The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1907-05-20
CANNOT SUBSTITUTE STUDY
Attorney General Gives Powers Of
Normal Boards

Attorney General Atkinson in an
opinion just given out holds that the
faculty of a normal school has no right
to substitute any outside study for
any of the elective branches enum-
Grated in the list as promulgated by
the state board of higher education.
The normal school course, says the at
torney general, must be uniform and
if any study not now included is de-
sired, it can only be used by having
it prescribed by the state board for all
the normal schools alike. The attor-
ney generals opinion. addressed to a
member of the faculty of the normal
school at Bellingham, is as follows:
your favor of April 26.19O7, reading
as follows received:
Can we, as a normal school, offer,
or can the state board of higher edu-
cation delegate to us as a normal
school the power to offer elective sub
jects which the board has not laid
down in it's official course of study :?
For instance, in the catalogue applica-
ton of the fourth year of the complete
course, can the unauthorized seven
elective credits in the subject of edu
cation-five credits, and minearology,
two credits displace to the extent of
seven credits the ten prescribed elective
credits of the official course? Or, to
cite another instance, in the catalogue
application of the junior year of the
advanced course of study can the I'M
authorized four elective credits in the
subject of mineralogy-two credits and
child stury, two credits-displace to
the extent of four credits the five pre-
scribed elective credits of foreign lang
ages-applied in the catalogue as
Latin or German-Of the official course
, of study?
Replying to your inquiry will say
that section 222 of the code of public
! instruction provides as follows:
1.-THE board of higher educat ton shall
prescribe courses of study for the nor
NAL schools of the state as follows: /.
An elementary course of two years: 2.
a secondary course of two years: 3.
advanced course of two years; 4, a
complete course of five years; 5, an
advance course of one year for grad
yates from colleges and universities
THE section then provides that upon
the satisfactory completion of any one
of these various courses the student
or graduate shall be permitted to teach
in the schools of the state. and certl-
ficates given to the student completing
such course showing his satisfactory
completion of such course the stu
dents having completed the advanced
courses being entitled to certificate
accordingly advanced.
"An examination of this section of
the code will show that it was the IN
tention of the legislature that each
normal school should have the same
course of study. There is. however,
no restriction placed upon the course
of study which the board of higher
education shall adopt. l have no doubt
but that it would be within the power
of the said board to adopt course OF
study permitting an election as 10
the branches to be pursued in making
up credits required for the completion
of the students course, and If any
such course were suggested by the
Rellingham normal school and there
after adopted by the board OF hlgher
education such act of the board would
be valid But it is also my opinion
that such course of study would have
to be applied to all of the norman
schools of the state and could not De
limited to the Bellingham normal
alone. The normal course is lntended
to be uniform throughout the stare
and any elective course decided upon
and adopted by the board OF hlsner
education would have to be applied 10
all the normal schools in the state.