**OFFICE OF**  **THE ATTORNEY**  **GENERAL OF**  **TEXAS AUSTIN** 
April 17, 1939

HonorableRobert J. Allen Lubbook County **Labbook, Temm** 

**.:**

**. .** 

**we be&**  **to** aokno or March 25, LOS9 thla laepartlncnt

coaposedor 0 ronsahooldlrr

gvgaril

the&r pemea on -the Ori&nal p&itiO~ shoal& be meogn&ed by then, or whether thQr ehotid a;erely consider the originalelgne% petition to abollsh*~theRural High Sohool Dietriot,Hon. Robert J. Allen, April 17, 1939, Page 2

"Providedthat the county school trustees shall have the authority to abolish a rural h&h sohool dlstrlaton a petition signedby a majority of the voters of eaoh elementary dlstrlct composingthe rural high school dlstrict and when such districthas been abollshed the elementary

districtsshall automatically revert back to their original status, with the exoeptionthat In the event there are any out**standing indabtdneaae~**  **agaInat the**  **eai%** rural soheol dirtrioteaoh elwntary dietriot shall amnuw its proportional part of the %abtr.* 1t is elear that ua%er iii0 abate statute the oounti sohool trusteeshave of themselvesa0 power to. abolish a ruralhigh sohool **aimi0t** unless they are 

## rhit authorize%$o %o so bJI"'a petItIon signedby a majority. or tha voters of eaoh elementa- diltriot oo@@osingthe
- rural sigh sohooldistdot." The ~OldS8iOIl di **Appal.8 0r**  Texas has ad 8oaatraed a dmllar atatate in the oaae
. MesauIte Independent Sohool Dlstrlotv. Gross; 67 8.

**0% be**  in 

## 0r all .ArtIole2?62a, R. 0. a., hat3 5e~aieUlr rooeivju%loIalsanotlohby the court. There ean,_theeFam, no questionas to the valldlty of the prooe%un tnereoutlined

whloh makes petitionssigned by a majorltr the qaalIrIa%

voters 

## 0r eaoh or the oomponent%lstrIots essentialprerequisite before whIoh Zhe boar% of oountr sohool trusteesoamot sot to abolIsh.ruoh a'rural hi& ' sohooldistrict. (24 **j** 242. we **;Inate rrom**  **that opinion:**  **-** *The plain words of the statute ltits the'potential

jarisdlotlon

oi.the sohqol boar%' to Instanoes

where It Is preeenti%wIth~the statatoe-petition. If the statatorypetltlqn $6 absent,the jarlsdlotion of the boar% Is utterly laokIng. -Inother words, unless an% 'ontil-the

boar% Is presented with the titit&-, tory petition,it has no jurIs%Iatlon in the 1 premiae8.*

We have been unable to find any-Texasauthorities %Ireotlyin point on the. queetignoi whether a. signer of a petition may subsequentlp

revoke his aot In so signing the petltlon. The authorI8iee OQ this qaestIon.In other jurIs%lotIons dare not unlform.butthe \Hon, Robert J. Allen, April 17, 1939, Page 3

doaided weight of authorityfollows the rule 'thatone who signs a petitionmay.subsequently revoke his signature prior to the time that the petitionhaa been aoted **UpOIl.**

**‘ We**  quote from 15 Corpus JurIs at p. 402:

"AXI electormay legally sign two or more non-oompeting

petitions

and he aay 

### withdraw his algr utar e b y l wr itt en **oommanloation,** 

### wlthoat appear* ln.p8r eo n. The

### withdrawal may

. be ma& after the 4atdfIxdl for hparlng and

. . . beox- rinal aotlonr~ state r. Faniah, 42 noxk- -. tapa 26, lS4-Pao.297. Quot&'iropl SS Corpar JIlris at p. '6262
:. ***A** &ItIoner 

### for a.loaal option petition nny.frMhdrawhi8 nuta rr0m ths petition at ady 

### flab3 before the pstitloahas been aoted apon.* cmmr v. Wewto~, lb4 Kentaokf 499, 167 s.W. 716. The Saprege 

### aoart.or wonta~, in the owe 0r stati V. y,.53 u0tktaw4 iss, 168 ~0. 164, +a: I *Counselon both sib08 oorrc~otlyaasuae6 that it ma th0 aaty **or** the board **to** permit such of the~petltlowra as de&red to %o so to wIt;hdraw.~heIr

nasies from the petition - - - - 

## Th0 right 

## or petition

## rr0hi

it8 mare4 impmu the rI&htoiwIth%rawal, beoause, aponfuzther' 

### 4Iaoaf4eIon

aad~mora

## mature

rdi0otion a8 to 

## the dsrlrabIlItp

or the 

### l

aoompllehment

of the.purpose eought by the petition, the petitloner may ohange his aonylotion."
'Ln **State** v. Boyden, 21 & Dakota 6i 102 If. **W.** 897, the Suprems Court of South Dakota held that ths sQners oi a petitionto oall an eleoti~Q.to~m+ve the aounty seat ooulld.

remove their names from the:petltioa, either by striking them therefrombr by a subsequent petitionany tIme b0r0m it was aoted apon,

%%,e loglo em% reaaoa **bemd** this rule has boon mmt rorosrullyerplalned **b?** the 

## SU~WEO (tourti 0r wlaooasin 3.n &s Londe V. 

## Board

0r SaperPlsoreor Barron Oounty, 49 W. W. 9601Eon. Robert J. Allen, April 17, .1939, Page 4

2’

.

