State Board of Education v. South Middleton Township School District
State Board of Education v. South Middleton Township School District
Opinion of the Court
Opinion by
We are again confronted with an issue once resolved by Esbenshade v. Department of Public Instruction, 181 Pa. Superior Ct. 232, 124 A. 2d 478, aff’d on opinion of court below, 387 Pa. 281, 127 A. 2d 678 (1956), i.e., whether the action of the State Board of Education in granting or refusing to grant an application for the change of boundary lines of a school district after land in that district has been annexed by another governmental unit may be judicially re
For the reasons stated in the opinion of Judge Bowman for the Court of Common Pleas of Dauphin County, 86 Dauph. Cty. Reps. 361 (1966), we believe that the principle announced in the Esbenshade decision should be reaffirmed and thus hold that the action of the State Board of Education approving the requested change is not subject to judicial review. Cf. Chartiers Valley Joint Schools v. Allegheny County Board of School Directors, 418 Pa. 520, 543-45, 211 A. 2d 487, 500-01 (1965).
The orders of the Superior Court and the Court of Common Pleas of Dauphin County are affirmed.
Dissenting Opinion
Dissenting Opinion by
The majority’s reliance upon Esbenshade v. Department of Public Instruction, 181 Pa. Superior Ct. 232, 124 A. 2d 478, aff’d on opinion of the court below, 387 Pa. 281, 127 A. 2d 678 (1956), as being dispositive of the instant appeal is completely misplaced. I agree with the majority that Esbenshade held that judicial
The hearing afforded appellant in my view was totally lacking and failed to adhere to the standards as intended by the legislature and the standards imposed by the traditional notions of due process. Since Esbenshade is in no way controlling and since the State Board of Education committed serious procedural irregularities, I would reverse the court below and require the board to hold the type of hearing necessary to comply with procedural due process.
I dissent.
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