A bill to provide free bus transportation for private and parochial school pupils in New York State, which would benefit Jewish parochial schools, has been passed by the State Senate.
The bill provides that the free bus service must be furnished by local school boards for all pupils living within a ten-mile distance from parochial and private schools. Until now, the local school boards have not been required to furnish such free travel for pupils beyond a limit of eight miles. The bill was passed by a vote of 45-9, with all negative votes cast by Republicans.
Under present legislation, a local school board may provide such free bus service. But, where the local board refuses to do so, the board may be over-ruled by the State Commissioner of Education who, it is known, frequently exercises that power.
One of the questions involved is whether the bill might infringe on the constitutional guarantee of separation of church and state. In the Senate debate on the bill, however, that issue was not raised. The opponents only criticized the measure on the grounds that it would increase educational costs in New York State by about $3, 000, 000.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
