NY Educ L § 909 (2021)
2021 New York Laws EDN - Education Title 1 - General Provisions Article 19 - Medical and Health Service 909 - School Hygiene Districts.

§ 909. School  hygiene  districts.  1. The board of supervisors of any   county, with the approval of the commissioner of education,  shall  have   power  to establish in such county a school hygiene district which shall   include the supervisory district or districts in such county, as defined   in this chapter. The  board  of  education  of  any  union  free  school   district of four thousand five hundred or more population, which employs   a  superintendent of schools, or of any city having a population of less   than fifty thousand, within  such  county,  may  at  any  time  adopt  a   resolution  requesting  that  such union free school district or city be   included within such school hygiene district, and after the approval  of   such  request  by the district committee on school hygiene, herein-below   mentioned, and by the commissioner of education, and upon the subsequent   filing by the clerk of such board of education of a  certified  copy  of   such resolution and of a certified copy of such approvals with the clerk   of  the  board  of  supervisors, such union free school district or city   shall be included within such school hygiene district.2. When such a school hygiene district is established, as  hereinabove   provided,  the  board  of  supervisors  shall  appropriate funds for the   salary and necessary expenses of a district director of school  hygiene.   Funds  may also be appropriated for assistants to the director of school   hygiene. Within  thirty  days  after  such  appropriation  is  made  the   chairman of the board of supervisors shall call a meeting, to be held at   a  date  as  early  as  practicable, of the district superintendents and   school superintendents in such school hygiene district together with the   chairman of the board of supervisors,  at  which  meeting  such  persons   shall  organize  themselves  into a district committee on school hygiene   and shall elect a chairman thereof. In any school hygiene district which   includes part or all of a county health  district,  as  defined  in  the   public  health  law,  the  district health officer of such county health   district shall be a member of such committee. The district  director  of   school  hygiene  and assistants shall be appointed by and work under the   direction of such district committee on school hygiene. They shall  meet   the  qualifications  established by the commissioner of education and be   certificated as supervisors of teachers. Any person  appointed  as  such   district  director  of school hygiene shall be a physician duly licensed   and registered to practice in this state and shall have practiced  as  a   physician,  or  been  engaged  in  public  health work, for at least two   years.3. It shall be the duty of the district director of school hygiene  to   advise,   assist,   and   exercise  general  supervision  over,  medical   inspectors, dentists and school nurses in the  public  schools  in  such   school  hygiene  district; to keep informed as to their work and require   such reports from them as he may deem necessary; to  see  that  suitable   recommendations based on the findings of the medical inspectors in their   examinations  of  pupils  are brought to the attention of their teachers   and of those in parental relation to  such  pupils;  to  aid,  and  keep   informed  as  to  the  work  of, oral hygienists, nutrition workers, and   other school employees engaged  in  health  work  in  such  schools;  to   inspect,   and  report  to  the  proper  authorities  on,  the  sanitary   conditions of school  buildings,  and  in  other  ways  to  promote  the   physical  welfare  and health education of pupils. Whenever the board of   supervisors, or, in a county constituting, in whole or in part, a county   health district, the district health officer thereof, shall,  under  any   provisions  of  law now in force or hereafter enacted, assign any public   health nurse to the duties of a school nurse in any  school  or  schools   within  a  school  hygiene district, she may be assigned to perform such   duties under the direct control  of  the  district  director  of  school   hygiene  of  such  school  hygiene  district.  Such district director of    school hygiene shall be subject to  supervision  by  the  state  medical   inspector of schools.4. If it be ascertained upon any test or examination held by a medical   inspector  under  the  provisions  of  section nine hundred four of this   article in any of the school districts within a school hygiene  district   that  any of the pupils are afflicted with defective sight or hearing or   other physical disability and the parents have been duly notified as  to   the  existence of such defects and physical disability and are unable to   provide the necessary relief and treatment for such pupils and such fact   is reported by said medical inspector to the district director of school   hygiene, such district director shall have power and  it  shall  be  his   duty  to  provide  relief for such pupils within the amount appropriated   for such purpose by the board of supervisors.5. The board of supervisors,  after  determining  the  amount  of  the   appropriation  necessary  for  the  salary and expenses of such district   director of school hygiene and assistants, shall levy one-half  of  such   amount  by  tax on the towns, union free school districts and cities, if   any, included within such school hygiene district, and  shall  apportion   such  amount,  so  levied, among such towns, union free school districts   and cities, according to the assessed valuation of the taxable  property   therein.   Whenever   a   board   of  supervisors  shall  make  such  an   appropriation and levy such a tax, the commissioner of  education  shall   apportion  to  each  such  town, union free school district and city, an   amount equal to that so levied upon each  such  respective  town,  union   free  school  district or city. The board of supervisors shall likewise,   after determining the amount of the appropriation necessary for expenses   incurred for the  relief  of  pupils  under  subdivision  four  of  this   section,  levy the total amount by tax upon the towns, union free school   districts and cities,  if  any,  included  within  such  school  hygiene   district,  and  shall  apportion such amount so levied among such towns,   union free  school  districts  and  cities  according  to  the  assessed   valuation  of  the taxable property therein. The sums collected from the   taxes so levied, and the  amount  apportioned  by  the  commissioner  of   education,  shall  be  paid  to the county treasurer of such county, who   shall expend such moneys for the purposes hereinabove  provided  and  in   the same manner as other county charges are paid.