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© St. Petersburg Times, published March 13, 2002
LARGO -- Wearing maroon and white ribbons as a symbol of solidarity, more than 40 students, parents and teachers from Tarpon Springs High School told the Pinellas County School Board on Tuesday night they want John Nicely, their popular former principal, reinstated.
"I ask that you let common sense and reason prevail," said Jed Lehrer, who teaches diversified career technology at Tarpon.
"I am begging you, Pinellas County School Board, to think on your own terms," said senior class president Martha Scoggins.
In the end, it wasn't the School Board but superintendent Howard Hinesley who decided to re-examine last week's decision to transfer Nicely to an administrative position because of an incident involving a student's grade.
"These people have made an impression on me with their support of Mr. Nicely," Hinesley said. "I'll take a look at it, based on what I've heard tonight."
Supporters applauded loudly after Nicely emerged from the office where he watched the meeting Tuesday night. As when he left the school last week, students and teachers crowded around to hug Nicely as the prospect of his reinstatement appeared to grow more likely.
"It sounds like (Hinesley) probably will do that," meaning reinstate Nicely, school district spokesman Ron Stone said.
During the discussion, Nicely sat in an office down the hall from the meeting and watched it on television. He held his son John's hand as he listened to the School Board members' words of support.
"I want to be back at Tarpon," Nicely said. "I'm very appreciative that Dr. Hinesley would reconsider this. That shows the kind of man he is."
School Board members all said they supported Hinesley's decision.
"The total board feels very strongly that the man needs to be put back in that position," said School Board Chairman Lee Benjamin.
"Not only should Mr. Nicely go back to Tarpon, he should stay there as long as he wants," said School Board member Linda Lerner.
Under Nicely, the school set up a policy of automatically failing students who miss 10 days or more in a nine-week period, including excused and unexcused absences. But students are given the option to appeal the decision, and the policy gives principals and other administrators the option of waiving the policy at their discretion.
In January and February, six seniors appealed their failing grades to Nicely. To encourage them not to miss more school, he worked out a deal that allowed them to keep the grade they would otherwise earn in their classes, as long as they had no more unexcused absences for the remainder of the school year.
The problem occurred with one of those students, who asked Nicely to send her passing grades to a college so she could qualify for a scholarship. He agreed to do so, but told her he would alert the college if she ended up with a failing grade. He kept the F's on her transcript at the high school.
The school district told Nicely it was wrong to have different grades on the transcripts at the college and at the high school. Before Tuesday, school district administrators had said they were prohibited by state law from discussing the case until 10 days after the investigation was completed.
After the discussion, Nicely said, "The students learned one thing from this: that doing good every day does pay off."