Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-10-06
MRS, NELSON CAN
RETURN TO SCHOOL
Howard High School Teacher Sent
Letter by the Prin-
cipal.

airs. Alice Dunbar Nelson, a teacher at
tho Howard High School, who WAS re-
bcvcd Of duty, on Monday, by the princi-
nal ". Roy Wootcn, can resume her
duties tomorrow, if she wishes to do So
Notice 10 this effect WAS sent her To-Day
in letter from the principal. !,
Wooton. when asked why he relieved
Mrs. Nelson of duty, said it was because
she MAS absent last Friday, and not
because of her alleged political activity
Roth are Republicans, 1T Is SAID, Mrs.
Nelson attended conference at the home
Of Senator Harding, In Marion, o., last
Saturday. but Wooten says that hao
nothing TO do with his action. -
Howard High School, Oct. q, 1870
Mrs Alice ID. Nelson, city.
Nv dear Mrs. Nelson According to
nromise | am writing you in reference to
xour status AT Howard High School.
after several days deliberation, which
1 informed YOU at the time you were
relieved of your duties, that II Wouid
,couiro To make a decision, i am writing
10 inform YOU that ! will permit you to
return TO your duties Thursday morning,
October Z, providing you VIII conform
to the following ,
II NV idea of school management and
effcrncy does not permit the absence OF
a teacher from her duties for other than
personal illness, death IN immediate
family, or some extenuatng circumstance
of which at present | can think oi no
example.
s'2 That YOU shall from now on, at no
time in the future be absent for any reason
whatsoever without my personal written
Respectfully,
d.. Wnntc.,
Principal Howard High School.
p,ek NO and add Howard III SCHOOL,
MIR Wooten said this morning that the
matter had been placed entirely IN ms
hands for action and that it would not
come nm before the Board OF Education
as far as he knew Clifford j. Scott
superintendent of city schools, and Pm
e,pal Wootsn held conference this
morning at the High School.
IL was following this meeting that the
letter Of Mr. Wootep to Mrs. Nelson was
prepared. The letter EXPLAINS Wooten
position and in his letter he makes 1T clear
that il is entirely up 20 Mrs. Nelson as tc
whether or not she cares to return u
teach at the school
Wooten maintains that there was
nothing Of n political nature IN what nc
did: that he had merely relieved hel
from duty" .
Principal Wooten denies that Mrs
Nelapn was relieved from duty because
she attended conference at the home
d Senator Harding last Saturday. H'
said she was absent from her post at tht
school all day Friday, which he thought
was not right, especially at the beginning
~ a new term.
She has been connected with th'
Howard High School for is years and has
done excellent work there. The contro-
verSv now seems TO hinge on the matter
oi discipline, Judging from the followlne
letter which Principal Wooten sent Nlrs
Nelson today:
When Mrs. Nelson was spoken to about
thc matter today, she said she told MIR
Wooten. Thursday, before leaving ol
Friday, of her mission, speaking m
kindly way. "Had known il would b'
an inconvcnience, | would not have ab
scnted myself" she explained. Il as
sumed that il would not, and that M
explsnat ion beforehand was satisfactory:
She did not know whether she woui'
accept the invitation "a return to ne
school duties tomorrow. II VIII consuI
my LAWYER first she said, after explaining
that she had retained Judge Hastings Il
look after her interests.