ยง 704. Text-books containing seditious or disloyal matter. 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.
Structure New York Laws