Court rules on former NFL player turned principal who used stick on fighting students
A wild story out of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, seems to have a former NFL player on the verge of regaining his job as a high school principal.
In 2015, Calvin Nicholas was suspended and then fired as the principal at Scotlandville Magnet High School after using a walking stick to break up a fight between students.
The incident was caught on a cellphones and shown on local television news.
According to WAFB-TV in Baton Rouge, Nicholas said he tapped a student with the stick, which it described as “a wooden dowel wrapped in electrical tape,” to get their attention.
On Friday, Louisiana’s first Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the school system made a mistake on several fronts, WBRZ-TV in Baton Rouge reported.
First, the court said what Nicholas did was not corporal punishment.
“Based on our review of the record, there is no rational basis for the School Board’ s determination that Dr. Nicholas intended to inflict corporal punishment on a student,” the court wrote in its decision.
Interestingly, the court also ruled that because the school’s corporal punishment policy is in the student handbook, it is “arguably not applicable to educators and administrators.”
Additionally, the court found that the teachers did not receive proper training on dealing with violence.
Nicholas, who appeared in seven games for the 1988 Super Bowl Champion 49ers (with one catch), should be reinstated, according to the court, and receive back pay.
Last August, Judge William Morvant issued a verdict supporting Nicholas.
Back then, the East Baton Rouge school system reacted in a statement.
“We learned today of Judge Morvant’s decision and the reasons therefor in the Calvin Nicholas matter,” it said. “Obviously, we are disappointed by the decision and profoundly disagree with it.
“We do not find it appropriate for employees to arm themselves with a stick or other potential weapon and strike students as a means of maintaining order.
“We are exploring our options as they relate to appellate review.”
That review led to Friday’s ruling.
There was no immediate word on whether the school system will try any further actions to prevent Nicholas from returning.
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