OFFICE OF THE ATl’ORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

Honorable Artle Xephens 

county Attorney 

Eopklns County 

Sulphtzr Sprlnge, Texam 

Dear 9lrr 

we have reoelvea your 

we quote in part .ar foUowsc 

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. 

“. . . .* 

We aasum that the oontYrct& Of en&d’ 1 nt rdM 

valid and enroroerble oontreeae and that the 981 r@ jf queetion 

in whioh you are Interested Is the effeot.of the burning of 

the building upon the righ08 and llabilitiee of ths partier. 
Honorable ,Artie Stephens, Page 2 

We alao aaswxe that there were QO prorirlons in the oontMets 

,- relating tom oontfngenoioe ltie the one under oollmIdonti.sa. 

The general rule la that the Usstruotlon of a tiohooli 

building; by tlro doee not.etteot or altar the ri@%ts of the 

teaohers arlalng under the oontraot. 6 A.L.R. ?I& 24 R.C.L. 

619-620. 

‘at. Wlee., 

In the-ease Ot cluna '1. Sohool Dlstrlob Ho. 3, sup. 

166 a. ~W. 11, plrIntirt.wea egplojed to kaoh ror 

l period of nine months. After the ~,oontraot waa,-mdo bu$ 

before the ootmenommt of tha 8ohool term, the iehoothorr~a 

wan totally ae8troyoa by tire. PlaIntIfl brought mlt fork 

the pine months' salary. In holding that-the plaIntiff wea 

entitled to reaovar, the court mado the rollowin~.statkc+ntt 

i-. 

*It Is lnalstod that'appellant wan die&her& 

rroln psrionring it8 oontrrot with reqond@n$, rtrrn 

ii a~ valid oontraot wore ma0, on aooount or thb 

aestruotfon of the eohoolhouaa by iire. Vhera'wa& 

no atlgulation in the oontraot to that rfZe&, aMl 

no provision for aOiiO0tiOn on aooount ei aOfbt*- 

tlon of the sohaolholur by fire or othenfrei ,, 

Waaer 8uah olrotxa8tanoo~ no aeduotloq e&L& 

be nsde without the oonsont of the roapenbont. 

tihool Dlreetoro t. Grewa, 23 IL%. App. 3671 tI?aUh 

T. Pohoel Dist., 69 yrioh. 589, 37 N. W. 567i 0~ah.n 

v. nohool Dlst., 50 Vt. 308 Charlerrton Sehocbr Tomship v. Hay, 74 Iad, 1278 Libby f+ Douglas, 275 

Maw. 126, 55 N. It. 808g Dwmy v. Union Pohool Dlst,, 

43 Mleh. i&O, 5 N. if. 646, 38 Am. Rep). 206. 

"It Is alto oontentleb that the appellant ifa 

dlaoharged from performing Its oontraot with raspondent on aooount OS Otto a&Ion of tho 00lal 

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

The reapotibnt watt an l n@loye Of tije 6pWlka8& 

and the mlatlona botwoen ap Itint iid NapaadOSt 

were oontraotual. The appl r ant thoref,or@ bOu%d 

not abrogate the sontraot Or mod~iy~it.Withofit, t&W 

oonsent of 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~. e 6bbj 

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. Sohool Diet. No. 109, l.34,N. E.,Jla, held ths folkmIng: 

"The, goneral rule 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 dertruotion o? the school bullding by fin, and the toaoher Is ready and willing 

to oontinue hts 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.,Grant Pariah Rohool Board, 145 .So. 794, In holding 

that a sohool dletrlot Oould not tWOi& paying a teacher a 

salary by dlsohar%Ing her after Ueetruotion of the aohool 

building by fire, made the following aeoleratIonr 

*It has bean rspaatadl held that fira 18 

not a fortuItoue event; 0s f 't ariesa almoat InverIab1.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'oontraot is not nmda inposalble, but merely 

inoonvenient, dlffloult, or unaesfirabls. Dallas+ 

Coopsrage & 'ffoodenware Co. v. Creston BoQp 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 

8oh001 boar% aannot ev0ia paging the salary of 

a teaohor beoausa ot the dastruotlen of 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 preralenoa of 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%hoel DintrIot Wo. 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 

aararully axamined the ~880 of Rsndolph v. ?~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 

perrormcd no 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 salary was dua end granted the writ. There ma8 

language in the opinion to the effe,ot that if the alo8fng 

of the aehoola had beea ~ntiead.4 88 ~amaaant, plainuti 

right not Iws entitled to oomperustion. But 88 this langsage 

ma not naarssary for the &~oi@%on mndere& 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 teaohera have atood in readinoaa 

tobeaeh In aaoordanoe with their oontraota. It is, thamfon, 

our opinion that the aahool aistrbt ia lis;blo to the teaohera 

ror the salaries 8pcoiTled in their oatra~ta. 

Very truly your8