Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

OFFICE OF THE Al-fORNEY GENERAL OF I’EXAS AUS’IXN stat4 Boar6of Education Alas tin, TbxaI DearSAr: . . State Board of Bducotion, page #2 *Seation 3. 3 Q ?+lYa ‘manner and condition of seleatin6, purc&asin~ and distrituting the text- book8 authorized by this Act shall be the same as nor provided with respect to free text books gan- orally b,; Title 49, Chapter 16 ai the 1926 Revised Civil Statutes of the State of Texas, as amenAd to the effective date of tale Act. You mawait the followiX& inqtliriee 8 ‘1. Doee the State Roard cl' Education have the legal authority to adopt tva textbooks on Spanish for eaci of gradea 6,7 and a? “2. Should you answer ,the foregoing question. in the affirmative, then ;lease advise If triera ir.e.ny 1:mI.t upon the number dtextbooks ?n Spanish the State Board of Education maj adopt for eaah of grades 3,4,6,6,7 and Z?s The only limitations placed by Chapter 93, su3ra, upon the Boord~s authority to adopt Elementary Spanish text- books above the seaond grade ares First, that they s-hall be for the teething oi Spanish In those grades above the second grade of the several Independent or common school distriots as may be dseignated by the Board of’ Trustees; and seoond, that the manner and condition of selecting, purchasing and disLributing suoh books shall be t;e same as provided with reapsct to free textbooks generally by Title 49, C :. 16 of the 1925 Revised Civil Statutea of Texas as amended to the etfeotive date of Chapter 96. Bxamination of the statutes embraced in Title 4t, dis- closes no limitation which would prohibit tile Board from con- tracting for an advanced textbook in Spanish and an elementary book in Spanish for the same grade to be wed at the 30.213 time lelatum, provider foa’ We eelootion end tioption b-y the Steto Boone Eduorrtlolr of a unsi a)rbtm OS taxtbook8 for tia gzader OS 8ahool ryetetu in the aubjsate andbr i!za 8 of otv&y wmted tlmrein, Article 2843 does not authorl80 adoption OS a UaLTow rfstem of textbooks in 3penieh fo rth ollmeen8arygradoasbut provideroaXy 8hat "nothing in thin A.088hall W soxmtwwd to nvud the teachiq of a + + 8purirb 0 0 * in any of the pubb 0 satilb" In the 4rlaotiaent or chapter 98, supPa# tba 47th I&g- isletwe did not omrfbe e unliom rprt4.m OS taxtLookE in Spen.iahfor the e@mfr2o@adee ebors the oecond pede, but dizvetad the sfi80 Board raleot =d jmurches~ taxtbooke 502‘ inatruation ip Spaaieh la +wh of there &rados,. or aactions of $redes ea mQht be &a&mated b the local Board6 +f Truetees of cawnon and Indepandmt Sahoo 9 Martriota. Sin44 tt fa with- La the direz-etion of the looel boards to de&pets tha), Lw struoticQ &al& ba doaa LILa&!. prr-haa ‘m2mssn the third end 4Agtfa pa08, UndoP SeottlorI 1 ai #e;rter 93, sug-ya, it follous that under seation 3 of &he Aat the St&a 3oerd of Z&cation is empowwed to mleot rtitabb tsrtbooke for in&motion oi Spanieh in those gredce. But the local sohool board may Petetine under t&e authority of Seo8lsn 1 of the Aot that Lnstructlon in spenieh shall be @v%n ln its gerticular district in g~adea air, seven end efgh8. ObpIwLy, e bs&.nnor’s textbook in Spa~ieh deeIgmd for we in #a thtrd grads n&&t not be m.dtaSle a8 e b&nmr~ II textbook for the alxth grade loveL or vioe veraal and further, a textbook d,ealgned for, inetruotion of sixth &reds puplle who pro- Slnoe the Act Mder ooneideretlon napomrs the 1oc~Z boards oi trurtaoe to dotaWns ths grede plewment OS instma- tion tn spullsh in the elms&xwy md&-above the awond, and einae the dre&sJlatura ha8 not euthorizsd oc praacribed e uniform sgstagl of tartbdsa therefor , the Jtata aoerd of Zducatian hes authority under Zeotion 2 of tile Aot to aeleot, pza:wsa end -.