Opinion ID: 526550
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: State Action and Official Policy and Custom Requirement

Text: 29 As previously discussed, under Sec. 1983, in addition to alleging a constitutional right violation, a plaintiff must also allege that the challenged conduct was under color of state law. Moreover, to impose liability on the school board as a unit of local government, the plaintiff must allege that the challenged conduct executed an official policy or custom of the school board. As school employees, Rose and Powell apparently operated with the authority of the state. Thus, their conduct in their capacity as school officials constitutes action under the color of state law. We find that the complaint sufficiently states a Sec. 1983 claim against the school officials individually. 30 However, whether the defendants' actions implemented an official policy or custom of the school board sufficient to impose liability on the school board under Sec. 1983 is a more complicated inquiry. Official policy is easily found in cases such as Monell where the local government formally makes a decision which when executed gives rise to a constitutional violation. Monell, 436 U.S. 658, 98 S.Ct. 2018 (1978) Monell involved a written rule promulgated by local government officials which required pregnant employees to take unpaid leaves of absence before such leaves were medically required). Determining local government liability becomes more difficult in cases where the local government itself has not acted, but only certain high ranking officials. In this respect, the Monell court stated that official policy or custom may be made by officials whose acts or edicts may fairly be said to represent official policy.... Monell, 436 U.S. at 694, 98 S.Ct. at 2037. The problems arise in determining which high-ranking officials make policy and under what circumstances. See generally S.H. Nahmond, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Litigation: The Law of Sec. 1983 Sec. 6.07 (2nd ed. 1986). 31 Recently, the Supreme Court addressed some of these issues in Pembaur v. City of Cincinnati, 475 U.S. 469, 106 S.Ct. 1292, 89 L.Ed.2d 452 (1986). In Pembaur, the Court held that a decision by a county prosecutor and sheriff to force entry unconstitutionally into a doctor's office on a single occasion could constitute an official policy or custom of the county subjecting it to liability under Sec. 1983. The court emphasized that [m]unicipal liability attaches only where the decisionmaker possesses final authority to establish municipal policy with respect to the action ordered. Id. at 481, 106 S.Ct. at 1299. Even a policymaker's ability to exercise discretion when performing certain functions alone does not give rise to local government liability based on an exercise of that discretion. 13 Id. at 482, 106 S.Ct. at 1299. The official must also be responsible for establishing final government policy respecting such activity before the unit of local government may be held liable. Id. at 482-3, 106 S.Ct. at 1299-1300. Whether an official has final policymaking authority is a question of state law. Id. 32 In this case, the complaint alleges that the school board delegated to Rose final decisionmaking authority regarding counseling. This allegation is sufficient to withstand a motion to dismiss under 12(b)(6). However, to impose liability on the school board, the appellants must establish in district court that the school board delegated to Rose final policymaking authority as to whether the board's policy would be to favor or disfavor abortion. 14