Chap. 72.—An ACT to amend section 703 of the Code of Virginia. and to repeal
“sections 704, 705, 706. 707, 708, 709, 710, 711, 712, 713, 714, 715, 716, 717 anc
718 of the Code of Virginia. (H B 57]

Approved February 21, 1920. __ -_

1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia, That section
seven hundred and three of the Code of Virginia be amended and re
enacted so as to read as follows:
Sec. 703. Provisions relating to high schools.—It shall be lawful
for any district school board or district school boards in the same
county, or the school boards of two or more districts in adjoining
counties, to establish and maintain a public high school at such place
as may be both most convenient. for the pupils to attend and most
conducive to the purposes of such school; provided, the establishment
of such high school or the teaching of high school branches shall not
be allowed to interfere with the regular and efficient instruction in
the elementary branches. A high school may be conducted either in
a separate building or in the same building in which elementary grades
are taught. The State board of education shall prescribe rules ard
regulations governing the conduct of the high school, and shall pre-
scribe also requirements for admission and the conditions on which
properly prepared pupils may attend said high school. Any school
district not actually conducting a high school, but paying tuition
for their high school pupils in high schools in other districts, counties
or cities, may, in the discretion of the State board of education, be
permitted to share in the high school] fund.

The State board of education shall provide for the inspection ot
high schools by a competent person or persons, and shall see to it
that the high schools conform to standards prescribed by the State
board of education. |

The State board of education, under proper regulations, shall en-
courage the establishment and maintenance of high schools in the
counties and cities of the State by the use of whatever State appro-
priation that may be made for high school purposes; provided, that
no appropriation to any high school shall be made unless the elemen-
tary grades of the district or county or city have been maintained for
an average term of at least eight months; or a term satisfactory to
State board of education, based upon good and sufficient reasons;
provided, also the school board of the district, county, or city, shall,
from local funds, appropriate for the maintenance of such high schools
an amount equal at least to fifty per centum more than the State appro-
priates. No teacher shall be employed in high school instruction
whose qualifications do not meet the standards set up by the State
board of education.

The State board shall appropriate out of the high school fund to
the standard four-year high school an amount not to exceed one
thousand dollars, and to the two-year high school organized according
to plans prepared by the State board of education for junior high
schools an amount not to exceed eight hundred dollars.

Any appropriation which may be provided by law for high schools
shall be paid out of any money in the State treasury not otherwise
appropriated, which amount, upon the request of the State board of
education, filed with the auditor of public accounts, shall be turned
over by the auditor of public accounts to the second auditor, and
shall be used exclusively for the support of public high schools. The
State board of education shall have power to make such rules and
regulations as may be necessary for the proper distribution of this
fund, which fund shall be paid out on warrants drawn by the State
board of education upon the second auditor.

The district school boards are authorized to charge, under regula-
tions to be prescribed by the State board of education, tuition for
pupils attending high schools, said tuition in no case to exceed the
actual per capita cost for instruction and maintenance in the high
school department.

-2. Sections seven hundred and four, seven hundred and five, seven
hundred and six, seven hundred and seven, seven hundred and eight,
seven hundred and nine, seven hundred and ten, seven hundred and
eleven, seven hundred and twelve, seven hundred and thirteen, seven
hundred and fourteen, seven hundred and fifteen, seven hundred and
sixteen, seven hundred and seventeen, and seven hundred and eighteen
of the Code of Virginia, are hereby repealed.