Garnet Valley School District v. Hanlon

327 A.2d 215, 15 Pa. Commw. 476, 1974 Pa. Commw. LEXIS 762
CourtCommonwealth Court of Pennsylvania
DecidedOctober 17, 1974
DocketAppeal, No. 589 C.D. 1974
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 327 A.2d 215 (Garnet Valley School District v. Hanlon) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Garnet Valley School District v. Hanlon, 327 A.2d 215, 15 Pa. Commw. 476, 1974 Pa. Commw. LEXIS 762 (Pa. Ct. App. 1974).

Opinion

Opinion by

Judge Crumlish, Jr.,

The directors of Garnet Valley School District in Pennsylvania refused to provide transportation of the minor plaintiffs to the schools which they attended in the State of Delaware under Section 1361 of the Public School Code of 1949, Act of March 10, 1949, P. L. 30, as amended, 24 P.S. §13-1361. In a complaint in equity [478]*478the plaintiffs sought to: (1) enjoin the defendant school district from refusing to provide free transportation for the minor plaintiffs; and (2) to compel the defendant school district to reimburse the parents of the minor plaintiffs for monies already expended for the transportation of their children to school. Preliminary objections were filed, defendant claiming that plaintiffs had a full and adequate remedy at law in mandamus. The court en bano overruled the objections. Hearings on the merits of the injunction were held and in a very able opinion, Judge Edward Lawhokne granted the preliminary injunction. Exceptions from the decree nisi were taken and dismissed. This appeal followed.

We adopt the well reasoned but as yet unreported opinion of Judge Lawhokne which states:

“Findings oe Fact
“1. Plaintiff John Hanlon is the parent and natural guardian of Mary Ann Hanlon and Carol Hanlon, minors; all of said plaintiffs reside at Scott Road, Concord Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania.
“2. Plaintiff Frank T. Mace is the parent and natural guardian of Frank Mace, Michael Mace and Theresa Mace, minors; all of said plaintiffs reside at 126 Woodrose Lane, Concord Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania.
“3. Plaintiff Joan A. Connors is the parent and natural guardian of Patrick J. Connors and Brian F. Connors, minors; all of said plaintiffs reside at 133 S. Ivy Lane, Concord Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania.
“4. Defendant Garnet Valley School District is a school district created under the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, with its principal office located at Bethel and Smithbridge Roads, Concord Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania; said school district encompasses the geographical boundaries of the Bor[479]*479ough of Chester Heights and the Townships of Concord and Bethel, all of which tire in Delaware County, Pennsylvania.
“5. Plaintiffs Mary Ann Hanlon and Carol Hanlon are presently attending Ursuline Academy, a high school not operated for profit and located at HOG Pennsylvania Avenue, Wilmington, Delaware.
“6. Minor plaintiffs Prank Mace, Michael Mace and Patrick J. Connors and Brian F. Connors are presently attending Salesianum High School, which is a high school not operated for profit and located at 1801 North Broom Street, Wilmington, Delaware.
“7. Minor plaintiff Theresa Mace is presently attending Padua Academy, a high school not operated for profit and located at 9th and Broom Streets, Wilmington, Delaware.
“8. All of the aforesaid high schools in Wilmington, Delaware, are less than ten miles from the boundaries of the Garnet Valley School District.
“9. The defendant school district is presently busing resident high school pupils to St. James High School, Notre Dame High School and Bishop Shanahan High School, which high schools are located, respectively, in Chester, Moylan and West Chester, Pennsylvania, and which are also high schools not operated for profit and located less than ten miles outside the boundaries of the defendant school district by the nearest public highways. The school district has offered the same service to children attending grade schools not for profit.
“10. The defendant school district by its Board of School Directors has refused to provide free transportation for the plaintiff pupils.

“Discussion

“At the outset it must be noted that this case does not involve any constitutional considerations whatso[480]*480ever under the free exercise or anti-establishment clauses of the First Amendment of the Federal Constitution. Any constitutional objections to the busing of children to non-public schools were disposed of in Rhoads v. School District of Abington Township, 424 Pa. 202, 226 A. 2d 53 (1967); cert. denied, 389 U.S. 846, 88 Sup. Ct. 36, appeal dismissed, 389 U.S. 11, 88 Sup. Ct. 61.

“Rather, we are dealing with a narrow issue of statutory construction. The statute in question is Sect. 1361 of the Public School Code of 1949, as amended, 24 P.S. Sect. 13-1.361, which provides as follows: ‘The board of school directors in any school district may, out of the funds of the district, provide for the free transportation of any resident pupil to and from the kindergarten, elementary school, or secondary school in which he is lawfully enrolled, provided that such school is not operated for profit and is located ivithin the district boundaries or outside the district boundaries at a distance not exceeding ten miles by the nearest public highway, . . . and to and from any points in the Commonwealth in order to provide field trips for any purpose connected with the educational pursuits of the pupils. When provision is made by a board of school directors for the transportation of public school pupils to and from such schools or to and from any points in the Commonwealth in order to provide field trips as herein provided, the board of school directors shall also make identical provision for the free transportation of pupils who regularly attend nonpublic kindergarten, elementary and high schools not operated for profit to and from such schools or to and from any points in the Commonwealth in order to provide field trips as herein provided. . . .’ (Emphasis supplied.)

“Insofar as the regular busing of children is concerned, the Act states no requirement that the ten mile limitation upon children attending schools not for [481]*481profit is limited to the confines of the Commonwealth. Indeed there would be no logic for such a position since the cost base is the same regardless of whether the children are transported from Concord to Chester or to Wilmington. It is not for the Court to add to a statute by interpreting a requirement which the legislature did not see fit to include. Commonwealth v. Rieck Investment Corp., 419 Pa. 52; Altieri v. Allentown Officers & Employees Retirement Board, 368 Pa. 176.

“What has happened here is that the school district has been following guide lines laid down by the State Department of Education which are to the effect that nonpublic school children transportation shall not be paid for the ten mile statutory distance unless the school district is providing transportation across state lines for public school students also. Unfortunately, this interpretation of the Act does not bear the imprimatur of the Attorney General nor does it cite any basis. It has no weight whatsoever in a court of law standing by itself and particularly is this so when no rationalization for its existence is advanced.

“On the other hand, it does accept that there may be certain instances where transportation across state lines is permissible for public students thereby carrying with it transportation for nonpublic students — a peculiar result.

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Bluebook (online)
327 A.2d 215, 15 Pa. Commw. 476, 1974 Pa. Commw. LEXIS 762, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/garnet-valley-school-district-v-hanlon-pacommwct-1974.