Ed. Code, § 48600

(a) The purpose of this article is to provide for the operation of 24-hour elementary schools, established pursuant to Article 27 (commencing with Section 940) of Chapter 2 of Part 1 of Division 2 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, for minors between the ages of 8 and 16 years and to provide for the attendance, maintenance, care, home supervision, guidance, observation, and education of minors attending the schools, and to provide the minors with that vocational, family and consumer sciences, mental, moral, physical, and other training that will tend to strengthen and develop them and enable them to become good and useful citizens. The staff of every 24-hour school shall make adjustments as rapidly as possible so that the period of time the child is away from ordinary community life is as brief as possible. They shall place the minors in properly licensed children’s institutions where they will be assured of suitable educational opportunities, and shall cooperate with child placement agencies to this end and to stimulate proper care of the minors by their parents.

(b) For purposes of this article, the county superintendent of schools has the primary authority to provide for the education and training of minors in 24-hour schools within the county.