, aa. amended.
Article 2843 furthe%~provides:
(I The State Board of Edutitiou
shall &e'authority to select and adopt
uniform textbooks to be used in the.Public
Free Schools o?,Texas, and the booka so
oontain anythlnu of a uarszrtisan
or sectarian
aharaotsr~ . . .T CEmphaalsours)
,!
- :
_~ .
Hon. L. A. Woods, page 3 (V-528)
Article 2860 provideal
"The books adopted b ~~th&Commi.sslon
(State Board.of nnder the pro-
visiona of this ~lau (Articles2842,- 2876j,
Inclusive,as amended, V. C. S.) shall be
intrcducedand nsed.as textbooks to the ex-
clualon of all others in Public Free Sohbola
of thla State . . i" (Worbs in parenthesis
added)
We are advised in your letter that the book of-
fered as a gift by a publisher ?or distributionto the
public schools is in no sense a textbook that could be
used as the basis for a aourae of'lnstruction.The auth-
ority of the Board of Education being limited under the
provisions of the textbook lam to the ssleotion,adop-
tion, purchase an4 distributionof'statutorgtextbooks
designatedin drtialeg’2843,.,2844 and 28446, arj 1~1nende4,
it Voul4 folltqv that the Bolurd iis without authority to
l4opt OF oatme to be’dlrtrlbiite4 in the pub110 rohoolr
of thin State a book, ruoh aa the oao oilezwd, uhloh ha8
been 4etermlne4 to br Iri no mw L textbook OF whioh
aould not be 4erlgnatr4 am a ~rtatutoryto&book. The
nb luthimlt to r4dlj;t.wto dlltribute ruoh
meooa4 q wr i lo n’lrla r wer rrlro
d la.the
( ,4!m!?z,
The Mate Boar4'oi'Eduoat~oa"lrayaot
aooept, adopt, and eaume to be dlrtslbrrted.
to the publlo f~eo a.ahoola of TeUa, a
b,6ok that'doem~ qOt.oohewlthla the require-
aeat or aubjoot fliUdr prhalrlbed in the
State textbook l&war Oonreq~eatly, tRa
Boar4 rry aot U(I) Stab textbook flu148 ior
F,zt of tmarporktloa or cUrtributlarrf
.
Pour8 very. truly,
ATTORREX QENERAL
OEOtplv