BORDEN —
In a short school board meeting Thursday afternoon, the West Clark Community Schools board approved an addendum to an employment contract that would allow Borden High School Principal Lisa Nale back on the job as early as Oct. 7.
The board voted 3-0 on the addition, with Doug Coffman and Sandy Furnish Banet missing due to work conflicts.
Nale, 44, was arrested in June and charged with operating while intoxicated. That charge was later reduced to reckless driving. Nale pled guilty to the lesser charge and was given a suspended sentence of 180 days, which would go into effect if she does not follow the terms of her one-year probation.
Since her arrest, Nale has been on unpaid leave from the school district, according to Superintendent Monty Schneider.
The addendum, which had already been signed by Nale at the time of the board meeting, states she will undergo random drug/alcohol screenings with having two-hours notice, she will be prohibited from being in nightclubs, bars, liquor stores and similar places (which doesn’t include restaurants, theaters, receptions and similar places where alcohol is served) and Nale is to submit to an evaluation with Our Place Drug and Alcohol Education Services, where she will have to participate, at her own expense, to any treatment the company recommends.
Schneider said some changes were made to the agreement after the original version was made public last month. Among other conditions under the original agreement, Nale would have been required to attend 90 Alcohol Anonymous meetings in 90 days and would have been prohibited from consuming alcoholic beverages at any time while employed at West Clark.
Another change to the agreement, Schneider said, allows a professional to make the judgment on what kind of treatment Nale needs.
The approved addendum is set to expire June 30, if Nale follows all terms of her contract and no other issues arise.
Nale is a Borden High School graduate and has been a principal there for the past five years.
“She has been effective and I really believe that she can be effective in the future and I think she can use this as an learning experience for her students,” Schneider said, adding that Nale will be able to tell students that if you break the law, there will be consequences. “The thing we don’t want to forget in the whole process is that it’s about what’s best for kids. Final determination, we feel like it is best for kids for her to be back, because she has been a very good principal.”
“I’m just really glad it’s behind us so that we can move forward,” said board President Brian Hurst. “It’s been a long, drawn out thing and it’s taken its toll on a lot of people. The way I look at it, there were no clear winners in this at all. The board has been pulled in every direction possible by the community ... I’m hoping we can get by this and start the healing process.”
Until Nale returns to Borden, Schneider said the school’s assistant principal, Toby Cheatham, will serve as interim principal.
Nale was present at the meeting but decline to comment for this story.
Education/Schools
Borden principal to return to school
Principal to serve 90 days unpaid suspension, any counseling recommended by professional evaluation
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