Bell v. Howard County Training School District No. 38

368 S.W.2d 266, 236 Ark. 742
CourtSupreme Court of Arkansas
DecidedJune 3, 1963
DocketNo. 5-3027
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 368 S.W.2d 266 (Bell v. Howard County Training School District No. 38) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Arkansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bell v. Howard County Training School District No. 38, 368 S.W.2d 266, 236 Ark. 742 (Ark. 1963).

Opinion

HARRIS, Chief Justice.

At the beginning of school in the fall of 1962, fifty students, who had previously attended Howard County Training School District No. 38, a school district located in two counties, and appellee herein, situated at Tollett in Howard County, transferred to Sevier County High School, District No. 1, located at Lockesburg in Sevier County. Hereinafter, at times, these schools will be referred to as Tollett and Lockesburg. Thirty-five of the fifty children live in still another school district, Mineral Springs School District No. 3, likewise a district in two counties, administered in Howard County. All of the fifty children live in Sevier County, and were transferred upon the individual applications of respective parents or patrons with the approval of Sevier County High School District No. 1 and the Sevier County Board of Education. Tol-lett School, through its Board of Directors, instituted suit against the directors of Lockesburg, appellants herein, alleging, ih-ter alia, that such transfer of students could not be made without the approval of the Howard County Board of Education, and that this board had not given its approval. Appellee alleged that it would suffer irreparable damage in state aid for its school district unless appellants were enjoined from permitting the fifty students, “residents of Howard County Training School District No. 38 from attending Sevier County High School District No. 1,” and injunctive relief was sought. On trial, the court entered its decree restraining and enjoining appellants from permitting the aforementioned fifty students to attend the Lockesburg School. From such decree, comes this appeal.

The first question in this litigation is whether the fifty students were legally transferred from Tollett to Lockesburg. All facts were stipulated, except that appellants offered some additional evidence by parents of affected students. Part of this evidence was to the effect that the school at Lockesburg was not convenient for the particular students (whose parents testified), and other parents were of the view that their children were better satisfied, and would receive a better education at the Lockesburg School. Portions of the stipulation, which we deem pertinent to a determination of the litigation, not already mentioned in the statement of the case, áre as follows:

“On June 1, 1949, the Sevier County Board of Education with the approval of the Howard County Board of Education and with the approval of Howard County Training School District No. 38 authorized and directed the territory that was formerly Para-loma School District No. 54 in Sevier County to become annexed to Howard County Training School District No. 38, and on the same date the Sevier County Board of Education with the approval of the Howard County Board of Education and with the approval of Howard County Training School No. 38 authorized and directed the annexation of the territory that was formerly Graves Chapel School District No. 60 in Sevier County to Howard County Training School District No. 38. Both of the above mentioned transfers were approved by the State Department of Education. * * *
“Since June 1, 1949, students of what was formerly the Paraloma School District No. 54 and Graves Chapel School District No. 60 have been attending Howard County Training School District No. 38, however, some patrons expressed the desire to attend Sevier County High School District No. 1 located at Lockesburg, Arkansas, and in connection therewith presented petitions to the Sevier County Board of Education to transfer to the Lockesburg School in the years of 1959, 1960 and 1961. For these years the students were refused permanent enrollment to the Lockesburg School. * * *
“Howard County Training School No. 38, because of the annexation orders mentioned above, embraces territory in Howard and Sevier County.
“There are a greater number of inhabitants and students residing in the Howard County portion of Howard County School district No. 38 than in the Sevier County portion of said District, and the Howard County Board of Education administers Howard County School District No. 38. * * *
“Neither the Howard County Training School District No. 38 School Board nor the Howard County Board of Education approved the transfer of said students.
“Mineral Springs School District No. 3- where 35 of the 50 involved students reside is a School District embracing territory in both Howard and Sevier County. There are a larger number of inhabitants and students residing in the Howard County portion of Mineral Springs School District No. 3 than in the Sevier County portion of said District, and said School District is administered by the Howard County Hoard of Education.”

Neither the stipulation nor the oral evidence reflects whether the thirty five pupils in the last named district, were ever properly transferred from the Mineral Springs District to Howard County Training School District No. 38.

Our statutes authorize a transfer of children from one school district to another. Section 80-1517, Ark.Stats. (1960 Replacement) provides:

“The county board of education shall have power, upon the petition of any person residing in any particular school district, to transfer the children or wards of such person to a district in the same county, or to a district in an adjoining county for school purposes. * * *"

Section 80-1518, Ark.Stats. (1960 Replacement) further sets out:

“From and after the passage of this act no County Board of -Education shall make an order transferring any school child or children from one district to another until and unless the consent of the Board of Directors of the district to which such child or children are sought to be transferred has been secured in writing, such written consent to be filed in the office of the County Clerk of the county from which such child or children are to be transferred.”

Appellants argue that the paramount authority for any transfer rests within the receiving district, and 'since the receiving district, in this case, approved the transfer of these children, same is valid. Appellants further rely upon the provisions of Section 80-1527, Ark.Stats. (1960 Replacement), a portion of the “Pupil Assignment Act,”1 and the apparent purpose of offering the testimony of various parents was to come within the provisions of that act.2

While we concur that a child cannot be transferred to another district without the consent of the Board of Directors of the receiving district, we do not agree that the paramount authority rests with the Board of the receiving district; rather, a valid transfer requires the “consent” of both the “sender” and the “receiver.” The transfer must be made by the County Board of Education in which the “sending” district is located (§ 80-1517), or in the case of adjoining districts, by mutual agreement between the two local Boards of Education (“sending” and “receiving”).3

Pertinent portions of § 80-414 (1960 Replacement) read as follows:

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Related

Newark School District v. Cord-Charlotte School District 8
644 S.W.2d 110 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1983)

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Bluebook (online)
368 S.W.2d 266, 236 Ark. 742, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bell-v-howard-county-training-school-district-no-38-ark-1963.