§ 4606. School-to-employment program. 1. The commissioner is hereby authorized to make apportionments to school districts in accordance with the provisions of this section, to encourage and assist such districts to provide a school-to-employment program to consist of a part-time school and a part-time employment program.

2. Any school district planning to establish such a program shall submit to the commissioner on or before the first day of May of the school year preceding the school year during which the program is to be conducted, an application, together with such information as the commissioner shall require, including at least a complete statement of purposes of the program, the detailed procedures of operation, a detailed estimate of the cost of such program and a complete description of the manner in which the program will operate.

In the event that any funds of a school district are to be utilized to provide a stipend for students in the part-time employment program, the plan shall indicate the types of employment situations which will be furnished such students. The plan shall indicate that no public funds will be used to pay a student in an employment situation furnished by a non-governmental employer.

3. The commissioner shall evaluate such applications and shall promulgate a list in accordance with the merit and value of the various programs and where several programs are evaluated, as having equal merit and value, the date of receipt of the application.

4. The commissioner shall determine the amount of apportionment which shall be made to those programs which he deems to have merit within the amount of the appropriation therefor.

5. Notwithstanding any other provision or law to the contrary, vocational schools and classes may be organized and conducted in accordance with regulations adopted by the commissioner to provide a program for students fifteen years of age and over who might benefit from appropriate instruction consisting of a part-time school and a part-time employment program.

6. Any school district conducting a school-to-employment program is hereby authorized and empowered to do and perform any and all acts necessary or convenient to enable it to carry out the provisions of this article and it is authorized to enter into a contract with any person, firm, association, partnership, corporation or governmental agency whereby such person, firm, association, partnership, corporation or governmental agency will provide part-time employment to students enrolled in such program, the consideration of such contract, if it otherwise meets the provisions of this section, to be a legal charge against the school district. Any person, firm, association, partnership, corporation or governmental agency participating with a school district in a school-to-employment program is not to be penalized for participating in such program by reason of the fact that such child may be only fifteen years of age or may not have otherwise complied with other provisions of the law which would be applicable thereto, and any pupil obtaining vocational experience in participation with a school district in a school-to-employment program is not to be deemed an employee within the meaning of the labor law, provided that the school-to-employment program involved meets the regulations of the commissioner.