Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

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