OFFICE OF THE ATl’ORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN

HonorableArtle Xephens countyAttorney Eopklns County Sulphtzr

Sprlnge,Texam Dear 9lrr

we have reoelvea your we quote in part .arfoUowsc

9fe would appreo the ralialtg Lana.. pro em, unaer the fell

truateee,ana properly apprwod arintenaent. The schoel~ ha6 not 0i0t3ea bar suoh purpQm, or abanfoiale~thsreof.
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We aasum that the oontYrct&Of en&d’ 1nt rdM valid and enroroerbleoontreeaeand that the 981 jf queetion r@ in whioh you are InterestedIs the effeot.ofthe burning of the buildingupon the righ08 and llabilitieeof ths partier.Honorable ,Artie Stephens,Page 2

We alao aaswxe that there were QO prorirlonsin the oontMets
,- relating tomoontfngenoioe ltie the one under oollmIdonti.sa. The generalrule la that the Usstruotlon of a tiohooli building;

by tlro doee not.etteotor altar the ri@%ts of the teaohersarlalng under the oontraot. 6 A.L.R. ?I& 24 R.C.L. 619-620.

‘at. Wlee.,

In the-ease Ot cluna '1. SohoolDlstrlobHo. 3, sup. 166 a. ~W.11, plrIntirt.wea egplojed to kaoh ror l period of nine months. After the ~,oontraot waa,-mdobu$ before the ootmenommt of tha 8ohool term, the iehoothorr~a wan totally ae8troyoaby tire. PlaIntIflbrought mlt fork the pine months' salary. In holding that-theplaIntiffwea entitled to reaovar, the court mado the rollowin~.statkc+ntt

i-. *It Is lnalstodthat'appellant wan die&her& rroln psrionringit8 oontrrotwith reqond@n$, rtrrn ii a~ valid oontraotwore ma0, on aooount or thb aestruotfonof the eohoolhouaa by iire. Vhera'wa& no atlgulationin the oontraotto that rfZe&, aMl no provisionfor aOiiO0tiOn on aooount ei aOfbt*- tlon of the sohaolholurby fire or othenfrei ,, Waaer 8uah olrotxa8tanoo~ no aeduotloqe&L& be nsde without the oonsont of the roapenbont. tihoolDlreetorot. Grewa, 23 IL%. App. 3671 tI?aUh T. PohoelDist., 69 yrioh. 589, 37 N. W. 567i 0~ah.n v. nohool Dlst., 50 Vt. 308 Charlerrton SehocbrTomship v. Hay, 74 Iad, 1278 Libby f+ Douglas, 275 Maw. 126, 55 N. It.808g Dwmy v. Union PohoolDlst,, 43 Mleh. i&O, 5 N. if. 646, 38 Am. Rep).

206. "It Is alto oontentleb that the appellantifa dlaohargedfrom performing Its oontraotwith raspondenton aooount OS Otto a&Ion of tho 00lal

"g WA.Iool meeting Ln vot;ang to muspend the 44 Wk. The reapotibntwatt an 

### l n@loye Of tije

6pWlka8& and the mlatlona botwoen ap Itint iid NapaadOSt were oontraotual. The appl ant thoref,or@ bOu%d r not abrogatethe sontraot Or mod~iy~it.Withofit, t&W oonsentof tha reapenWt. Board a$ Bduqqj@tj 0. '; '. state es rsl. iMOd, 100 W&u. 455, 76,k.E. ,3 Jonee v. pqlted 8*mte8, 96 tl.8. 29* *k&.'R~. 6bbj e 1 ::, ylofc4y v. Baraett, 2.l

Utah, 239, 60 Bee %l@J, 50 2. R. A. 371.".; Honosable Artlo Stephena,Page 3

The Supreme Court of U.lInoIe in the oaso of Phelps v. SohoolDiet. No. 109, l.34,N. E.,Jla, held ths folkmIng: "The, goneralrule established by ull the deaislons 1s that, whore performmoe or the oontraat la rendsred InipossIble by aot of Go% or the pub110 enaxny, the dlatrlot I6 rollsred from liability,but where the sohool Is olosed on account at a eontaglow disease, or dertruotiono? the schoolbullding by fin, and the toaoher Is ready and willing to oontinuehts duties under the oontraot,no deduotion oan be made from his oalary Sor the time the sohool Is olossd.

