OFFICE OF THE AlTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

~IlmLDc. MANN 

,-.-IEonor&le R. Y. ~&Lmghlln 

colutty Attorllay 

koore County 

x+ao, Texas 

Dear sir: 

oie are in receipt of 

roqwlstl~ th4 opiriion or %hi 

r0iadng raota: 

1, end they both will be Sn thrlr 

rticl.s'2904a axid State that the iB&3&6BdaBt 

s and 4olLecbs 8 lEainten4sae tax ior 4uh402 

of Qnt Dollar on the 3ne aundr4b WU.ar vilqa- 

. The tollodng queatdonu ar4 subaitted for oar oplnfenr 

"1. 18 th4 above statuts mmdatory or vould thr 

beys~~tmd4r ths statem4nt of fa4t8, be entltlsd to go to 

84hOtil WRitho?& paying tu%tion? 
Ron. R.'X, hretaughlln, pa64 es 

-2. dst prooedure, in 0886 the Suptmlntcndent inal8tr bhat they cannot exit!-r school without 

p6ylllg tuition?" 

It la l ppar4nt rr083 your titter that you are ooasonmd 

wlth the rtmldenoe of thO8% boyr and are not Sai8lng a quertlou of 

the authority of the 88hOGl bard to ooUaot tultlon from all students 

uniformly over elghtean par8 of 4~. iY6 es6um thet tuition 1.8 

sought to be oolhot@& 6o&ely on the basle of their rorid6no6 6~6 

th%XWOm OOlLfiW OU? OpiniOil t0 tbo pW6tiOB Of ~6id%BW. 6OthiB& 

herain 6h611 be oon6tru6d 88 sxpn86i~ an opinion upon the que6tioes 

r61668 by o6rtaln &mgu6g6 in tb4 486e of Love ~5~ City of h&6 

(Sup. ct. lQS1) 40 9. w. (ea) eo. 

Section 1 ot AetB, 1938, 44th L6g18Latur4, p. 851, oh. fe9, 

Artiole 2922L (I) Vernon*8 Annotated Civil StattiC66, rMd8 86 iollo*6: 

"The board Of trrtst%e6 Of Uly -00 Qr i&d6 oldent 

6oho0l 8:6tri4t, whether org'a4166d by Gsneral or ! p64i61 

law, uhloh 16vl66 66d coU64t6 a aiat6n66ae tex for th6 

purpose of srrpplem6~~lng the available 86hool fund reorlted 

fro& tbo State and aounty *hall admit into the pub118 

8ohoo&i of the dirtriot -66 oi tuition, all penotl6 rho 

are over 61x but ttot,ovor tuentpone year8 old at the 

b4&h1&1& Of t&W 84hoh6tiO year, if euoh p4r6OB Or hi6 

parent8 or 16861 goarbi6n nwfae *t&In *ia aomon or 

&d~ependent 6ohool diotrlot.* 

Thi8 identloal &n@mge ie CeBtained In ~8atiOB 1, Aetl, 

1931, 4&d &&latore, First C6lWA Smdon, p. 53, Ch. 80, Venwn'6 

Annotated Clvll fitditUtO6, hrtioh R904A. 

Artlole 2902, R6vfscrd Civil Statut66, 1985, provide6 86 folloma: 

“An OhilarM without ro@lra to ootor over ai2 JB'TB 

of a&e and tmdor &ghteen rears ,ot age at the bsglnalng of' 

any 6OhOti8tiO yr, 6hSll b+3 inOlti6d I5 th6 @dOl66tfO 

04mvua and shall be.entitle4 to ths b6n8fSt6 of the pabllo 

achoal Curds for that you., TLm board of mohool Wustam 

of any alty or tam or indapwdcmt or eoe!8on.8ahool 616trlet 

e&all ads;lt to tb4 bensflts 4S the prrbllo 6ohoole any per6on 

w4r alx and not over twantpome psu6 old at~the bb(ylanlry 

or the 8Ohoh6tiO yeer if 646b person Ol' hi8 parents or 

legal gU8r&f8B rW%&e wttbim 8aid dtfs tom! or d%.8trt@t." 
Bon. 2. f. EoIaughlln, page 3 

in part: 

krtlcle 2904, tievised Civil :;tetutns, i925, .provides 

“?!#e trU8te68 Of ochools Sfiill have the power to 

admit pupila over end under 8oboI8otlo ago cith8r ln or 

out of the dl8tPict on awh t8lTi8 a6 they o;ay de05 prop-r 

.and jU8t; . . .* 

Although the doariollo of a tior is ordfnsylly that or the 

pamAt it 18 u4li e8tabii8bed ln this jUrl8diOtiOB that for purposes OS attending the pub110 ir4e 8OhOoI8, a minor nay aoqulra a 

*re818anoc* 84Qaret8 end apart fro6 that OT the parent6. Ordlnarl ly 

a bona fide reeldmce scperate end apart frorb the parants, within the 

oonto6qAatioB of our 8ChOO1 ln*s,'la not established by tbe mere . 

physical presenoe of the rinor in another dietriot or by hi8 living 

tompomrlly in another district ror t40 purpose 0r attending school. 

Rowever,. if 8Uch minor ha8 in good faith establlkhsd e substantial 

resldeno'e an6 not 18erely an ostensible ~~sldanoe~for,tho~pu&Os6 

or att6ndlng sohool then such ChiI6 is OOB8idOr8d a6 having e8tbbIiahed 

a reeldenoe apart from the parent end entitled to the Beme robool 

benefit8 88 other like children in the aiatrlct. 

The general rule was stated $ii'an opinion rendered by this 

~Departme&, dated Noveizbar 4, 1905, to?'the Honorable R. B. Cousins, 

State Superlntqdent OS PubUo ~B8tmOtion8; 88 fO~w8: 

.'- -1r the ohD.dren have wrely an'oeteasible * riot 

a substantial reeidenoe in the dlstriot; If they r4r8 

8ent to Ftikdale for the sol.6 rmmo8e.~or even for the 

Win pWpO80, and 

public sOhOol8 of 

tuition. 

partlelpetl~ l.n the advantages ot the 

Hockdale, they are not entitled to free . 

"But lr thay WOr4 sent to r86id8 in iiockdals.in good 

faith in order to Civo them suitable homes, with the 

intention on tho part of the futhcr nab of the pereoolr in 

whose care he pIaoed the6, that the ohlldren should reside 

there ponmnently; lr the eduoatlohal adventages or the 

residence 16 bockdale ware merely inoldental to th8lr 

going there, and other com?iderationa lnduoed tbe rather 

in good faith, to eeleet that place as their hops, I-think 

the chlldron are resldenta.oi bockdale wlthln the maanl8g 

Of th8 aehool la*, and entitled t0 free tuition tberd, 

not*fthstandlng thnt the dOEdOl8 of the father is elsewhere.- 

Each ease oust depend upon It6 own facts, however, based 

solely upon the raots and olrau8mtauoo8 stated la your .Ietter, it 16 
~0th R. ii. YioLaugblln, pace 4 

our opinion thet the two boys rsrerrad to hava a substantial re614enco in the indepwdent school district and would be ectltled 

t.6 attend tha publio free school of nald 4fstrlot upon +Ibe sa6ie 

ter6.6 al4 conditions as though their parmts were a160 rssidhg 

in the di6trlct. 

It ie to be preeuped that thb aohool auprintendent ~111 

comply with the applicable Law when advi6e4 of the rlghteof the 

partie6, and for this reason your second r,uestion does not rar;airc 

an 'xm8wer. 

Youre very truly