Anderson v. Town of Durham

CourtSuperior Court of Maine
DecidedMay 14, 2003
DocketCUMcv-02-480
StatusUnpublished

This text of Anderson v. Town of Durham (Anderson v. Town of Durham) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Superior Court of Maine primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Anderson v. Town of Durham, (Me. Super. Ct. 2003).

Opinion

STATE OF MAINE CUMBERLAND, ss.

SUPERIOR COURT CIVIL ACTION DOCKET NO. CV-02-480

wad ua OU 3 UbREC —CUM> 3/4. a00F JULIA AND KEVIN ANDERSON, mrss BETHANY AND DALE DANIELS, JILL AND LIONEL C. GUAY, IIL, SHARON AND STEPHEN JEROME, CHRISTINE KOZA, MAY 29 2003 JERILYN AND MICHAEL WARD,

Plaintiffs

ORDER ON DEFENDANTS TOWN OF DURHAM, DURHAM SCHOOL DEPARTMENT, Vv. SUPERINTENDENT SHANNON L. WELSH,

MINOT SCHOOL DEPARTMENT, SUPERINTENDENT ROBERT E. WALL, TOWN OF RAYMOND, RAYMOND SCHOOL DEPARTMENT, AND SUPERINTENDENT SANDRA S. CALDWELL’S MOTION TO DISMISS

TOWN OF DURHAM,

DURHAM SCHOOL DEPARTMENT,

SUPERINTENDENT SHANNON L. WELSH,

MINOT SCHOOL DEPARTMENT,

SUPERINTENDENT ROBERT E. WALL,

TOWN OF RAYMOND,

RAYMOND SCHOOL DEPARTMENT, «0 <*- =< meter se ues aes

SUPERINTENDENT SANDRA S. CALDWELL,

MAINE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION,

COMMISSIONER J. DUKE ALBANESE,

Defendants

FACTUAL BACKGROUND

This matter comes before the court upon a Motion to Dismiss by the Defendants Town of Raymond, Town of Durham, and the towns?’ respective school departments and superintendents pursuant to Maine Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6). Defendant Minot School Department and superintendent join in the motion and additionally move for

judgment on the pleadings pursuant to Maine Rule of Civil Procedure 12(c). Defendant Town of Durham and Defendant Town of Minot are members of school unions’ and Defendant Town of Raymond operates the Raymond School Department; the school systems are operated separately from one another. None of the school administrative units within Defendant towns operate public high schools. Because state law requires that all municipalities provide education to residents through the twelfth grade, the Defendant school administrative units must elect either to contract with a public school outside the municipality or reimburse those students living within the municipality who choose to attend an approved private school, a public school, or a school approved for tuition purposes in another state.

In August 2002 Plaintiff Christine Koza requested reimbursement from the Defendant Raymond School Department for tuition payments made to St. Dominic’s Regional High School (St. Dominic’s) on behalf of her son. St. Dominic’s is a private Catholic high school. The Raymond School Department denied her request on the - ground that her claim was barred by 20-A M-R-S-A. § 2951(2), which exchides the oe participation of sectarian schools from the state’s tuition reimbursement program.

Plaintiff Koza—joined by the Anderson, Guay, Jerome, Daniels, and Ward families, who also elected to send their children to private religious institutions not

approved for tuition reimbursement (collectively referred to as Andersons)’—-brought

' Durham is a member of School Union 30 and Minot is a member of School Union 29. Schools unions are organized according to 20-A M.R.S.A. § 1901-1903 (West 1993).

