Opinion ID: 2457290
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: the liability of the individual defendants

Text: This case involves the initial interpretation of Section 21.912 of the Texas Education Code (Supp.1976-1977) by this Court. That section reads as follows: (a) The board of trustees of each school district within this state shall adopt policies specifying the duties of each of its professional positions of employment. The board of trustees shall assign positions of employment earned under the minimum foundation program to meet the specific needs of the district. (b) No professional employee of any school district within this state shall be personally liable for any act incident to or within the scope of the duties of his position of employment, and which act involves the exercise of judgment or discretion on the part of the employee, except in circumstances where professional employees use excessive force in the discipline of students or negligence resulting in bodily injury to students. (c) This section is not applicable to the operation, use, or maintenance of any motor vehicle. (d) `Professional employee,' as used in this section, includes superintendents, principals, classroom teachers, supervisors, counselors, and any other person whose employment requires certification and an exercise of discretion. [Emphasis added]. The purpose of this section is twofold: first, to provide local school boards with the authority to define the duties of professional school employees; secondly, to exempt such employees from individual liability for certain acts. Section 21.912(b) grants qualified immunity to professional school employees for acts done within the scope of their employment involving judgment or discretion. Particularly, we are called upon to interpret the last clause of subdivision (b), the terms of which qualify the immunity by stating that there will be no personal liability except in circumstances where professional employees use excessive force in the discipline of students or negligence resulting in bodily injury to students. There is language in the last clause which we find to be ambiguous. The problem is created by the use of the term negligence in the last phrase of that clause. At first glance, a reading of the last clause would seem to indicate personal liability for professional school employees who use excessive force in the discipline of students or who use negligence that results in bodily injury to students. Such a reading would be incorrect, however, because it is inaccurate to say that a person uses negligence; negligence occurs as a result of an act or omission by an individual. Because of this ambiguity, the meaning of the last clause is rendered uncertain and is susceptible of conflicting interpretations. Therefore, we are required to interpret the language of the statute involved in order to ascertain the intent of the Legislature. See Koy v. Schneider, 110 Tex. 369, 221 S.W. 880 (1920); Commissioners Court of Lubbock County v. Martin, 471 S.W.2d 100 (Tex.Civ. App.Amarillo 1971, writ ref'd n. r. e.). Bernhard would have us interpret the last clause in such a manner that an employee would be liable for either the use of excessive force in disciplining a student or for any act of negligence that results in bodily injury to a student. This was the interpretation adopted by the court of civil appeals. The individual defendants, on the other hand, urge a much narrower interpretation of the last clause. They contend that an employee may be liable only where he uses excessive force or is negligent in disciplining students which results in bodily injury to such students. We conclude that the Legislature intended in the last clause of subdivision (b) to limit the liability of professional school employees to certain acts incident to the disciplining of students because this is the only manner in which section 21.912 can reasonably be interpreted as a whole. In determining legislative intent, we must look to the entire statute, not just to any one phrase, clause, or sentence of that statute. Further, one provision will not be given a meaning out of harmony or inconsistent with other provisions, although it might be susceptible of such a construction if standing alone. See Ex parte Roloff, 510 S.W.2d 913 (Tex.1974); Black v. American Bankers Insurance Co., 478 S.W.2d 434 (Tex.1972); Francis v. International Service Insurance Co., 533 S.W.2d 408 (Tex.Civ.App.Texarkana), aff'd, 546 S.W.2d 57 (Tex.1976). In the statute before us, subdivisions (b) and (c) of section 21.912 contain the provisions relating to liability and must be read together in order to ascertain what the Legislature meant in the last clause of subdivision (b). An interpretation that the last clause of subdivision (b) subjects a professional school employee to liability for any act of negligence that results in bodily injury to a student is untenable when read in light of subdivision (c). Section 21.912(c) states that [t]his section is not applicable to the operation, use, or maintenance of a motor vehicle. By this language, the immunity granted to professional school employees by section 21.912(b) is not extended to acts incident to the operation, use, or maintenance of motor vehicles. Therefore, a professional school employee may be personally liable for certain negligent acts involving motor vehicles. [5] If the interpretation of subdivision (b) urged by Bernhard were followed, then subdivision (c) would be meaningless since liability for the negligent operation of a motor vehicle would necessarily be covered by the broader provisions of subdivision (b). We must give full effect to subdivision (c), however, because it is well established that every word in a statute is presumed to have been used for a purpose, Jessen Associates, Inc. v. Bullock, 531 S.W.2d 593 (Tex.1975); Perkins v. State, 367 S.W.2d 140 (Tex.1963), and that the Legislature did not intend to do a useless thing by putting a meaningless provision in a statute. Duson v. Poage, 318 S.W.2d 89 (Tex.Civ.App.Houston 1958, writ ref'd n. r. e.). Therefore, the effect of subdivision (c) is to negate a broad interpretation of subdivision (b) when the two provisions are construed together. We hold Section 21.912(b) of the Texas Education Code to mean that a professional school employee is not personally liable for acts done within the scope of employment, and which involve the exercise of judgment or discretion, except in circumstances where disciplining a student, the employee uses excessive force or his negligence results in bodily injury to the student. As there were no issues in this case concerning the punishment of Bernhard, we hold that the trial court was correct in granting the individual defendants' motion for summary judgment. See Mitchell v. Baker Hotel, 528 S.W.2d 577 (Tex.1975); Gibbs v. General Motors Corp., 450 S.W.2d 827 (Tex.1970); Swilley v. Hughes, 488 S.W.2d 64 (Tex.1972). Accordingly, the judgment of the court of civil appeals is reversed and that of the trial court affirmed. SAM D. JOHNSON, J., writes dissenting opinion in which POPE, J., joins.