Opinion ID: 1147963
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Question of Mootness of Appeal.

Text: The Religious appellees urge the questions raised by appellants in their brief (the teaching of religion, teaching by the Religious in public schools, teaching in religious garb and the failure of the court to enjoin all Religious named as defendants who have taught in the public schools) are moot for the following reasons: 1. Teaching of religion by the Religious on school days has been discontinued since the direction so to do by the Archbishop of the Diocese of Santa Fe, New Mexico, by his directive to all the Religious teaching in public schools set out above in the portion of this opinion designated History of Present Controversy. 2. The State Board of Education by resolution dated March 6, 1951, adopted a policy of prohibiting the wearing of religious garb by teachers in the public schools of New Mexico, declaring that church property shall not be used for public school purposes except in cases of emergency, the resolution, omitting recitals, reading as follows: It Is Hereby Resolved and Adopted as the policy of this board that all nuns, brothers, or priests of the Catholic Church, or members of any other sectarian religious group, wearing clothing of religious significance, should be removed from the public schools throughout the state as expeditiously as circumstances (of) each locality allows; and, it is further adopted as the policy of this board that insofar as possible no property owned by religious groups shall be leased or rented by the state from such religious or sectarian organization unless exceptional circumstances require such action. 3. Following the adoption of the foregoing resolution by the State Board of Education, the Archbishop of the Diocese of Santa Fe advised the State Board of Education that contracts by Religious would not be renewed at the close of the 1950-1951 school year, and that no Church property in this state was being used for public school purposes. The material part of his letter reads as follows: Please be advised that contracts by Religious teaching in the Public Schools of New Mexico, will not be renewed at the close of the present school year. Moreover, it should be noted, there is no Church property in the State of New Mexico being used by the Public Schools. I am submitting these advices to the end that you will have been informed, well in advance, so that you may make appropriate plans for the coming school year. We were advised at the argument in June that no Religious would be employed as teachers in the public schools of New Mexico for the 1951-1952 school year. The State Board has now adopted a uniform system of text books and we are advised it no longer furnishes any school books to sectarian or denominational schools. If the State Board of Education and the Archbishop continue the policies announced in the resolution and letter just quoted, then, indeed, the conditions of which plaintiffs so strongly complain would be entirely eliminated; but we must remember the membership of the Board changes somewhat with each administration and we have changes from time to time in the individual holding the high Church office of Archbishop. Lacking an authoritative declaration of law on the subjects the individuals holding such offices may change their policies when and as they might be advised. We decline to treat the questions as moot and will proceed to a decision of the matters raised by the appeal of the appellants and the cross appeal of the Religious.