(a) Every student and teacher in the public schools participating in any of the following courses is required to wear industrial-quality eye protective devices at all times while participating in the following courses or laboratories:
(1) Vocational or industrial arts shops or laboratories involving experience with:
(A) Hot molten metals;
(B) Milling, sawing, turning, shaping, cutting, grinding, or stamping of any solid materials;
(C) Heat treatment, tempering, or kiln firing of any metal or other materials;
(D) Gas or electric arc welding;
(E) Any of the processes listed in this section which may be used for repairing a vehicle; or
(F) Caustic or explosive materials; or
(2) Chemical or combined chemical-physical laboratories involving caustic or explosive chemicals or hot liquids or solids.
(b) A board of education may, in its discretion:
(1) Purchase eye protective devices and furnish them free to students and teachers;
(2) Purchase eye protective devices and sell or rent the devices to students and teachers; or
(3) Require students and teachers to furnish their own eye protective devices without cost to the school.
(c) As used in this section:
(1) “Industrial quality eye protective devices” means devices meeting the standards of the American standard safety code for head, eye, and respiratory protection, Z2. 1-1959, promulgated by the American National Standards Institute;
(2) A “Board of education” shall be construed to include boards of directors of the school districts of this state, county boards of education, or the trustees of the various state-supported institutions of higher education in this state.