OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN
April 17, 1939
Honorable Robert J. Allen Lubbook County Labbook, Temm
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we be& to aokno or March 25, LOS9 thla laepartlncnt
coaposedor 0 ronsahooldlrr
gvgarilthe&r pemea on -theOri&nal p&itiO~ shoal& be m- eogn&ed by then, or whether thQr ehotid a;erelyconsider the original elgne% 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 dlstrlat on a petition signed by a majority of the voters of eaoh elementary dlstrlct composingthe rural high school dls- trict and when such district has been abollsh- ed the elementarydistrictsshall 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 proportionalpart of the %abtr.* 1t is elear that ua%er iii0abate statute the oounti sohool trusteeshave of themselvesa0 power to. abolish a rural high sohool aimi0t unless they are rhit authorize%$o %o so bJI"'apetItIon signed by a majority. or tha voters of eaoh elementa- diltriot oo@@osingthe - rural sigh sohool distdot." The ~OldS8iOIl di Appal.8 0r Texas has ad 8oaatraeda dmllar atatate in the oaae . MesauIte IndependentSohool Dlstrlot v. Gross; 67 8. (24j 242. we ;Inate rrom that opinion: -
*The plain words of the statute ltits the'potentialjarisdlotlonoi.the sohqol boar%' to Instanoeswhere It Is preeenti%wIth~the statatoe-petition. If the statatory petltlqn $6 absent, the jarlsdlotionof the boar% Is utterly laokIng. -Inother words, unless an% 'ontil-theboar% Is presentedwith the titit&-, tory petition, it has no jurIs%Iatlonin the 1 premiae8.* .ArtIole2?62a, R. 0. a., hat35e~aieUlr rooeiv- 0% ju%loIal sanotloh by the court. There ean,_theeFam, be no questionas to the valldlty of the prooe%un tnere- in outlinedwhloh makes petitions signed by a majorltr 0r the qaalIrIa%voters 0r eaoh or the oomponent %lstrIots all essentialprerequisitebefore whIoh Zhe boar% of oountr sohool trustees oamot sot to abolIsh.ruoha'rural hi& ' sohool district. We have been unable to find any-Texas author- ities %Ireotly in point on the.queetign oi whether a. signer of a petitionmay subsequentlprevoke his aot In so signing the petltlon. The authorI8ieeOQ this qaes- \ tIon.In other jurIs%lotIonsdarenot unlform.butthe Hon, Robert J. Allen, April 17, 1939, Page 3
doaided weight of authorityfollows the rule 'thatone who signs a petitionmay.subsequentlyrevoke his signa- ture prior to the time that the petition haa been aoted UpOIl.
'We quote from 15 Corpus JurIs at p. 402: "AXIelectormay legally sign two or more non-oompetingpetitionsand he aay withdraw b y l wr itten oommanloation, h is a lg r uta r e wlth- oat appear* ln.p 8r eo n. T h e withdrawalma y 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 JIlrisat p. '6262 :. *A &ItIoner for a.loaal option petition nny.frMhdrawhi8 nuta rr0m ths petition at ady flab3before the pstitloa has been aoted apon.* cmmr v. Wewto~, lb4