FORKS — The Quillayute Valley School Board has affirmed Superintendent Frank Walter’s decision to reinstate the athletic eligibility of a boy convicted of animal cruelty, theft and sexual assault last year.
The action means the 17-year-old will be allowed to play baseball for Forks High School after less than nine months on athletic suspension.
School Board policy calls for students to be suspended one year from athletics for violent crimes, but allows for review and early reinstatement by the superintendent.
Reading from a prepared statement during a special meeting Friday, School Board President Bill Rohde upheld Walter’s decision.
“This isn’t about rewards or baseball or going light on the penalty for a horrible act,” Rohde read. “This is about using all the tools at our disposal to get an individual back on the right track . . . “
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