The Waco School Board took no action Tuesday night on the future of the district’s superintendent, Dr. A. Marcus Nelson, following his misdemeanor marijuana arrest March 6 during a traffic stop in Robertson County.
Dr. A. Marcus Nelson (official photo)
He was released the next day on his own recognizance after spending a night in jail.
Publicly admitting his guilt, on Friday Nelson agreed to a plea deal with Robertson County prosecutors under the terms of which the drug possession charge will be dismissed.
He will also pay a $500 fine.
The Waco School Board met in special session at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Waco ISD Conference Center at 115 South 5th St.
“This is a difficult topic, and I know there’s decisions made tonight that will have consequences for years in the future,” WISD School Board President Pat Atkins told the audience.
A crowd of more than 240 people, mainly supporters, attended.
Following a public comment period, the board went into closed session for about four hours, returning right before midnight to report that no decisions had been made.
The board will meet again on Thursday during a special meeting where a decision will likely happen.
According to Atkins, it will be listed on that agenda as it was Tuesday night.
“Everyone in Waco wants to make the decision, but no one wants to adsorb the fallout,” said John Durham with Highland Baptist Church.
About 5,500 people have signed a petition in support of Nelson.
“This man is making a difference in people’s lives and I don’t want to see his voice quieted,” said petition organizer Karol Gray.
“I want to see him continue the good work that he started in Waco. I believe Dr. Marcus Nelson is the best interest in the kids to remain as superintendent. ”
Nelson spoke publicly Sunday for the first time about the arrest and the potential repercussions, telling KWTX that he’s remorseful and accepts full responsibility for his actions.
“There’s consequences, but you also don’t have to throw everything
away for one mistake,” said Elizabeth Ligawa, a mother of a WISD fourth grader.
The vast majority of the night’s speakers agreed, telling the board Nelson should get a second chance.
“You have a grand opportunity to display you are not guilty of showing mercy to some and not to all,” said Larry Weaver with Brookview Community Church. “What is best for the students of Waco ISD, is also what’s best for Marcus Nelson.”
A former Texas Superintendent of the Year, in the less than two years he’s been with Waco ISD, Nelson is credited with saving four of the district’s habitually under-performing schools from being closed by the state.
“There’s a difference between trying to ‘be right’ and trying to ‘get it right,’ said community leader Jocelyn Pierce. “This is a temporary setback, and we request that Dr. Nelson be given the opportunities to continue his vision for the students of the Waco ISD.”
Despite his track record, there were a handful of people who came to the meeting in opposition of Nelson, saying the law is the law, and he broke it.
“It’s not a race issue or any other kind of issue, basically it’s a legal issue, what they (the school board) must do legally,” said Waco resident Eddy Gibson. “Without doing it legally, it puts another stain on Waco.”
A Waco attorney agreed, saying keeping Nelson would put the district, and the city, in a bad light.
“People outside this state are watching – are we going to have a situation where we have a pot-smoking Superintendent in Waco, Texas?” said Bill Vannatta.
Of the 15 speakers, a brave student gave the board her thoughts on the situation.
“So, the question that I have wrestled with, is what message are sending to the students if we aren’t holding our superintendent to the same standards we hold our students to?” said Brigitte Eichenberg, a junior at Waco HS.
—- KWTX 10
