officers of all districts and cities of the State in relation to their duties and the general management of the schools under their control. 3 He shall have general supervision of industrial schools, trade schools and schools of agriculture, mechanic arts and homemaking; he shall prescribe regulations governing the licensing of the teachers employed therein; and he is hereby authorized, empowered and directed to provide for the inspection of such schools, to take necessary action to make effectual the provisions therefor, and to advise and assist boards of education in the several cities. and school districts in the establishment, organization and management of such schools. 4 He shall also have general supervision over the state normal schools which have been, or which may hereafter be, established as required by the provisions of this chapter. 5 He shall be ex officio a trustee of Cornell University. 6 He shall be responsible for the safe keeping and proper use of the Department and University seal and of the books, records and other property in charge of the Regents, and for the proper administration and discipline of the various offices and divisions of the Education Department. 7 He may annul upon cause shown to his satisfaction any certificate of qualification granted to a teacher by any authority whatever or declare any diploma issued by a state normal school ineffective and null as a qualification to teach a common school within this State, and he may reconsider and reverse his action in any such matter. 8 He shall cause to be prepared and keep in his office records of all persons who have received, or shall receive, certificates of qualification to teach or diplomas of the state normal schools, with the dates thereof, and shall note thereon all annulments of such certificates and diplomas, and reversals thereof, with the dates and causes thereof, together with such other particulars as he may deem expedient. 9 He shall cause to be prepared suitable registers, blanks, forms and regulations for making all reports and conducting all necessary business under this chapter, and shall cause the same, with such information and instructions as he shall deem conducive to the proper organization and government of the common schools. and the due execution of their duties by school officers, to be transmitted to the officers and persons intrusted with the execution of the same. 10 He may administer oaths and take affidavits concerning any matter relating to the duties of his office or pertaining in any way to the schools of the State or any part thereof. 11 He is hereby authorized to furnish by means of pictorial or graphic representations, additional facilities for instruction in geography, history, science and kindred subjects, to the schools, institutions and organizations under the supervision of the Regents. Material collected for this purpose may, under Regents general rules, be lent for a limited time to responsible institutions and organizations for the benefit of artisans, mechanics and other citizens of the several communities of the State. He may from time to time enter into contracts necessary for carrying out this provision. 11-a The commissioner of education is authorized and directed to establish and provide for the maintenance and conduct of courses of study or training in state normal institutions and in colleges and universities and other educational institutions and in connection with other educational agencies for the purpose of training teachers in principles and methods of instruction, and to give them knowledge to fit them to instruct foreign born and native adults and minors over sixteen years of age in evening, extension, factory, home and community classes. Such courses of study shall be prescribed by the commissioner of education and shall continue for a period of not less than one year. No teacher employed to instruct foreign born and native adults and minors over sixteen years of age shall be employed by the state or compensated in whole or in part by the state, unless he shall have completed such course of study or training or shall have an equivalent thereof to be determined under the rules and regulations of the commissioner of education. A special certificate shall be issued to teachers who have completed such course of study or a course of instruction which is equivalent thereto, provided, however, that temporary permits may be issued by the commissioner of education to teachers who are qualified to give such instruction pending the completion of such a course of study or training. [Added by L. 1918, ch. 412; amended by L. 1920, ch. 851 in effect May 20, 1920. The sum of $40,000 was appropriated by the legislature to carry out the provisions of this subdivision.] 11-6 The Commissioner of Education is hereby authorized to divide the State into zones and to appoint directors thereof, teachers, and such other employees as may be necessary to promote and extend educational facilities for the education of illiterates and of non-English speaking persons. [Added by L. 1919, ch. 617, in effect May 14, 1919.] 