Lancaster board says student can return

LANCASTER, Ohio (AP) -- The city's board of education voted to allow a student to return to school after he was expelled because of comments on his personal Web site.
Thomas Siefert, 17, was suspended March 29 for 10 days and later expelled because of the Web site, which included images of teachers and a message board with postings aimed at Lancaster High School and administrators.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio stepped in earlier this month, saying the expulsion was a violation of Siefert's free speech rights. The ACLU represented Siefert at Thursday night's school board meeting, much of which was conducted in executive session. The meeting ran until after midnight, when the board agreed to let the junior return to school.
As of Friday, he had not returned to school, said his mother Janice Siefert. The family's attorney and a lawyer for the school system plan to talk about options for making up missed work, she said. He could try to make up work through computer-based classes, attend summer school or even transfer to a county district.
"If he were to go back now, he's going to be completely lost," she said, noting that he has missed an entire quarter.
More action?
Janice Siefert said more litigation is possible, although she declined to be specific.
"I think some damage has been done, and I'm not sure how that can even be made up to Thomas," she said.
Bob Richards, the high school's principal, said he's waiting to see what the next step is and welcomes Siefert back.
"I'm not in this business to hold grudges," he said. "We're ready to talk about an education plan to get him back up to speed. Once they get done talking, I can do that."
The Web site has been taken down. Siefert said he did that to avoid getting in further trouble.