Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1939 )

OFFICE OF THE AlTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN ~IlmLDc. MANN ,-.-I- Eonor&le R. Y. ~&Lmghlln colutty Attorllay koore County x+ao, Texas Dear sir: oieare in receipt of roqwlstl~ th4 opiriion or %hi r0iadng raota: 1, end they both will be Sn thrlr rticl.s'2904a axid State that the iB&3&6BdaBt s and 4olLecbs 8 lEainten4sae tax ior 4uh402 of Qnt Dollar on the 3ne aundr4b WU.ar vilqa- . The tollodng queatdonu ar4 subaitted for oar oplnfenr "1. 18 th4 above statuts mmdatory or vould thr beys``tmd4r ths statem4nt of fa4t8, be entltlsd to go to 84hOtilWRitho?& paying tu%tion? Ron. R.'X, hretaughlln, pa64 es -2. dst prooedure, in 0886 the Suptmlntcn- dent inal8tr bhat they cannot exit!-rschool without p6ylllg tuition?" It la lppar4nt rr083 your titter that you are ooasonmd wlth the rtmldenoe of thO8% boyr and are not Sai8lng a quertlou of the authority of the 88hOGl bard to ooUaot tultlon from all students uniformly over elghtean par8 of 4~. iY6 es6um thet tuition 1.8 sought to be oolhot@& 6o&ely on the basle of their rorid6no6 6~6 th%XWOm OOlLfiW OU? OpiniOil t0 tbo pW6tiOB Of ~6id%BW. 6OthiB& herain 6h611 be oon6tru6d 88 sxpn86i~ an opinion upon the que6tioes r61668 by o6rtaln &mgu6g6 in tb4 486e of Love ~5~ City of h&6 (Sup. ct. lQS1) 40 9. w. (ea) eo. Section 1 ot AetB, 1938, 44th L6g18Latur4, p. 851, oh. fe9, Artiole 2922L (I) Vernon*8 Annotated Civil StattiC66, rMd8 86 iollo*6: "The board Of trrtst%e6 Of Uly -00 Qr i&d6 oldent 6oho0l 8:6tri4t, whether org'a4166d by Gsneral or ! p64i61 law, uhloh 16vl66 66d coU64t6 a aiat6n66ae tex for th6 purpose of srrpplem6``lng the available 86hool fund reorlted fro& tbo State and aounty *hall admit into the pub118 8ohoo&i of the dirtriot -66 oi tuition, all penotl6 rho are over 61x but ttot,ovor tuentpone year8 old at the b4&h1&1& Of t&W 84hoh6tiO year, if euoh p4r6OB Or hi6 parent8 or 16861 goarbi6n nwfae *t&In *ia aomon or &d~ependent 6ohool diotrlot.* Thi8 identloal &n@mge ie CeBtained In ~8atiOB 1, Aetl, 1931, 4&d &&latore, First C6lWA Smdon, p. 53, Ch. 80, Venwn'6 Annotated Clvll fitditUtO6,hrtioh R904A. Artlole 2902, R6vfscrd Civil Statut66, 1985, provide6 86 fol- loma: “An OhilarM without ro@lra to ootor over ai2 JB'TB of a&e and tmdor &ghteen rears ,otage at the bsglnalng of' any 6OhOti8tiO yr, 6hSll b+3 inOlti6d I5 th6 @dOl66tfO 04mvua and shall b6n8fSt6 of the pabllo be.entitle4 to ths achoal Curds for that you., TLm board of mohool Wustam of any alty or tam or indapwdcmt or eoe!8on.8ahool 616trlet e&all ads;lt to tb4 bensflts 4S the prrbllo 6ohoole any per6on w4r alx and not over twantpome psu6 old at~the bb(ylanlry or the 8Ohoh6tiO yeer if 646b person Ol' hi8 parents or legal gU8r&f8B rW%&e wttbim 8aid dtfs tom! or d%.8trt@t." Bon. 2. f. EoIaughlln, page 3 krtlcle 2904, tievised Civil :;tetutns, i925, .provides in part: “?!#e trU8te68 Of ochools Sfiill have the power to admit pupila over end under 8oboI8otlo ago cith8r ln or out of the dl8tPict on awh t8lTi8 a6 they o;ay de05 prop-r .and jU8t; . . .* Although the doariollo of a tior is ordfnsylly that or the pamAt it 18 u4li e8tabii8bed ln this jUrl8diOtiOB that for pur- poses OS attending the pub110 ir4e 8OhOoI8, a minor nay aoqulra a *re818anoc* 84Qaret8 end apart fro6 that OT the parent6. Ordlnarl ly a bona fide reeldmce scperate end apart frorb the parants, within the oonto6qAatioB of our 8ChOO1 ln*s,'la not established by tbe mere . physical presenoe of the rinor in another dietriot or by hi8 living tompomrlly in another district ror t40 purpose 0r attending school. Rowever,. if 8Uch minor ha8 in good faith establlkhsd e substantial resldeno'e an6 not 18erely an ostensible ``sldanoe~for,tho~pu&Os6 or att6ndlng sohool then such ChiI6 is OOB8idOr8d a6 having e8tbbIiahed a reeldenoe apart from the parent end entitled to the Beme robool benefit8 88 other like children in the aiatrlct. The general rule was stated $ii'an opinion rendered by this ~Departme&, dated Noveizbar 4, 1905, to?'the Honorable R. B. Cousins, State Superlntqdent OS PubUo ~B8tmOtion8; 88 fO~w8: .'- -1r the ohD.dren have wrely an'oeteasible * riot a substantial reeidenoe in the dlstriot; If they r4r8 8ent to Ftikdale for the sol.6 rmmo8e.~or even for the Win pWpO80, and partlelpetl~ l.n the advantages ot the public sOhOol8 of Hockdale, they are not entitled to free . tuition. "But lr thay WOr4 sent to r86id8 in iiockdals.in good faith in order to Civo them suitable homes, with the intention on tho part of the futhcr nab of the pereoolr in whose care he pIaoed the6, that the ohlldren should reside there ponmnently; lr the eduoatlohal adventages or the residence 16 bockdale ware merely inoldental to th8lr going there, and other com?iderationa lnduoed tbe rather in good faith, to eeleet that place as their hops, I-think the chlldron are resldenta.oi bockdale wlthln the maanl8g Of th8 aehool la*, and entitled t0 free tuition tberd, not*fthstandlng thnt the dOEdOl8 of the father is else- where.- Each ease oust depend upon It6 own facts, however, based solely upon the raots and olrau8mtauoo8 stated la your .Ietter, it 16 ~0th R. ii.YioLaugblln, pace 4 our opinion thet the two boys rsrerrad to hava a substantial re- 614enco in the indepwdent school district and would be ectltled t.6 attend tha publio free school of nald 4fstrlot upon +Ibesa6ie ter6.6 al4 conditions as though their parmts were a160 rssidhg in the di6trlct. It ie to be preeuped that thb aohool auprintendent ~111 comply with the applicable Law when advi6e4 of the rlghteof the partie6, and for this reason your second r,uestion does not rar;airc an 'xm8wer. Youre very truly