153

Each principal or director and each teacher shall give a receipt for all the books delivered to him, specifying the number of new and old books, and shall be accountable for the invoice price of new books, and for half the invoice price of old books, in case such books be lost or torn. The Secretary of Education may, however, relieve the principals or school directors and the teachers from the obligation to make such payment when the total lost or destroyed during the year do not exceed five percent (5%) of the number of such books placed under their responsibility as per receipt. He may also authorize school supervisors to make, through the pertinent operation in the property accounts, free donation to public school pupils and to any institution or member of the community of such books as are definitely discarded as textbooks as well as any discarded books belonging to libraries under the Library Service of the Department of Education and are in good usable condition. History —Mar. 9, 1905, p. 66, § 12; Apr. 18, 1952, No. 102, p. 206, § 1; May 22, 1968, No. 56, p. 92.