Pulido v. Bennett

848 F.2d 880, 1988 WL 54217
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
DecidedJune 2, 1988
DocketNos. 86-1795, 87-1228
StatusPublished
Cited by19 cases

This text of 848 F.2d 880 (Pulido v. Bennett) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Pulido v. Bennett, 848 F.2d 880, 1988 WL 54217 (8th Cir. 1988).

Opinion

JOHN R. GIBSON, Circuit Judge.

The use of mobile classrooms to provide remedial services to educationally deprived children enrolled in private schools, and the formula for allocating the cost between public and private schools for such services, which the Secretary of Education authorized under Chapter I of the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act of [882]*8821981,1 give rise to the controversy before us. The primary issue presented is whether federal taxpayers have standing to challenge these guidelines on establishment clause grounds. We also consider whether state and local taxpayers and representatives of children currently or formerly enrolled in Missouri public schools have standing to bring such a challenge; the district court’s jurisdiction over related claims brought by the Superintendent of the Boonville, Missouri School District; and whether the Secretary of Education, William J. Bennett, is entitled to qualified immunity from suit. In a series of orders, the district court dismissed all claims for declaratory and injunctive relief, ruling that the plaintiffs lacked standing in each capacity in which they attempted to sue,2 and that the court lacked jurisdiction over the Superintendent’s claims. The court also ruled that Secretary Bennett was not entitled to qualified immunity. We affirm the district court’s orders regarding standing and jurisdiction, but reverse its judgment on the question of qualified immunity-

The history of the federal government’s efforts to provide remedial educational services to students in Missouri’s private schools is documented in Wamble v. Bell, 598 F.Supp. 1356, 1359-65 (W.D.Mo.1984), appeals dismissed, 473 U.S. 922, 105 S.Ct. 3549, 87 L.Ed.2d 672 (1985). Since 1976, the Department of Education has bypassed Missouri’s state and local educational agencies and provided these services through an independent contractor, Blue Hills Homes Corporation (BHHC). See id. at 1360-62. For some time BHHC followed Department of Education guidelines in using federal funds to provide remedial instruction in the sectarian schools. See id. at 1362-63. This practice was enjoined in Wamble as a violation of the religious neutrality and church/state entanglement principles of the establishment clause. Id. at 1371-74. Aguilar v. Felton, 473 U.S. 402, 105 S.Ct. 3232, 87 L.Ed.2d 290 (1985), later confirmed that using federal funds to send public school teachers into religious schools to provide instruction and other educational services violates the establishment clause.

In August, 1985 and June, 1986, the Department of Education issued new guidelines for implementing Chapter I after Aguilar. These guidelines authorize the use of mobile vans or other portable classroom units to provide Chapter I services on public property near the private schools or, in certain circumstances, on playgrounds, parking lots, or other property belonging to the schools. The guidelines also authorize public agencies to enter into lease agreements with the schools to use such property. Finally, the guidelines state that any “reasonable and necessary costs” incurred in providing “off-premises” services to private school children are “allowable Chapter I costs” which should be deducted from a state or local educational agency’s entire Chapter I allocation (as distinguished from that part of the allocation targeted to private school students alone). Such costs may include the rental of facilities, the costs of transporting students, and the costs of administration.

In 1986, an amended complaint was filed listing eight separate causes of action. These have been reduced on appeal to three basic claims, all of which involve the new Chapter I guidelines. Pulido, Gooden and Dalton first contend that the establishment clause prohibits the Department of Education from deducting bypass expenses “off the top” of the entire state or local allocations. They also argue that the establishment clause prohibits parking mobile vans or classrooms on parochial school [883]*883property and prohibits the government from leasing or purchasing property for the exclusive use of parochial school students. In each instance, they claim that the provisions of Chapter I are void to the extent that they either require or permit such action. The complaint alleges that BHHC has followed these guidelines in Missouri by providing Chapter I services in mobile vans sent to parochial schools, and that the department has withheld funds from local Chapter I allocations to pay BHHC for these services.

Pulido, Gooden and Dalton claim standing as federal, state and local taxpayers to challenge the manner in which tax revenues are being allocated to implement Chapter I in Missouri. In addition, Gooden claims standing in his official capacity as Superintendent of the Boonville School District, and in his individual capacity as the father of a boy eligible for Chapter I services and enrolled in the Boonville Public School during the 1985-86 school year. The complaint further alleges that Geneva Dalton is the grandmother and legal guardian of seven eligible children enrolled in the Kansas City Missouri School District, and that Dalton is entitled to represent the children in this proceeding as next friend. Pulido, Gooden and Dalton seek declaratory and injunctive relief from the actions of Secretary Bennett, the Department of Education and BHHC, as well as damages from Bennett in his individual capacity.

Before trial, the district court ruled that Pulido, Gooden and Dalton lacked taxpayer standing to challenge the department’s implementation of Chapter I, and that it lacked jurisdiction over Gooden’s official-capacity suit. The court also ruled that Secretary Bennett was not entitled to qualified immunity on the plaintiffs’ claim that Bennett had failed to implement Aguilar, but all other claims for damages against Bennett were dismissed. This court then granted the Secretary’s motion for a stay of trial proceedings as to the former claim.

On June 30 and July 1 and 2, 1986, the court held a trial on the remaining claims for injunctive and declaratory relief brought by Gooden on behalf of his son and by Geneva Dalton on behalf of the seven children in her care. Before judgment was issued, Secretary Bennett, the Department of Education and BHHC filed a joint post-trial motion to dismiss. The district court then determined that Goo-den’s claims had become moot when he and his son moved to Arkansas before the 1986-87 school year, and that Geneva Dalton had failed to establish the standing of any of the children she represented. The court dismissed Gooden and Dalton’s complaint, and this appeal followed.

On appeal, Pulido, Gooden and Dalton argue that they have taxpayer standing to challenge the operation of Chapter I in Missouri; that Gooden’s successor as Superintendent of the Boonville School District has standing to maintain this suit; that Gooden’s claims in his individual capacity did not become moot when he moved to Arkansas; and that two of the children represented by Dalton have standing to assert the claims in the complaint.3 On cross-appeal, Secretary Bennett argues that he is entitled to qualified immunity.

I.

A.

Pulido, Gooden and Dalton first contend that the district court erred in ruling that they lacked standing as federal taxpayers to challenge the Department of Education’s implementation of Chapter I.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
848 F.2d 880, 1988 WL 54217, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pulido-v-bennett-ca8-1988.