§ 356. Certain counties; legislative bodies constituted boards of health; county health directors; nurses designated as school nurses. 1. The legislative body of each county having a population of less than one hundred fifty thousand according to the nineteen hundred seventy federal decennial census or the legislative body of any county whose population shall be less than one hundred fifty thousand under any future federal decennial census, except a county in which a county or part-county health district has been established under this article or a county having a county charter, optional or alternative form of government, shall constitute the board of health of such county and shall have all the powers and duties of a board of health of a county or part-county health district including the power to appoint a full-time or part-time county health director. The county health director may serve as director of the children and youth with special health care needs support services program and may employ such persons as shall be necessary to enable the county health director to carry into effect the orders and regulations of the board of health and the provisions of this chapter and of the sanitary code, and fix their compensation within the limits of the appropriation therefor. The members of a legislative body shall not receive additional compensation by reason of serving as members of a board of health. The county health director, so appointed, shall have all the powers and duties prescribed in section three hundred fifty-two of this title. 2. (a) With the approval of the county health director, the trustee or board of trustees of any common school district or the board of education of any union free school district or central school district within the county, may designate any nurse employed as provided in this section as a school nurse to perform, in addition to her other duties, the duties of a school nurse for any school or schools under such respective trustee, board of trustees or board of education.

(b) Any nurse so designated shall perform her duties as school nurse under the direction of the school medical inspector and the appropriate school authorities and under the provisions of the education law and the regulations prescribed pursuant thereto.