### OFFICE OFTHEATTORNEY GENERAL OFTEXAS /

QmAcn c. MANN A-“” .s*-



### Ronorab,le

li. B.Baker count]r Mitoxllay Folsaancounty Coleaan,Gmaa

eminutesorthecolema
c8,19JOla tingtwe alamt3ntary 

### hlteCbapslofthe%nteamial Ron1 Bo.aouluuprorooFmiberatlon. regardlw,thelttex 

## rpoayhrcl, fcmt~inccs, uorl, xx, Plexoe,xl-i3-i.a. lRlxtxl* (10 uawU~0t16**belief** 

### oiall that 

### mob a ~ntaplagwowl8KreatlylaareaoetbesfliaLsao~~ oitheft OlenmntrrJ~

aobool. Soatthr in8tWO6 

### ofthe&IJemaad WhiteCbaDOl 

### GchcmlDl8trict 

### aaff withthe001LQUxraMO ofthoCentannie Bohool. Board,thsxeptlset asking@cmsall?rrt.ion

fthetwoj&mfmtUy 6Ubd.6 iQX the
easula~ year wan granted.*“i’cr the sahool year 1939-40 lt sees8 there a:11 be 29 clezsntarp pupils in the Y:hite Chapel elementary school dlstrlct. A number 

### ortho patrons of this local elementary district Oeslro to have their clc%entary school rcestabllehed. The school 

### boarddoea sot xisb t6 do thlh* thereiore 3would like to bavr. your opinion ns to vhether ttlls local board 1s obli&rA to reestablish this sohool. Also, would the aountf board of &ohool trunteee have any authority in the roattcr7 ”

k Careful search of the statutes relstln@ to rural high schooi Ofstrlctn does not revenl any provision exprearly reQuiring that elementary schools rlthin the rural hi@ eohool dlstrlot sntst be mastabllshsU after they have beian dlroontlnued.or oonsoll&tod.

fOlLovm: mtiole petri, hevised Clvll statutc8, 1925; provlaer ar

“The oounty board of school Qwsteas ahall not hare the authority to abollch or oonsolldate any elementary school district almaay eotabllshei3 axoopt upon ths ooto 

## cr a majority or the walliled eleotoro re~lding In suoh elemntary Olstrlct; provided that when any mohoolrithin tin elementary alatrlot rtdls 

## to he*? nn l rorags daily attendance the preoedin& year of at 

### hlsaet twentypupil.8 it may be dlaoontlnued by t&o board 

## or trwteaa of Said rural high sohool dlstrlot, and aald dlatrlot mar be oonsolldated by the oounty board at sohool trumteeo nlth

ame 

### otherdlstrlator dI8trlatr tar elemcntary8ohool purposes; provided that it tberc la more than one *mite

or one aolomd sohool in ,euoh elementary sohool dlstrlot the board of trustee8 of the aaid rural high school al*- tricts ‘or an independent dlstrlot, as the csee my be, rz~yaonsolldate such white or 

### oolorsd .sdhoole or $ho elementary district; end provlaed that the board OStrustees of a rural high sohocl Oiatrlot stay transfer the pupila of one elementary dlatriet to another within the rural hl(rb satiooi dlstriot, nben~the transfer 1s made tram an nlencntary 

### aifmm df lower olaerirIoatfon to one of hlpber ohseffloation; and provlaea further that the bcmrd Or tNStoS8 Of #IrYrtd high 80h001 a;StrfOt riW tXWIrar pupils from an elerentary dli%trlOt to any Other elOm8nt6rY dlatrict within the rural h&h eohool district 

### UDQIIWplloatlon or tho pamnts or:&uardlan of the said pupils.Eon. i

. i:. iieher, $3.

“K~encvcr :Ine :.r more eo.mon cchool dietriots
are onncsed tc a cozzon mhool district or to an 5ndepondc:it d?atrIct under the provjsione of tieotion 1, euch coumn or Independent district shell maintain elemntery oehoole of huoh clssslfIoatIon as the oouuty board xay dt+elghate In eaoh Clatriot 80 qnexed, for. the

wee length or 

### termprovided for the schools oi-the said covmx; ochooi dlatrlct or lndepandent dlstrlct. provided such schools may be dlsooatlnuod by the looal board oi truotoes when the average dally attendanoe of er:y such eohoola for the preceding year is lee8 than twenty.”

You do not state in .your letter that the board of trustees of the rural hlph ochool district evsr dlscontlnued the White Chapel alemmtary nchool dirtrlct abut we armme suah Is the ease slnoe **the** order of the oouuty board reoites that the **purported** ooneolldation **was** kith the cohourrenoe of the rural high mhool board. Tou ~111 note that krtlule 2929t plaoea the authority to dlroontlnuo

an elementary school In the board of truataea or the rural 

### hlgb sohool distrlot and not Iu the oounty board of sahool trueteao. Tbe oountq board of school trustees Ia authorlaed to consolidata euoh elemntary dIetrIots under 

### uertolnoonditlons r:lth another district for clomontary school purposea, but In this commotion wa call your attention to the order entsred by the Colman County imbool Eoard which **doe8** not purport to ‘aonsolldate the two olamentary eoboole exoept *‘top the enauin& **vear.a**



### InChastein v. kauldlaa (T. C. A. 1Osb) 32 S. :;. (2d) 2tJ5, the court tacitly approved an agreenient that an elementary school would be keeatabllahed or resumed wider oertaln conditIonS, however, 

### in that aa6e tho average attendance during the last **preoeding** sess!on wag as mch or more than twenty elcmental?y pupIla. 5.0cell t&is to your attention lnaemuch aa it Is possible that 8oxv.e euch aCroe=ent mleht have been made with retcrence to the &bite Chapel elementary sahool in view of the wording or the mlnutell Or the oounty sehoo 1board.

i‘be power of the board oi trusteea of the rural distrlat to dlsaontinue an elementary sohool Is not. .depenbent upon,the possibility of ho%meny elementary pupila there will **be** In the sohool dietriot for the current year but it Is provided that *when any sohool rlthin my slomantary district Sails to have an avera&e dally attendanoe the preosdlng yoar of at lea& twenty 

### pupilsIt IMP disoontinucd by the board of trustees of aa%Qrural high oohool d:striot.”Eon. VI.B. Baker, #4.

Based upon the faota a8 subialtted by you, It la our opinion thet the local board of the rural high school district le not required to reestablish the Yhlte Chapel Elementary Gohool Xstrlct for the sohool year 1939-40.

Weare further of the 

### opinion that the county board of aohool trustee8 1s not authorized to reestablieh an elementary aoh within a rural high SObOo di8trlat where the 

### boardof t-tees of said rural high school dftirlot ha6 dleoontinued suoh elementary eohool ae provided by law.

Yours very truly

ATTORIJEY OgNgRbL OF ‘IgXAB

Aaaistant