5. The Flag
Article 27
The flag
710. Purchase and display of flag. It shall be the duty of the school authorities of every public school in the several cities and school districts of the state to purchase a United States flag, flag staff and the necessary appliances therefor, and to display such flag upon or near the public school building during school hours, and at such other times as such school authorities may direct.
711. Rules and regulations. The said school authorities shall establish rules and regulations for the proper custody, care and display of the flag, and when the weather will not permit it to be otherwise displayed, it shall be placed conspicuously in the principal room in the school house.
712. Commissioner of Education shall prepare program. 1. It shall be the duty of the Commissioner of Education to prepare, for the use of the public schools of the state, a program providing for a salute to the flag and such other patriotic exercises as may be deemed by him to be expedient, under such regulations and instructions as may best meet the varied requirements of the different grades in such schools.
2. It shall also be his duty to make special provision for the observance in the public schools of Lincoln’s birthday, Washington’s birthday, Memorial day and Flag day, and such other legal holidays of like character as may be hereafter designated by law when the Legislature makes an appropriation therefor.
713. Military drill excluded. Nothing herein contained shall be construed to authorize military instruction or drill in the public schools during school hours.
6. Textbooks
Article 25, Section 674. Textbooks containing seditious or disloyal matter. No textbook 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 is now at war. A commission is hereby created, consisting of the commissioner of education and of two persons to be designated by the regents of the university of the state of New York, whose duty it shall be on complaint to examine textbooks 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 textbooks 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 is now at war. Any person may present a written complaint to such commission that a textbook 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 textbook against which complaint is made contains any such matter or statements, it shall issue a certificate disapproving the use of such textbook 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 textbook, 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 cities, towns or school districts of this state, and after the receipt of such certificate the use of a textbook so disapproved shall be discontinued in such city, town or school district.