Case Name: T. Toe THANE and Phyu K. Thane v. CUMBERLAND VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD OF SCHOOL DIRECTORS, Appellant
Court: Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania
Jurisdiction: Pennsylvania
Decision Date: 1999-02-04
Citations: 724 A.2d 978
Docket Number: 
Parties: T. Toe THANE and Phyu K. Thane v. CUMBERLAND VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD OF SCHOOL DIRECTORS, Appellant.
Judges: Before COLINS, President Judge, and DOYLE, J., McGINLEY, J., SMITH, J., PELLEGRINI, J., KELLEY, J., and FLAHERTY, J.
Reporter: West's Atlantic Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 724
Pages: 978–983

Head Matter:
T. Toe THANE and Phyu K. Thane v. CUMBERLAND VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD OF SCHOOL DIRECTORS, Appellant.
Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania.
Argued Dec. 9, 1998.
Decided Feb. 4, 1999.
Richard C. Snelbaker, Mechanicsburg, for appellant.
Vivian B. Narehood, Lancaster, for appel-lee.
Before COLINS, President Judge, and DOYLE, J., McGINLEY, J., SMITH, J., PELLEGRINI, J., KELLEY, J., and FLAHERTY, J.

Opinion:
McGINLEY, Judge.
Cumberland Valley School District, Board of School Directors (Board) appeals from an order of the Court of Common Pleas of Cumberland County (common pleas court) which reversed the Board's determination that Lynn Thane (Lynn) was not a resident of Cumberland Valley School District (District) and remanded to the Board to determine whether Dr. T. Toe Thane (Dr. Thane) and Phyu K. Thane (Mrs. Thane) (collectively, the Thanes) were entitled to reimbursement for Lynn's education at the Pathway School.
In August 1995, the Thanes decided that Mrs. Thane would move with her two sons, Wynn and Lynn, from the family dwelling in Chambersburg to a location closer to Harrisburg Academy, where their younger son, Wynn, was to attend private school. The Thanes determined that Lynn would accompany his mother and brother because Mrs. Thane was the primary caregiver. Lynn required special education so Mrs. Thane investigated public school districts near Harrisburg Academy for the one best suited for Lynn's needs.
The Thanes leased a townhouse in Hamp-den Township and enrolled Lynn at Good Hope Middle School (School) in the District. Mrs. Thane moved their clothing, furniture and possessions to Hampden Township. The Thanes intended to maintain this arrangement for seven years or until Wynn graduated from Harrisburg Academy. Mrs. Thane and her children spent Monday through Friday and alternate weekends in Hampden Township. Other weekends and most vacations were spent in Chambersburg.
A District school bus transported Lynn daily between the townhouse and School. Mrs. Thane received mail and phone calls from the District at the Hampden Township address. Mrs. Thane paid a residence tax to Cumberland County, where Hampden Township is located, changed her voter registration from Chambersburg to Hampden Township and changed her driver's license address.
In October 1995, Lynn's mental health deteriorated and he was hospitalized from October 7 through October 14, 1995, and again from October 31 through November 21,1995. On the advice of two independent experts the Thanes decided to enroll Lynn at the Pathway School (Pathway), a private school for individuals with learning disabilities in Montgomery County. The Thanes requested that the District approve Lynn's enrollment and pay the tuition, pursuant to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), 20 U.S.C. § 1400-1485.
On May 2,1996, the District formally notified Dr. and Mrs. Thane that Lynn never established a residency within the District and was not entitled to any educational benefits. The District refused to pay any fees to Pathway for the 1995-96 school year or for any time thereafter. Letter from Anthony J. Colistra, Ed.D., Assistant Superintendent Secondary Education, May 2,1996, at 1; Reproduced Record (R.R.) at 5a.
The Thanes appealed the District's decision to the Board by written notice dated May 10, 1996. The Board held an evidentia-ry hearing on June 3, 1996. On August 8, 1996, the Board affirmed the District's determination on the basis that the townhouse in Hampden Township was a temporary residence for Mrs. Thane and her two sons, established only for their convenience and not with the intent of making it them primary residence. The Board used the concept of primary residence to interpret the terms "resident" and "resides" in Section 1302 of the Public School Code of 1949 (School Code), which states that a child shall be considered a resident of the district in which his parents or the guardian of his person resides.
According to the Board, the primary residence is the domicile and found that the Thanes were domiciled in Chambersburg. In justifying its interpretation, the Board recognized that there is a close association between the terms "residence" and "domicile" in Pennsylvania jurisprudence; to define "resident" or "resides" as something less than "domicile" would lead to an absurd and unreasonable result, because it would enable a child to be a resident of two school districts at the same time; and any definition which did not include the concept of "domicile" would burden school districts because parents could send their children to school in a district where they did not pay property taxes. Adjudication of Board of School Directors at 9-17; R.R. at 106a-114a.
The Thanes then appealed to the common pleas court. After receiving briefs and hearing oral argument, the common pleas court determined that the Board mistakenly interpreted the terms "resident" and "resides". The common pleas court found that the terms "resident" and "resides" were used in the School Code without any refinements. Common Pleas Court Opinion, March 25, 1997, at 11. The common pleas court, citing Norman v. Pennsylvania National Ins. Co., 453 Pa.Super. 569, 684 A.2d 189, 191 (1996), found that the classical definition of a "residence" is "a factual place of abode evidenced by a person's physical presence in a particular place." Common Pleas Court Opinion, March 25, 1997, at 10. The common pleas court then determined that Mrs. Thane was a resident of the District and that as a general rule a minor has the same residence as the parent with whom he lives. Because Lynn resided with Mrs. Thane in the District, the common pleas court held that Lynn was a resident of the District. The common pleas court reversed the Board and remanded to determine whether the education Lynn received in the District was inappropriate under the IDEA and if reimbursement for tuition paid to Pathway was warranted.
The Board appeals, contending that the temporary presence of Lynn and Mrs. Thane in the District does not constitute a "residence", ergo, the District need not provide Lynn with educational benefits under the School Code. The Honorable J. Wesley Oler, Jr. ably disposed of this issue in his comprehensive opinion. Therefore, we shall affirm on the basis of that opinion. In Re: Residence Hearing before the Board of School Directors, Cumberland Valley District, T. Toe Thane and Phyu K. Thane, 46 Cumberland Law Journal 222 (1997). However, we vacate the portion of the common pleas court's order that remanded the matter to the Board in order to determine whether the education Lynn received in the District was inappropriate under the IDEA and if reimbursement for tuition paid to Pathway was warranted. This Court has affirmed the determination of this issue by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, Bureau of Special Education Due Process Appeals Review Panel in Cumberland Valley School District v. Lynn T, No. 3386 C.D.1997, so the common pleas court's remand is moot.
ORDER
AND NOW, this 4th day of February, 1999, the order of the Court of Common Pleas of Cumberland County in the above-captioned matter is affirmed with respect to the issue of Lynn Thane's residence. The portion of the order remanding the case to the Cumberland County School District Board of School Directors is vacated as moot.
. Act of March 10, 1949, P.L. 30, as amended, 24 P.S. § 13-1302.