OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

)3 ” ““’ 

AUSTIN 

April 14, 1999 
Hon. T. X. Trimble, April 14, 1939, ?age 2 

sohool building, across the sohool grounds, up 

and down stairs at the school, or in walking 

in the halls might have an accident and the 

Roard be he14 liable. Is then, any liability 

to the Board in thie ease? 

R4. The Board owus as one of its buildings 

an audltorlum and public sohool programs are 

&given in this auditorium. Great number0 of 

+paople attend. Trefrlo is heevy sometimes around the bull 

!l 

la&s. It has been he14 that the 

Boer4 might EK:'- Iable lf may onm were attend-, 

lnga8ehoolpmgmman48houl4~tigura iaen 

automobl& rsoi(bat, or abocU4 ifgrur Ia my 

kin4 o f a n l 0014ent at the ru4Itoorl8m. Im thery 

auy liability in thl8.uwml8.T 
Aon. T. Y. Trlmble, April 14, 1939, page 3 

rule in 19 R. C. L. Section 402, p. 1124, applyin: the doctrine above mentioned, suoh corporations are not liable for personal injuries to 

pupils resulting from the defeotlvs condition 

of the school buildings, or fmm the negllgenoe 

or the person In oherge thereof. In the seotlon 

olted it 1s said that - - -S 

**In such a ease, it can make no-dltrerenoe that the duty or maintelnln~ the pub110 

sohool, in oonneotion with whloh the injury 

000~rro4, ua8 voluntarily assume4 un4er parmi88iW 8tatute rather thqn &10U4 by~a OOP- 

-4 or the Lsgislature.~W 

The cow or Braua f. Trustee8 or xgotorIo Indondent School D18trlot, (T. &A. 19W) ll#iS. 'I. (M) 

,GF nr it 0r l iror ~retucl0d, 8hc+ad be pmioauw ooarid- 

.l&ia.th%8 OOMOOtiOll. a at .M80 th0 -rd. Of TXWbb;. 

Or the Independent DI8trfOtw 8Udror aeglltpik+.-la$* 

ti;a 8Oh0Of Ohild-lh0 ?Ou frCWa'b&th~BB 4b$~.%hO7813h@0&,... 

,i9b6lldtng into a fI’O8hly pad t-e harim 8tiff’Ma -2.: 

ylel4lnS bmneher .aa4 was themby ln)urwl. Thaaq heLd 

that there -8~W Uablllty on thcpart or t&e'Doar&or =,'~.' 

+Tl'u8tee8 an4 io the OO!lr80 Of the OQipiOn 8tat.d: 

,_ 

rTbs'rfr8t QU&iOll here prweakd'ii 

whothu or'aot the board of trwtee8 ef.an in; / 

dopedent rohool di8trlet O(UL be 8~04 l t’all 

.whethe n o o uee l o un4in 0 to r t. Theree o n b e 

no~qw8tiO@ but that a lndepondent 8OhOO1 dirtriOt i8 an.a@#tlw Of the 6td@,yUtdj Whih 

l XUOi8i~ ~~Wl’ZlWltkl. fUllOtiOll8,~ 18. IlOt +IlW&&& iOr it8 XI~,@i~OO in a OUit 800natng 

(CitilUJ 00808). However, if mob a 

dl8trloC may properly l uroiri 

an4 while exerololng rooh’prepr 

roprlettry l ot8, 

f Otat?r apt8 le 

gairty or .a tort, the dI*trlot may be *qhlred. 

to onower in 4omages for 8uoh tort. (Qltlag 

oa8e8 l akbll8hlng the lla~ltlty oi Oitik8 for 

tort8 oommItted.WhllO engage4 in &On-goVerIb 

aentel: aotlvitieol . 

"The oonduotlng 02 pub110 8oh0018 18 in’ 

our opi.nion the exerol8e or h govenumnt81 

powr.~, Pub110 8oho0~ are ooaduoted for the 

benefit Or the entire 8t8te by 6 gOwXBWntti 

agenoy an4 lt matters not whether auoh: 8ahools 
Hon. T. M. Thimble, April 14, 1959, Page 4 

are oonduoted by the tNstse8 of a aeon 

so)1001 dietriot or trustee-s or en lndependent district. It is not a run0ti0n uudertaken for the private adrautege and enzi,it 

of the loaellty end its inhabitants. . 

when employees or the Viotorla Independent School District plauted the llgustrum 

tree near and under the buttress on the left 

side or the rront step8 or the AUtahell sohool 

bull4lngau4uhen theyprune4aultriaPldthe 

t~thO~ltUO~ddin6-td?MOtlon~M6 had mot alme Mid0 a08 the Ml? 

~;l~8C+h 8"h"l end bOOWe ““6 in . 

ruMtl@n or loeal~lntuaot oaly. 

U~O~~8~~,mlavt~rr8~~~~6- 

.ingmnd8obol6rou8dsenalfl8Mth4bat y 

a&Ural that than eoIaqtin&88h*@ duld 

llko to bomtiry t&s 88uol 'garm4r bF amt4 . . . ,, 

troe8 enddtrubo undw8~~~ia(cto~hora~-. ., 

fbatUhO~~&8Oth~hU@dMdOMdth~~'. ... 

~~~8Oof,taith~~~dacrtionin.Uu- 

*. ,.. ':. .~ .,,... ;.: 

Weals0 wilyour 6ttamtlea~te 848.0. L. pafgm 

604 Ssotio~ 66, WhiOh dieOUMe8 tb lhbbllity Of ~dUhaO1~ 

di8Criot8 for a&lone ifmu ia t8z-t an4 to thw8pealal-, 
act creating the T8xarksna Iadop8ndent Sob001 Dlstriot, 

Aate 26th. L8&latlu8, 3rd. c. S. Sp8ufal T.au8, oh.91, 

p. S3, seotlon e8, provide8 in part as tollowa: 

‘Said ind8p8IId8h 8uh001 dietdot shrill 

not be liable ror damgem or any kind to any 

per8011 or penon lnjnnd or killed on the’ 

or predsea eontrolled by said board, 

the jurPisdlrtloo thereof." 

prOp8TtJ' 

or under 

, 

/2-9--52’ 

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