. "The learned **oircuit** judge held that the

board had the right to allow personawho had signed the petition to withdraw the;eir nemoa therefrom;or to strike their name8from th petition,

when requestedso to do by the al 3-s. before the.petltlon wae finally aoted upon by the board. **Waae**that a oorreot view of the matter? **We** think It was, **and** that it was In aooord with mason and oomon sense. **For** what valid objeotlon 1s there, either in law or on grouads. or publlo polio)- agaIn8talMwInga per8onwho ha8 **signed** a **patitloa lalr(an**  ior 4 raqovql. of the 00~tpaeat ~XW *TV* ~8,8*lu'.ama the petitionEeforu It.18 lotcia &&ion by the **board4 AS**  the i0amd 00~01 **r0.t** ,tb ~a+0,tbwt8 : **nay, a**  

### person

amy have been **de~eivsa** or: **eatrep+** ped, 

### or t&ma&h lnadvertenoe or~thoughtle881~0@8~:~, nay have 6lgne4,saoh a petition;aa&. :.og~sdflqo~-~.~ tion, ana

bar 0 28

latloa is+akim oa Lt.;-*yUoL .~ '. aIre. ti eormat hi8 aatloii, *aa Cnth%raw~al8:.:. aamec Why ehould,

he 

### not have the rIghta&& prl-. _' rllege **or** %oing 007 Aa lntelllgent man; +ofIng. dellberatelp **hna** ander8tand~~; **play ohange,**  hle'ml~il

oa 8uoh a question,and oonoltiae he has made a mistake In a6kIng ror a~ohange of the oounty-seat

and that the pabllo Interestiril;L be prgmted by having the bounty-seatremafn-: where it Is. All thIe i8 plaIn.an% obvloimfo, 2G any one refleotingon tha mqbjeo$." J

-. As heretotirestatad the aatharitlesare not

In entire aooor% oa this quecltioa bat by far the @eater number ot-8+atesfollowthe hoidlng &ad the rearonlag or the above'

o.Its% oaeq **by** the SuprepSe'Coort of WIaooa8la. See: Hey8 y. 301168, 27 Ohio State,218;Ear% v. IElliott, 33 ImlIana 220; State vi Eggleston, 34 Ean. 7x4,~ 10 Pao. 3; State v. Wemaha Co., 10 Web. 32, 4 W. **W.** 393.

. Both the'weQht of authortty and the reafKmMt3 upon,wliioh

the..case8

are based Inoline UB .taward the tisw that one who s&ns a petltlon may +l?sequeafly,upoa.ohanglag his mind, revoke his aOf el@her by etrikLn&hle name from the petitionhiplseir or bp 8Qning.a revokingpetl**tion.** we oan me no just rea8bn'It~r~opnelderIng the signing @a pstltlonan lrrevooable.aot. In our opinion a petition

which 18 being oiroulated among the voters 1sIion.

Robert J. Allen, April 17, 1939, Page 5

lq the nature of an ambulatory instrument which may be altered or revoked by the signers thereto until the same has been acted upon for the purposes whioh it was designed to serve or until someone has relied theron to his detriment.

Replying speaifioally to the question presented in your letter we respectfully advise you that it is the opinion of this Department that the effeot or the edoona eeries 

## 0r petitions which ask the removal 

## 0r the signers*names from the ilr8t petitionau4 ask that the 14alou Rural High Sohoof. DlstrIotbe not ab0118he4ha6 th8 6mOt Of rOv0k.m the d&IMmFOS Of t&se per8OM On ae first petitionGhIoh mqus8td the County Boar% of &ho01 Trustees to ab0lIah the I%n.lou Rural,Hlgh School Dlstrlot. xr after rubtraoting rr0m the~aumbem .'. or those who signed the m-8t petitioa, the nsnms 

## 0r those who signed the revoaatiag petition, .the

remalnIag number IS not 8urrloleatto ooastitate a majority 0r the **.qMiiiiO% YObBrS**  **Or WOb**  **dba0ntary diEtriOt**  **00~~08~ th8**  **IdalOU Rural**  **sigh SOh00i**  DlStriOt.itiOUOws that. _- ander the authority of Artlole 2922a, Revised OIvIl SW-

..totes 0r Texas, the Boar% **0r couaty**  Sohool TrUStees 18 not emp0wereato abolish the rural high s,oPool distriot. ,Youra very truly A%!iWWEYGSRERALOFTEiAS

.
Waltsr.B.Xboh A8sistfmt 

# LGh
A'rl!ORKEYCEN%RAL

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