11-c The board of estimate and apportionment of a city, the council of a city, or the common council of a city, the board of supervisors of a county, the board of trustees of an incorporated village, the town board of a town, may make appropriations to aid and promote the extension of education among the illiterates and non-English speaking persons within the jurisdiction of these respective bodies. [Added by L. 1919, ch. 617, in effect May 14, 1919.] The sum of $100,000 was appropriated to the Commissioner of Education for carrying out the provisions of subdivisions 11-b and 11-c.] 11-d. The commissioner of education may provide for the establishment of courses of instruction of study and schools in connection with factories, places of employment, or in such other places as he may deem advisable, for the purpose of giving instruction to foreign born and native adults and minors over the age of sixteen years. Such course of instruction of study shall include instruction in English, history, civics and other subjects tending to promote good citizenship and to increase vocational efficiency. Such course of instruction and study shall be prescribed by the regents of the university of the state of New York, and shall be in conformity with rules to be adopted by them. The commissioner of education is authorized and directed to employ teachers and to fix the compensation of teachers especially trained and having certificates as provided in subdivisions eleven-a of this section, and to assign such teachers to service in extension courses in factories and other places of employment, or in such other places as he may deem advisable throughout the state, established as provided by law. [Added by L. 1920, ch. 852, in effect · May 20, 1920. The sum of $100,000 was appropriated by the legislature to carry out the provisions of this subdivision.] 12 He shall also have and execute such further powers and duties as he shall be charged with by the Regents. § 94-a Transfer of powers of State Board of Charities in relation to the New York State School for the Blind to the Commissioner of Education. All the powers of regulation, supervision and control heretofore exercised by the State Board of Charities upon, over and in rela 2 tion to the New York State School for the Blind at Batavia, by virtue of the state charities law, are hereby transferred to and vested in the Commissioner of Education in addition to his other powers and duties, and the Commissioner of Education shall hereafter exercise and perform in relation to such state school for the blind all the powers and duties heretofore exercised and performed by the State Board of Charities relating to the regulation, supervision and control of such school under the provisions of the state charities law. Nothing herein contained shall in any way deprive the State Board of Charities of its powers of visitation and inspection in regard to said school for the blind as provided in the constitution nor affect in any way the fiscal control of said school now exercised under the state charities law by the fiscal supervisor of state charities. [Added by L. 1919, ch. 136, in effect July 1, 1919.] § 95 Removal of school officers; withholding public money. 1 Whenever it shall be proved to his satisfaction that any trustee, member of a board of education, clerk, collector, treasurer, school commissioner, superintendent of schools or other school officer has been guilty of any wilful violation or neglect of duty under this chapter, or any other act pertaining to common schools or other educational institution participating in state funds, or wilfully disobeying any decision, order or regulation of the Regents or of the Commissioner of Education, said Commissioner may, by an order under his hand and seal, which order shall be recorded in his office, remove such school officer from his office. 2 Said Commissioner of Education may also withhold from any district or city its share of the public money of the State for wilfully disobeying any provision of law or any decision, order or regulation as aforesaid. § 96 Other powers. The Commissioner of Education shall also have power and it shall be his duty to cause to be instituted such proceedings or processes as may be necessary to properly enforce and give effect to any provision in this chapter or in any other general or special law pertaining to the school system of the State or any part thereof or to any school district or city. He shall possess the power and authority to likewise enforce any rule or direction of the Regents. § 97 Schools of union free school districts and cities. The schools of every union free school district and of every city in all their departments shall be subject to the visitation of the Commissioner of Education. He is charged with the general supervision of their boards of education and their management and conduct of all departments of instruction. $98 Reports of school officers. The officers of the sev eral districts and cities of the State and all other school officers shall make such reports and in such form from time to time in relation to the schools under their management and supervision as the Commissioner of Education shall require. § 99 County clerk and county treasurers to forward certain reports. 1 The county clerk of each county shall, upon the requisition of the Commissioner of Education, file with such Commissioner any reports of trustees of school districts and boards of education or the abstract of such reports made by school commissioners which have been filed in the office of such county clerk pursuant to the provisions of the Education Law, whenever it is necessary for the Commissioner of Education to obtain information or data contained in official reports which have been transmitted to the Education Department but which have been destroyed by fire or otherwise. 2 The county treasurer of each county shall, upon the requisition of the Commissioner of Education, forward to said Commissioner any original certificates relating to the apportionment of school moneys which the Commissioner of Education has filed in the office of such treasurer whenever it is necessary to obtain information on the apportionment of school moneys when the data relating thereto in the office of the Commissioner of Education has been destroyed by fire or otherwise. After securing such information as may be necessary from such certificates, the Commissioner of Education shall return the same to the treasurer of such county. [Added by L. 1911, ch. 159.] ARTICLE 5 School Districts Section 120 Existing districts continued 121 Formation of new district 122 Number and description of districts 123 Alteration by consent 124 Alteration without consent 125 Hearing of objections to order for alteration without consent 127 Special meeting of joint district to act regarding dissolution |