Section 4606. School-to-employment program

1. The commissioner is hereby
  authorized to make apportionments to school districts in accordance with
  the provisions of this section, to encourage and assist  such  districts
  to  provide  a  school-to-employment  program  to consist of a part-time
  school and a part-time employment program.
    2. Any school district planning to  establish  such  a  program  shall
  submit  to  the  commissioner  on  or before the first day of May of the
  school year preceding the school year during which the program is to  be
  conducted,  an  application,  together  with  such  information  as  the
  commissioner shall require, including at least a complete  statement  of
  purposes  of  the  program,  the  detailed  procedures  of  operation, a
  detailed estimate of the cost of such program and a complete description
  of the manner in which the program will operate.
    In the event that any funds of a school district are to be utilized to
  provide a stipend for students in the part-time employment program,  the
  plan  shall  indicate  the  types of employment situations which will be
  furnished such students. The plan shall indicate that  no  public  funds
  will  be used to pay a student in an employment situation furnished by a
  non-governmental employer.
    3.  The  commissioner  shall  evaluate  such  applications  and  shall
  promulgate  a list in accordance with the merit and value of the various
  programs and where several programs are evaluated, as having equal merit
  and value, the date of receipt of the application.
    4. The commissioner shall determine the amount of apportionment  which
  shall  be made to those programs which he deems to have merit within the
  amount of the appropriation therefor.
    5. Notwithstanding  any  other  provision  or  law  to  the  contrary,
  vocational  schools  and  classes  may  be  organized  and  conducted in
  accordance with regulations adopted by the  commissioner  to  provide  a
  program  for  students  fifteen  years of age and over who might benefit
  from appropriate instruction consisting of  a  part-time  school  and  a
  part-time employment program.
    6.  Any  school  district conducting a school-to-employment program is
  hereby authorized and empowered to do  and  perform  any  and  all  acts
  necessary or convenient to enable it to carry out the provisions of this
  article  and  it is authorized to enter into a contract with any person,
  firm,  association,  partnership,  corporation  or  governmental  agency
  whereby  such  person,  firm,  association,  partnership, corporation or
  governmental  agency  will  provide  part-time  employment  to  students
  enrolled  in  such  program,  the  consideration of such contract, if it
  otherwise meets the provisions of this section, to  be  a  legal  charge
  against   the   school   district.     Any  person,  firm,  association,
  partnership, corporation or governmental  agency  participating  with  a
  school district in a school-to-employment program is not to be penalized
  for  participating in such program by reason of the fact that such child
  may be only fifteen years of age or may not have otherwise complied with
  other provisions of the law which would be applicable thereto,  and  any
  pupil  obtaining  vocational  experience  in participation with a school
  district in a school-to-employment  program  is  not  to  be  deemed  an
  employee  within  the  meaning  of  the  labor  law,  provided  that the
  school-to-employment program  involved  meets  the  regulations  of  the
  commissioner.