State v. Cruzan

243 P. 329, 120 Kan. 316, 1926 Kan. LEXIS 366
CourtSupreme Court of Kansas
DecidedFebruary 6, 1926
DocketNo. 26,573
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 243 P. 329 (State v. Cruzan) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Kansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Cruzan, 243 P. 329, 120 Kan. 316, 1926 Kan. LEXIS 366 (kan 1926).

Opinion

The opinion of the court was delivered by

Marshall, J.:

The action is one to enjoin the defendants from using the money of the Labette county community high school to buy busses to be used in the transportation of pupils from their homes to the school, and from using such money to pay for the transportation of those pupils. The defendants appeal from an order granting a temporary injunction against them.

1. The state contends that there is no statutory authority for those acts of. the defendants of which complaint is made. The de[317]*317fendants do not cite any direct statute giving such authority, but say:

“In this case to ascertain what authority the board of trustees had to purchase and operate these busses, we must turn to the law creating ‘The Labette county high school’ at Altamont, which is found in the Session Laws of 1893, chapter 140. Section 2 of that act provides:
“ ‘Sec. 2. The duties of said board of trustees shall, in all respects, be those of the board appointed in accordance with the provisions of said chapter.’ (Chapter 147, Laws 1886.)
“ ‘Sec. 3. Said high school shall, after its establishment, be managed in accordance with the laws now existing, or hereafter to be enacted, relating to county high schools in the state of Kansas.’
“The Laws of 1886, chapter 147, as amended by the Laws of 1915, chapter 316, reads as follows, and is found at section 72-2601, R. S. 1923:
“ ‘That each county having a population of two thousand inhabitants or more as shown by the last state or federal census, may establish a county high school on the conditions and in a manner hereinafter prescribed, for the purpose of affording better educational facilities for pupils more advanced than those attending district schools, and for persons who desire to fit themselves for the vocation of teaching.’
“The Laws of 1886, chapter 147, as amended by the Laws of 1909, chapter 211, reads as follows, and is found at section 72-2606, R. S. 1923:
“ ‘That the board of trustees of any county high school in the state of Kansas shall at its first meeting, and annually thereafter before the first day of August of each succeeding year, make an estimate of the amount .of funds needed for building purposes, for the payment of teachers wages, for contingent purposes, and all other educational purposes connected urith said high school, and having made such estimate shall make an annual levy sufficient to raise the amount desired for such purpose.’
“Section 72-2502, R. S. 1923, provides as follows:
“ ‘The powers and duties of the community high school in every instance shall be the powers and duties belonging to the county high school which it succeeds, except as hereinafter provided.’ ”

No authority for the transportation of pupils is given in any of the statutes quoted.

Section 72-601 of the Revised Statutes should be noticed. That section reads:

“The district board of any school district may provide for the comfortable transportation, in a safe and enclosed conveyance or conveyances, properly heated, of pupils of said school districts who live two or more miles, by the usually traveled road, from the school attended; and said district board shall provide such transportation for pupils who live three or more miles, by the usually traveled road, from the school attended; or, in lieu thereof, said board shall allow, as compensation for the conveyance of pupils to and from the school to the parent or guardian of any pupils living three or more miles from the school attended, a sum not less than fifteen cents per day: Provided further, That where the pupils of two or more families are conveyed by the same [318]*318conveyance the parents or guardian of each family shall be entitled to] such compensation as provided for by this act; and shall allow to the parent or guardian of any pupils living five or more miles from the school attended the sum of twenty-five cents per day, for as many days in each year as the school shall be in session: Provided, That no such compensation shall be allowed unless the pupils are actually conveyed to and from school. The district board shall have authority to make such rules and regulations as may be necessaiy for carrying out the provisions of this act.”

The opening statement of this statute indicates that it applies to common-school districts only. The Labette county high-school district was not a common-school district. The Labette county high school had a board of trustees, not a district board. District boards are the governing bodies of common schools. The governing bodies of community high schools are boards of trastees. Sections 72-601, 72-602, 72-3601, 72-3602, and 72-5008 of the Revised Statutes provide for the transportation of pupils under circumstances not applicable to' the present situations. None'of these statutes give to boards of trustees of community high schools authority to transport pupils to the schools. No such authority is given by statute, and the power cannot be legally exercised.

2. Complaint is made that the restraining order, granted before the temporary injunction was issued, was without authority of law. The restraining order was in writing and was signed by the judge. It was effective until the further order of the court and commanded the defendants to appear on May 25, 1925, to show cause why a temporary injunction should not be granted. Copies of it, made by the clerk of the district court, were served on the defendants. The summons had indorsed on it the following;

“Wherefore, plaintiff prays that the above defendants and each and all of them be perpetually enjoined from operating said busses or permitting said busses to be operated, from appropriating or using public moneys to make further payment for said busses or the operation expenses of said busses; (Restraining order issued.)”

The application for a temporary injunction was heard on May 25, 1925, and the temporary injunction was afterward granted. When the temporary injunction was granted, the restraining order had accomplished its purpose and thereafter was not effective. Besides, the appeal is not from the order granting the restraining order, but is from the order granting the temporary injunction. This complaint is not good.

3. The second complaint is that “the order does not set forth the [319]*319reasons for the allowance thereof.” This must refer to the injunction order. To support their contention the defendants cite section 60-1106 of the Revised Statutes, which in part reads:

“That every order of injunction or restraining order shall set forth the rear sons for the issuance of the same, shall be specific in terms, and shall describe in reasonable detail, and not by reference to the petition, motion or other document, the act or acts sought to be restrained.”

The following is the judgment and order of the court granting a temporary injunction:

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Related

State ex rel. Lester v. Baker
134 P.2d 386 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 1943)
Carothers v. Board of Education
109 P.2d 63 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 1941)
State ex rel. Griffith v. Bradbury
256 P. 149 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 1927)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
243 P. 329, 120 Kan. 316, 1926 Kan. LEXIS 366, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-cruzan-kan-1926.