)3 ” ““’
OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
April 14, 1999
Hon. T. X. Trimble, April 14, 1939, ?age 2
sohool building,across the sohool grounds, up
and down stairs at the school, or in walking
in the halls might have an accident and the
Roard be he14 liable. Is then, any liability
to the Board in thie ease?
R4. The Board owus as one of its buildings
an audltorlumand public sohool programs are
&given in this auditorium. Great number0 of
+paople attend. Trefrlo is heevy sometimes a-
round the bull la&s. It has been he14 that the
!lIable lf may onm were attend-,
Boer4 might EK:'-
lnga8ehoolpmgmman48houl4~tigura iaen
automobl& rsoi(bat, or abocU4 ifgrur Ia my
kin4 o fa nl0014ent at the ru4Itoorl8m.Im thery
auy liability in thl8.uwml8.T
Aon. T. Y. Trlmble, April 14, 1939, page 3
rule in 19 R. C. L. Section 402, p. 1124, apply-
in: the doctrine above mentioned, suoh corpora-
tions are not liable for personal injuries to
pupils resulting from the defeotlvscondition
of the school buildings,or fmm the negllgenoe
or the person In oherge thereof. In the seotlon
olted it 1s said that - - -S
**In such a ease, it can make no-dltrer-
enoe that the duty or maintelnln~ the pub110
sohool, in oonneotionwith whloh the injury
000~rro4,ua8 voluntarilyassume4 un4er par-
mi88iW 8tatute rather thqn &10U4 by~a OOP-
-4 or the Lsgislature.~W
The cow or Braua f. Trustee8 or xgotorIo Indo-
ndent School D18trlot, (T. &A. 19W) ll#iS. 'I. (M)
,GF nr it
0r liror ~retucl0d, 8hc+ad be pmioauw ooarid-
.l&ia.th%8 OOMOOtiOll. a at .M80 th0 -rd. Of TXWbb;.
Or the Independent DI8trfOtw 8Udror aeglltpik+.-la$*
ti;a 8Oh0Of Ohild-lh0 ?Ou frCWa'b&th~BB 4b$~.%hO7813h@0&,...
into
,i9b6lldtng a fI’O8hly pad t-e harim 8tiff’Ma -2.:
ylel4lnS bmneher .aa4was themby ln)urwl. Thaaq heLd
that there -8~W Uablllty on thcpart or t&e'Doar&or =,'~.'
+Tl'u8tee8 an4 io the OO!lr80Of the OQipiOn 8tat.d:
,_
rTbs'rfr8t QU&iOll here prweakd'ii
whothu or'aot the board of trwtee8 ef.an in; /
dopedent rohool di8trlet O(UL be 8~04 lt’all
.whthe
e n o o uee
lo un4 in
0 to r t.
T h e reo
e nb e
no~qw8tiO@ but that a lndepondent 8OhOO1 dir-
triOt i8 an.a@#tlw Of the 6td@,yUtdj Whih
lXUOi8i~ ~~Wl’ZlWltkl. 18. IlOt+Il-
fUllOtiOll8,~
W&&& iOr it8 XI~,@i~OO in a OUit 800natng
(CitilUJ 00808). However, if mob a
dl8trloC may properly luroiri roprlettry lot8,
an4 while exerololng rooh’prepr fOtat?rapt8 le
gairty or .a tort, the dI*trlot may be *qhlred.
to onower in 4omages for 8uoh tort. (Qltlag
oa8e8 lakbll8hlng the lla~ltlty oi Oitik8 for
tort8 oommItted.WhllO engage4 in &On-goVerIb
aentel:aotlvitieol.
"The oonduotlng 02 pub110 8oh0018 18 in’
our opi.nionthe exerol8e or h govenumnt81
powr.~, Pub110 8oho0~ are ooaduoted for the
benefit Or the entire 8t8te by 6 gOwXBWntti
agenoy an4 lt matters not whether auoh:8ahools
Hon. T. M. Thimble,April 14, 1959, Page 4
are oonduoted by the tNstse8 of a aeon
so)1001dietriot or trustee-sor en lndepen-
dent district. It is not a run0ti0n uuder-
taken for the private adrautege and enzi,it
of the loaellty end its inhabitants. .
when employeesor the Viotorla Inde-
pendent School Districtplauted the llgustrum
tree near and under the buttress on the left
side or the rront step8 or the AUtahell sohool
bull4lngau4uhen theyprune4aultriaPldthe
t~thO~ltUO~ddin6-td?MO-
tlon~M6 had mot alme Mid0 a08 the Ml?
~;l~8C+h 8"h"l end bOOWe ““6 in .
ruMtl@n or loeal~lntuaot
oaly.
U~O~~8~~,mlavt~rr8~~~~6-
.ingmnd8obol6rou8dsenalfl8Mth4bat y
a&Ural that than eoIaqtin&88h*@ duld
llko to bomtiry t&s 88uol 'garm4r bF amt4 ... ,,
troe8 enddtrubo undw8~~~ia(cto~hora~-. .,
fbatUhO~~&8Oth~hU@dMdOMdth~~'. ...
~~~8Oof,taith~~~dacrtionin.Uu-
*. ,.. ':. .~ .,,...
;.:
Weals0 wilyour
6ttamtlea~te 848.0. L. pafgm
604 Ssotio~ 66, WhiOh dieOUMe8 tb lhbbllityOf ~dUhaO1~
di8Criot8 for a&lone ifmu ia t8z-tan4 to thw8pealal-,
act creating the T8xarksna Iadop8ndentSob001 Dlstriot,
Aate 26th. L8&latlu8, 3rd. c. S. Sp8ufal T.au8,oh.91,
p. S3, seotlon e8, provide8 in part as tollowa:
‘Said ind8p8IId8h 8uh001 dietdot shrill
not be liable ror damgem or any kind to any
per8011or penon lnjnnd or killed on the’
prOp8TtJ' or predsea eontrolled by said board,
or under the jurPisdlrtloo thereof."
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