. . ." The Oourt of Appeal8 of LouI8Iana In the oa~e oi Hughes v.,GrantPariah Rohool Board, 145 .So. 794, In holding that a sohool dletrlot Oould not tWOi& paying a teacher a salary by dlsohar%Ing her after Ueetruotionof the aohool buildingby fire, made the followingaeoleratIonr

*It has bean rspaatadl held that fira 18 not a fortuItoueevent; 0s 't ariesa almoat Inf verIab1.y

from acnne

aot of man. Lehemn, Stern & Ltd. v. Bbargan'a

La. & Ter. R. k S. S. aa $'La. 1 38 90 873 70 L R. A 562 112 Am*' et. ROE. 659, 5 .k eaa, 8iQDejean 4. La. &atem Ry. Go., 167 La,. 111, ll.8

C*. 822 d Noel &OS. v. Texams

& Pao. Ry. Co., 26 La. Am. 22, I.33 so. 830. *'It

Is also t&e rule that the dsienre of fortultoua event will not avail where the pertomanoe of the'oontraotis not nmda inposalble, but merely inoonvenient,

dlffloult,or unaesfirabls. Dallas+ Coopsrage& 'ffoodenware Co. v. CrestonBoQp CO., 161 La. 1077, 109 PO. 844~ Eugslrer & Co. V, Joseph weat & co., 35 La. Ann. 119, 48 Am. Rep. 232; Dewey v. .AJ.pena

Gahool Cist., 43 Mloh. 480, 5 N. w. 64.6, 38 em. Rep. 206. *In other stats8 it has been held that a 8oh001boar% aannot ev0ia paging the salary of a teaohor beoausa ot the dastruotlenof thee soh001 buIl%ln~by Sire, Clune V. Buohanan soho Diet. No. 3, 166 Ws, 452,, 166 N. W. 11, 6 A. L. R. 736,Bomrable Art&e Stephena,Page 4

and note page 7422; or bc08~60 the @@ho&a 81~ oloaed o~i

aoaotmt of the preralenoaof oonts&ons diaaaaee,Mwey V. apen %hool Dint., 13 Mioh. 480, 5 NJ.

w. 646, 38 Aa. Rep. 206; Libby v. &Ihabitant8 of Douglae, 175 Hsal3. 128, 55 11.

B. 808; Phelpa v.~z%hoelDintrIotWo. 109, 302 Ill. 193, 134 N. E. 312, 21 d. L. R. 737; Beard of Eduoation or city of EURO V. co~oh, 63 ckL 65. 162 P. 485, 6 A. L. B. 7b0, and notes.* As far a# w oan dctermlnc,the oourta of Taxes htste nwer passed upon the preolaa point Involved. Ma have aararullyaxaminedthe ~880 of Rsndolphv. ?~ndar8, 54 3. 'II. 621. In thut oaec the plefntlir~~8 employed ror the aoholaatio year bcgillaing septenlber

19, 189s; to taach In tha ptlbli6 sahool6 ot tha city of L-0. Ia January, February,and Bare& of 1899 them exlated In Laredo M epldeato of smallpox during uhioh period the SUhOQ1S *II= Olo8od end the ralator perrormcdno eerrlaea. The awlmtor 1188 iaoued a wrrwt ra thla per&M of tiam but, the rwpondcnt r&uaed to pay %t, and relator inst,ltuted n~~%Uamw?

prweediq8. The Oourthold that the salarywas dua end granted the writ. There ma8 languagein the opinion to the effe,ot that if the alo8fng of the aehoolahad beea ~ntiead.4 88 ~amaaant, plainuti right not Iws

entitled to oomperustion. But 88 this langsage ma not naarssaryfor the &~oi@%onmndere& it i& nath&& nor0 than dictum, and in ~i6w Or the 

### more reoent oaaea in 0th.W jUd8diOtiOiX3, W8 d0 not thidC that it VDUid b0 iOilolrad today.,
You state that the teaoherahave atood in readinoaa tobeaeh In aaoordanoewith their oontraota. It is, thamfon, our opinion that the aahool aistrbt ia lis;blo to the teaohera ror the salaries 8pcoiTledin their oatra~ta. Very truly your8