Smith v. County of Lackawanna
Smith v. County of Lackawanna
Opinion of the Court
Opinion by
Mrs. Prank Holloran was charged before Jacob Smith, alderman, plaintiff in this action with having violated section 1423 of the Act of Assembly of the 18th of May, 1911, P. L. 309, known as the School Code, in that she refused to send her son, who was within school age, to school as required by law. The transcript, which is part of the record presented, shows “After hearing sworn proofs and allegations defendant discharged, as evidence was not sufficient to warrant conviction.” The justice of the peace now asks the County of Lackawanna to pay the costs the matter being presented in a case stated. In order to hold the county some statutory authority for the payment of these costs by it must be shown. The plaintiff relies upon 13th section, Act of 29th September,
Section 1429 of the School Code provides “If any time after the proceedings have been instituted......under the provisions of this act, sufficient cause be shown by such offending person for noncompliance with its requirements, or if the cost of such proceedings cannot be collected from such offending person, such costs may be paid out of the district fund upon a proper voucher approved by the board of school directors.” The act covers the whole subject of compulsory education. In section 1428 the names of all children absent three days or their equivalent are reported to the attendance officer, who is to serve a written notice (section 1423) on the parent or guardian of such children and upon failure to comply with the law within three days thereafter, the proper officer shall proceed against the person so offending. The intention is unmistakable that the entire matter of enforcing attendance is to be in the hands of the school district and the fines collected go to the district. If the person offending, that is one whose child or ward has been absent, presents sufficient cause for its absence, or if the costs cannot be collected from such offending person, the district may pay them. The section was intended to embrace all cases before the justice, where the parent or guardian was not convicted or if convicted, where such parent or guardian could not pay the costs. It was evidently not the intention of the framers of the act to have different classes of discharged cases under this section, in some of which the school district should pay the costs and others the county and even if that were the case, the transcript of the justice should affirmatively show that the case came within the kind in which the county was liable. We do not think the county is liable under the Act of 1791 and under the School Code the question of payment of costs is one in which the school district is alone concerned.
The judgment is affirmed,
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.