Section 704. Text-books containing seditious or disloyal matter  


Latest version.
  • No
      text-book in any subject used in the public schools in this state  shall
      contain  any  matter  or  statements  of any kind which are seditious in
      character, disloyal to the United States or favorable to  the  cause  of
      any  foreign  country  with  which the United States may be at war.  The
      commission, consisting of the  commissioner  of  education  and  of  two
      persons  to  be  designated  by  the  regents, whose duty it shall be on
      complaint to examine text-books used in the public schools of the state,
      in the subjects of civics, economics,  English,  history,  language  and
      literature,  for  the  purpose  of  determining  whether such text-books
      contain any matter or statements of any  kind  which  are  seditious  in
      character,  disloyal  to  the United States or favorable to the cause of
      any foreign country with which the United  States  may  be  at  war,  is
      hereby  continued.    Any person may present a written complaint to such
      commission that a text-book in any of the aforesaid subjects for use  in
      the  public  schools  of  this  state or offered for sale for use in the
      public schools of this state contains matter or statements in  violation
      of  this section, specifying such matter or statements in detail. If the
      commission determine that the text-book against which complaint is  made
      contains  any  such  matter  or statements, it shall issue a certificate
      disapproving the use of such text-book in the  public  schools  of  this
      state,  together  with  a  statement of the reasons for its disapproval,
      specifying the matter found unlawful.  Such certificate  of  disapproval
      of  a  text-book,  with  a  detailed  statement  of  the reasons for its
      disapproval, shall be duly forwarded to the boards of education or other
      boards or authorities having jurisdiction of the public schools  of  the
      school   districts  of  this  state,  and  after  the  receipt  of  such
      certificate the use of a text-book so disapproved shall be  discontinued
      in such school district.
        Any  contract  hereafter  made by any such board of education or other
      school authorities for the purchase  of  a  text-book  in  any  of  such
      subjects,  which  has  been  so disapproved, shall be void.   Any school
      officer or teacher who permits a text-book  in  any  of  such  subjects,
      which  has  been so disapproved, to be used in the public schools of the
      state, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.