Case Information
*1 OFFICE OFTHEATTORNEY GENERAL OFTEXAS / QmAcn c. MANN A-“” .s*-
Ronorab,le li. B. Baker
count]r Mitoxllay
Folsaan county
Coleaan, Gmaa
e minutes the colema c 8, 19JO la ting twe alamt3ntary hlte Cbapsl of the %nteamial Ron1 Bo. a oulu up ror ooFmiberatlon. regardlw, the lttex rpoa yhrcl, fcmt~inccs, uorl, xx, Plexoe, xl-i 3-i. a. lRlxtxl* (10 uawU~0t16 belief oi all mob a ~ntaplag wowl8 Kreatly laareaoe tbe sfliaLsao~~ oi theft OlenmntrrJ~ aobool. So at thr in8tWO6 of the &IJem aad White CbaDOl Gchcml Dl8trict aaff with the 001LQUxraMO of tho Centannie Bohool. Board, ths xeptlset asking @cm- sall?rrt.ion of the two j&mfmtUy 6Ubd.6 iQX the easula~ year wan granted.*
“i’cr the sahool year 1939-40 lt sees8 there a:11 be 29 clezsntarp pupils in the Y:hite Chapel A number tho patrons elementary school dlstrlct.
of this local elementary Oeslro to have their The school doea clc%entary rcestabllehed. sot xisb t6 do thlh* 3 would like to bavr. thereiore
your opinion ns to vhether ttlls local board 1s obli&rA this sohool. Also, would the aountf board of &ohool trunteee have any authority in the roattcr7”
k Careful search of the statutes relstln@ to rural high schooi Ofstrlctn does not revenl any provision exprearly reQuiring elementary schools rlthin the rural hi@ eohool dlstrlot sntst be mastabllshsU after they have beian dlroontlnued.or oonsoll&tod.
mtiole petri, hevised Clvll statutc8, 1925; provlaer ar f OlLovm :
“The oounty board of school Qwsteas ahall not hare to abollch or oonsolldate any elementary almaay eotabllshei3 axoopt upon ths ooto cr a majority or the walliled eleotoro re~lding In suoh elemntary Olstrlct; that when any mohoolrith- to he*? nn l rorags daily in tin elementary alatrlot rtdls year of at hlsaet twenty pupil.8 preoedin& by t&o board or trwteaa it may be dlaoontlnued of Said rural high sohool dlstrlot, and aald dlatrlot mar be oon- solldated by the oounty board at sohool trumteeo nlth ame other dlstrlat or dI8trlatr tar elemcntary8ohool purposes; it tberc la more than one *mite or one aolomd in ,euoh elementary sohool dlstrlot the board of trustee8 of the aaid school al*- tricts ‘or an independent dlstrlot, as the csee my be, such white or oolorsd rz~y aonsolldate .sdhoole or $ho elementary district; end provlaed OS trustees of a rural high sohocl Oiatrlot stay transfer the pupila of one elementary dlatriet to another within rural hl(rb satiooi dlstriot, nben~ the transfer 1s made tram an aifmm df lower olaerirIoatfon nlencntary to one of hlpber ohseffloation; provlaea bcmrd Or tNStoS8 Of #I rYrtd high 80h001 a;StrfOt riW tXWIrar pupils from an elerentary dli%trlOt to any Other elOm8nt6rY the rural h&h eohool district UDQII Wpll- dlatrict oatlon or tho pamnts or:&uardlan of the said pupils.
Eon. i . i:. iieher, $3. :Ine :.r more eo.mon cchool dietriots “K~encvcr
are onncsed tc a cozzon mhool district or to an 5ndepondc:it d?atrIct under the provjsione of tieotion 1, euch coumn or Independent district shell maintain elemntery oehoole of huoh clssslfIoatIon as the oouuty board xay dt+elghate In eaoh Clatriot 80 qnexed, for. the length or term wee for the schools oi-the said covmx; ochooi dlatrlct or lndepandent dlstrlct. such schools may be dlsooatlnuod by the looal board oi truotoes when the average dally attendanoe er:y such eohoola the preceding year is lee8 than twenty.” You do not state in .your letter the board of trustees
of the rural hlph ochool district evsr dlscontlnued White Chapel alemmtary nchool dirtrlct abut we armme suah Is the ease slnoe order of the oouuty board reoites purported ooneollda- tion was kith the cohourrenoe of the rural high mhool board. Tou ~111 note that krtlule 2929t plaoea to dlroontlnuo or the rural hlgb an elementary school In the board of truataea sohool distrlot not Iu the oounty board of sahool trueteao. Tbe oountq board of trustees Ia authorlaed to consolidata under uertoln oonditlons euoh elemntary dIetrIots r:lth another district for clomontary school purposea, but In this commotion wa call your attention to the order entsred by the Colman County imbool Eoard which doe8 not purport to ‘aonsolldate the two olamen- tary eoboole exoept *‘top the enauin& vear.a
In Chastein v. kauldlaa (T. C. A. 1Osb) 32 S. :;. (2d) 2tJ5, the court tacitly approved an agreenient that an elementary school would be keeatabllahed or resumed wider oertaln conditIonS, however, in that aa6e tho average during last preoeding sess!on wag as mch or more than twenty elcmental?y pupIla. 5.0 cell t&is to your attention lnaemuch aa it Is possible that 8oxv.e euch aCroe=ent mleht have been made with retcrence to the &bite Chapel elementary sahool in view of the wording or the mlnutell Or the oounty sehoo 1 board.
i‘be power of oi trusteea rural distrlat to dlsaontinue sohool Is not. .depenbent upon,the possi- bility of ho% meny elementary pupila there will be In the sohool dietriot for the current year but it Is provided *when any rlthin my slomantary Sails to have an avera&e twenty pupils It IMP dally attendanoe the preosdlng yoar of at lea& disoontinucd by the board of trustees of aa%Q rural high oohool d:striot.”
Eon. VI. B. Baker, #4.
Based upon the faota a8 subialtted by you, It la our opinion thet local board of the rural high
le not required the Yhlte Chapel Elementary Gohool Xstrlct the sohool year 1939-40. opinion
We are the county board of aohool trustee8 1s not authorized to reestablieh where
aoh a rural high SObOo di8trlat t-tees of said school dftirlot ha6 dleoontinued suoh elementary eohool ae provided by law.
Yours very truly ATTORIJEY OgNgRbL OF ‘IgXAB Aaaistant