Arizona Supreme Court rules school district not responsible for student’s off-campus injury

PHOENIX — The Arizona Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that an Arizona school district is not responsible for injuries that a student suffered while on his way to school, officials announced.

The court case involved the Phoenix School District No. 210 and 14-year-old Christopher “CJ” Lucero.

Lucero was seriously injured when he was hit by a car while jaywalking across 59th Avenue to reach Betty H. Fairfax High School.

Details Arizona Supreme Court ruling

Lucero claimed that the school district should have done more to ensure his safety as school officials allegedly knew student were crossing the street outside of the crosswalk.

However, the court stated that the school is not legally responsible. The court justices explained that a school’s duty to student safety starts when the student is under the school’s control, such as when they are on school grounds.

The court added that the school does not control the street where Lucero’s accident happened or the empty lot across the street from its campus, where some students are dropped off. The court noted that school officials had told parents not to drop students off there.

“Although the accident was tragic, the school district did not owe a duty care because of the risk that caused CJ’s injuries did not arise while he was under the school’s supervision or control,” Chief Justice Timmer wrote for the court in a press release.

The court’s decision reversed a previous trial court’s decision, which had allowed the case to move forward, and sent the case back to the trial court with instruction to rule in the school district’s favor.

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