(a) All school lunchroom managers and all assistants to such managers who are employed by any county or city board of education in the operation or management of a lunchroom in any public school in Alabama, regardless of the source from which and the manner in which their salaries are paid, may become members of the Teachers' Retirement System of Alabama; provided, that such persons elect within six months after October 1, 1969, to accept the benefits of this chapter. Such persons may signify their desire to become members of the Teachers' Retirement System by filing written notice with the Secretary-Treasurer of such system within said six months' period. Any person hereafter employed by a county or city board of education as a manager of or as an assistant to a manager of a lunchroom in a public school shall be deemed to be a teacher within the meaning of such word in the Teachers' Retirement System law and shall be entitled to the benefits thereof.

(b) Any person employed in the capacity as set out in subsection (a) of this section shall be entitled to receive credit for all service in such capacity rendered by him prior to October 1, 1969; provided, that such person pays to the treasurer of the Teachers' Retirement System, within six months from October 1, 1969, a sum equal to the total contributions which he would have made as a member during the period of such employment by a county or city board of education from September 1, 1941 to October 1, 1969.

(c) Appropriations out of the Education Trust Fund for the purpose of carrying out this section shall be included in the regular appropriations to the Teachers' Retirement System of Alabama.

(d) The several county and city boards of education employing lunchroom managers and assistant lunchroom managers in the public schools under their separate jurisdictions are hereby authorized and directed to provide for the deductions from the salaries of such persons or for the collection in some other manner of each of such employees' contributions to the Teachers' Retirement System and shall remit such collections to the Teachers' Retirement System as prescribed by law or regulations of the Board of Control of the Teachers' Retirement System.