The county superintendent of schools, in accordance with rules and regulations adopted by the county board of education, may provide for the payment of the costs of replacing or repairing property of an employee, such as eyeglasses, hearing aids, dentures, watches, articles of clothing necessarily worn or carried by the employee, or vehicles when any such property is damaged in the line of duty without fault of the employee or if such property is stolen from the employee by robbery or theft while the employee is in the line of duty. If the property is damaged beyond repair or stolen, the actual value of such property may be paid. The determination of the value of such property shall be equal to its value at the time of the damage, destruction, or theft. Limits may be established for the payment for such damaged or stolen property.

In the event the employee is paid the costs of replacing or repairing such property, or the actual value of such property, the county superintendent of schools shall, to the extent of such payments, be subrogated to any right of the employee to recover compensation for such damaged or stolen property. The county superintendent of schools may file and prosecute an action to enforce its subrogation right in the small claims court if the amount of the claim is within that court’s monetary jurisdiction or may enforce its subrogation right in any other court of competent jurisdiction.

(Added by Stats. 1978, Ch. 838.)