TEIE ATTOKNEY GENERAL
OF TEXAS

Au- 11. - PRICE DANIEL

‘ 4ITORNEYGENERAL August 22, 199

Bon. L. A. Woods oplnlon lo. v-889. state Superintendent Departmentof Education Re: The directory or mandatory Austin, Texas nature of the provisionIn H.B. 651,'

51st Leg.; that schoolauthoritiesshould have the duty to suspend
or expel members of fraterDear Dr. Woods: nltles and sororl*ies.

Your request for an opinionrelating to Section 4 of B.B.:

651, Aots oi the Slot Legislature, 1949, which providesthat it shouldbo the duty o? school authorltlerto suspend or expel from school any pupil rho ir a member of a fraternity,sorority or secret society, presents the following questIon:

"Does this provisionmake It mandatory that the school authority suspendor expel stndenta

who are members

OS iraternltlrs, sororltlrs**or** secret sooleties,or is It discretloqry vlth the sohool peatom to mu!- pnd or up.1 rush rtrrdent?

E.B. fo. 651, Aetr ot **the** 51rt k ch. 429, p. 803, ir an **Aot** eesignodprimarl J to prehlbit f ., R.S. 1949,
public wahoo1 fratomitirs, sororltisaand secret aocletlrm ir all pub110 rahmls~er this Stata, uoept anlvorrltlor auP oollo orgmiratlens. !I

08. Se&Ion 1 of the Act prohibitssuch et&Ion 2 definea suoh organlutlms to **bo.thtso** oomposedvholl g or in pad ot publlo rohool pupi111 or publla rohoelr *low Dhi mnk of oollogeor dunlo* collegerhioh rr*ok to porpmlato tboM.lvw by taking ln additionalumborr -08 the psplls onrolledin such
SCHOOL 0ri

th0 k816 0r the ae~irioa0r it8 rrerber8hip rather than upon the -8, rhoior of any ?upll In the schoolwho Is quallriedby the ruler OS the school to fill the speoial **aim6** of the organlaatlon. Section 3 cleclarrs

a publio rchool fraternity,sorority or secret society to be an organlmtlon lnlmlcalto the public good, and Se&Ion 4, vhloh relates directlyto the questionpresented,provides as Iollovr::f<,i i

i L I

Hon. L. A. Woods, page 2 (V-9)

"It shouldbe the duty of Sohool Dlroctom, Boards of Education, School Instroctors and other corporateauthoritymanaging and controllingany of the Pub110 Schools o? this State vlthln the prorlslonr of .tUs **Act,** to suspeml or expel **iron** the school under their aomtrol any pupil of such sahool who shall be o12remalaamsmbor of, or who ahall join or pomlso to join, or who shall baaore plo 2 l d to boom.4 a member of, or vho r-hall rello t any other person to join, proalso to join, or be pie ed to become~amember of any such Public 3 chool Fraternity,**or** Sodoz4ty, or Seoret Society. Providing that the above restrictionsrhallnot be construed to a r ly to agenclwJ?Qr Pub110wel?me, vim FJoy ceuts, **RI-Y** Olrl **Rtwmrvos,** DeMolay RUnbow girls, hnkleu Cl&m, and SohoiarrhlpSoeleties, **and** ether kindriNl

edmeationalorganisatlons sponsoredby the State or Batillnal education authorlt5.es."

Section 5 of the Act under consltlemtl~ mkos it unlavful for any person not in any such school to solleit any pupil to join or pledge suah organlsatlon. S~otlcpr

6 ai the **Aat** containsthe penalty olause.

In 3 Suth8rlaadStatutoryConrtruotlon (3rd M. 1943) 79, it 18 SallP

"It CM be stated a8 a general proposltlon that, as regards the question of mandatory and directoryoperation,the courts vi11 apply that construction which best carries into offsetthe purpose o? the statute under consldera.tlou. To this end, the courts my lnqulrainto the purpose behind the enactmentof the legislationrequlrlng oonstroctlon

as one of the firat steps in treating the problem. The ordinarymeaning o? languagemy be overruledto effoetuate the purpose o? the statute,

n

. 0 ‘ It la always to **be presumed**  that the legislature

was motivatedby some purpose In the enactmentof a statute, 80 that l? one construotlon

would render It lneffeotlve,the other shouldmanl?estlybe adopted."Hon. L. A. Wooda, Page 3 (V-889)

Thlr $8~8 **a&hoi** states In conmotion with statutes lmposlng orlmlnal sanctlons or penalties that "the rule ha8 been statedwith particularclarity that 'Wherea leglslatlvo provlslon Is followedby a penalty for failure to observe It, the provl8lon 18 mandatory.: This may be seen as a part of the gpeT;up;r:- lem 

### 0s lmplled oo~oqu8no48 

### 0r 10 lalatl0n. laud StatutoryConrtrrrotlon (3rd 86; -

1943) 110.

There 18 no absolute test or lafalllblerule by tich **a** ranbrtocy rtatute or provlrlonmy be dlstln- @shed from one whi.ah Is merely directory. In each ca84 the question Is on0 of rtatutory conrtruotlonto be judlclally

determinedaooordlng to the intent of the Leglcllaturo

frms a oonsld4rationof the entire rtatuto, Its nature, obi

dot end rubjectmatter, ll~result'iram

a red the OMEOquences that v tlcular con8tructlon. Burton v. lct3ulre 3 S.W.24 576'&. Clr. App. 1927) ??'dB tQn iayle v Shire 41 S Vi24 238 (Coma. App. 19h); ?Ale&der 75 i.U.24'706 (Ter. Clv. App. 1934); 9 Tex. Jur. 33, &tutoS, i300.14.

Ia the ease of 

### FBR~ v. Lees Bror. 9.9. Co., 3 So.2d 632 (La. Sup. 194r), the Court stated:

'The wore fshould is the imperfect

### 0s the vord '83~11';it 18 the -4t4m 

### 0s th4 *or4 'shazkl';

'e&ml4 I‘ u8ea 

### 88 8n amctliary vepb either ia thr part tense c oondltlunal prorent. It8 ryamymir '0 t'; Both of these Vord6 alearly Imply obllga Ion.' "$

The primary **purpose** of the Act In question is to prohibita public roheo2 fraternity,rororlty **or** seoret societyand It $8 evident that the Act contemplates

being merely dlreotry.

In vie8 Of the feregolngml88 of construotlon, and con614erlag ths Aot a8 8 wholo, Its nature **and** object,Ron, L. A. Woods, page 4 (V- 8&)

the only rearonableconstxwctlon that aaa be placed on Section 4 18 that the tar- thereofare nndatmy.

The provisionsof Section 4 of H.B. 651, Acts of the Slat Legislature,1949, relating to the **4XptiBi~ BP**  8UB~OZl‘iBll **Of pupil8**  **p4P** tlclpatlngIn secret societies,sororltl4s, and ?rat4rnltles0s public schools 0s the Ngh 8aheol level and below are Pandatory.

**Yours very**  **truly,**

**ATTORBRY**

**MfKBRAL** OF TBXAS

-L ml%011 wal&wp

Aseletut