Fisher v. Clackamas County School District 12

507 P.2d 839, 13 Or. App. 56, 1973 Ore. App. LEXIS 1101
CourtCourt of Appeals of Oregon
DecidedMarch 19, 1973
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 507 P.2d 839 (Fisher v. Clackamas County School District 12) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Oregon primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Fisher v. Clackamas County School District 12, 507 P.2d 839, 13 Or. App. 56, 1973 Ore. App. LEXIS 1101 (Or. Ct. App. 1973).

Opinion

SCHWAB, C.J.

This is a suit in equity brought by plaintiffs taxpayers against defendants Clackamas County School District 12, its board, clerk, and superintendent, to enjoin defendants from using classroom space in St. John the Baptist school (hereinafter “St. John’s school”) to conduct classes for students of the parochial school. Intervenors are taxpayers in School District 12 and their minor children who attend schools in the district. They have united with the defendants in *58 resisting the claims of the plaintiffs. From an order of the trial court granting in part and denying in part the injunctive relief sought, all parties appeal.

St. John’s school is a parochial school maintained and operated by the Catholic church. Plaintiffs contend that the furnishing of teachers, textbooks, and teaching aids to the students of St. John’s school constitutes a benefit to religious institutions in violation of Oregon Constitution, Art I, § 5.

Defendants and intervenors answer that the teachers and texts are not being furnished to St. John’s school, but to two bona fide public schools using classroom space in St. John’s school building; namely, Eowe Junior High Annex and Milwaukie Elementary Annex.

We find that defendants’ contention is not supported by the record, and that the aid in question benefits a religious institution in violation of Oregon Constitution, Art I, § 5, as interpreted by Dickman et al v. School Dist. 62C et al, 232 Or 238, 366 P2d 533, cert denied 371 US 823 (1962). Therefore, we do not reach plaintiffs’ further contentions that the program in question also violates the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States; constitutes the imposition of a tax for a special nonpublic purpose thereby depriving plaintiffs of property without due process of law in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution ; and violates Oregon Constitution, Art VIII, § 2, in that the sums expended are not exclusively applied *59 to the support and maintenance of common schools in defendant school district.

The Catholic church operates St. John’s school ■for grades one through eight within the boundaries of Clackamas County School District 12. The two programs in dispute were entered into by agreement between defendant School District 12 and St. John’s .school, and consisted of what defendants denominate a “shared time” program for seventh and eighth grade students of St. John’s school, and a “released time” program for the fifth and sixth grade St. John’s students. The two programs are dissimilar in several respects, and will be described separately.

I

The “shared time” program was instituted in 1968. The seventh and eighth grade students in the program attend classes during seven periods each school day. In four of the periods their teachers are public school teachers under the employment and •direction of defendant school district. The subjects taught ■ by these teachers are language arts, social studies, mathematics, and science. Pour classrooms within the St. John’s school building are set aside for use by these four teachers. All religious symbols have been removed from these classrooms. The program thus carried on is referred to as the “Bowe Junior High Annex.”

The remaining three subjects, art, music and religion, are taught by St. John’s school instructors in other classrooms in the same building, where there are some religious symbols. The parochial school main *60 tains and supervises the physical education program, study halls, cafeteria and auditorium used by all students attending St. John’s school.

The students in this program are divided into five sections; each section is based in a “home room” from which students move out to other classes. The five “home rooms” are staffed by the four public school teachers and by Sister Clare, of St. John’s school, who teaches religion. The students rotate by section through their daily curriculum of seven subjects so that, at a given hour, some of the students are receiving instruction from defendant school district teachers while others are being taught by teachers of St. John’s school.

Students in this program are registered with St. John’s school, which then gives the registration list to the head teacher of Rowe Junior High Annex. From that list students are enrolled in the Annex, each student thus having a dual registration.

The testimony at trial indicated that St. John’s school board requested the “shared time” program because it was financially unable to continue functioning. The defendant school board agreed to the program because it was considerably less expensive than assuming complete responsibility for the parochial students’ education. Rowe Junior High enrollment consists solely of St. John’s school students.

II

The “released time” program began in 1969. Fifth and sixth grade students participating in the program are full-time students of Milwaukie Elementary Annex, as the unit is called. They receive instruction in their “home room” from a single public school teacher. Re *61 ligious symbols have been removed from the two rooms used in the program. The students are released for a total of 120 minutes a week of religious instruction in accordance with the provisions of ORS 339.420, in four thirty-minute periods, to receive religious instruction from Catholic Sisters teaching at St. John’s school. The religious instruction is given in classrooms other than those used for the Milwaukie Elementary Annex program.

There are other fifth and sixth grade students being taught by St. John’s school teachers within the physical facilities of St. John’s school. The decision as to which of the students shall attend Milwaukie Elementary Annex and which St. John’s school is made by the St. John’s school administration.

The “released time” program was requested by St. John’s school board and agreed to by the defendant district because it, too, was felt to be mutually financially advantageous. Although St. John’s originally requested that the defendant district “lease” the classrooms used, there is no evidence that a written lease ever materialized, and defendant school district admitted that it paid no rent under the oral agreement.

The enrollment at Milwaukie Elementary Annex likewise consists solely of students of St. John’s school.

Ill

The trial judge held that the seventh and eighth grade “shared time” program violated the United States and the Oregon Constitutions and issued an injunction prohibiting continuation of the program.

*62 He found the “released time” program constitutional except in so far as the St. John’s school administration decided which of its students should attend the public school program.

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507 P.2d 839, 13 Or. App. 56, 1973 Ore. App. LEXIS 1101, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/fisher-v-clackamas-county-school-district-12-orctapp-1973.