Text-books containing seditious or disloyal matter

§ 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.