* Julia and Kevin Anderson reside in Durham and their son David attends Pine Tree Academy, which is a Seventh Day Adventist academy. The Andersons are practicing Seventh Day Adventists. Jill and Lionel Guay live in Minot. Their daughter Ashley is a sophomore at St. Dominic’s. They aver that their choice of St. Dominic’s was based on the excellent academic reputation of St. Dominic’s as well as the Guays’ belief in the Catholic faith. Sharon and Stephen Jerome live in Raymond. The Jeromes send their son, Matthew, to St. Dominic’s, because of the excellent academic program and because of their belief in the Catholic faith. Bethany and Dale Daniels live in Durham and their son Kyle is a sophomore at St. Dominic’s Regional High School. The Daniels send Kyle to St. Dominic’s because of its academic reputation. suit against the towns, the towns’ respective school departments and superintendents,.the Maine Department of Education, and the Commissioner of Education (collectively referred to as Defendants). The Andersons contend that the Defendants’ refusal to reimburse them for tuition expenses at the schools of their choice violates their federal constitutional rights. Specifically, the Andersons contend that the application of Maine law authorizing tuition reimbursement violates their First Amendment right to Free Exercise of Religion, the Establishment Clause of the Federal Constitution, the First Amendment right to Freedom of Speech, and Equal Protection under the Fourteenth

Amendment. (Complaint, {[{] 41, 44, 47, 50; 20-A M.R.S.A. § 295 1(2).)

DISCUSSION

Defendants Town of Raymond, Town of Durham, and their respective school

administrative districts and superintendents (Raymond and Durham)’ now move to

~ dismaiss‘the complaint pursuant to‘ M.-R:Crv:P: 12¢b)(6)- In particular; Raymond and: =< oe se

Durham contend first, that the doctrine of res judicata bars the Andersons from bringing the case at bar and second, that Raymond and Durham are not civilly liable under § 1983 of the Federal Civil Rights Act.

A civil action may be dismissed when the complaint fails to state a claim upon which relief can be granted. M.R.CIv. P. 12(b)(6). Such a motion tests the legal

sufficiency of the complaint, Plimpton v. Gerrard, 668 A.2d 882, 885 (Me. 1995), and

Christine Koza resides in Raymond. Her son Brendan is a freshman at St. Dominic’s. Ms. Koza avers that she sends Brendan to St. Dominic’s because of the excellent reputation. Jerilyn and Michael Ward also live in Raymond. Their son Lucas also attends St. Dominic’s because of the excellent academic program.

3 Their Motion is joined by the Minot School Department and its superintendent. The Department of Education and the Commissioner of Education, the remaining defendants, do not join in this motion to dismiss. oe . not the sufficiency of the evidence the plaintiff is likely able to present. Barnes v. McGough, 623 A.2d 144, 146 (Me. 1993). The allegations of the complainant are viewed as true for the purposes of the motion and cast in a light most favorable to the plaintiff.

In re Wage Payment Litigation, 2000 ME 162, { 3, 752 A.2d 217, 220. Thus, a motion to dismiss is properly granted when it appears beyond doubt that the plaintiff is entitled to no relief under the facts that might be proved in support of the claim. Dutil v. Burns, 674 A.2d 910, 911 (Me. 1996).

According to Maine law, all municipalities within the state are required to provide an education to residents from kindergarten through the twelfth grade. 20-A M.R.S.A. § 1001(8) (West 1993). The majority of municipalities meet this requirement by establishing a school administrative district. A “school administrative unit” is a “state- approved unit of school administration and includes a municipal school unit, school

administrative district, community school district or any other municipal or quasi-

“ss "+" ~truneipal cerporation responsible for-wperating-or constructing-schools += ."-20-A--~

MLR.S.A. § 1(26) (West 1993). School districts have the power to sue and be sued. See, e.g., 20-A M.R.S.A. § 3613; 14. M.R.S.A. § 505; School Admin. Dist #3 v. Maine School Dist., 185 A.2d 744, 746 (Me. 1962) (parties conceding that school districts have the power to sue and be sued); see generally 14 M.R.S.A. § 8101 et seq. (West 1993). The Law Court has held that school administrative units authorized by statute are legal entities distinct from the municipalities from which they are created. Pickering v.

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