WEST FRANKFORT - Frankfort Community High School Principal John Hixson will reassume his duties as principal Aug. 1 following a board vote this week to reappoint him after an extended leave.

Hixson was originally granted a leave of absence for 400 days to coincide with a planned deployment overseas with the U.S. Navy Reserves. He was to remain on the school's payroll but have his duties assumed by Assistant Principal Ellie Rush.

The school board later granted Hixson a second leave of absence, which was effective immediately in May and was set to last 12 weeks, leading up to the leave granted for military purposes.

Hixson took the early leave and did not attend many end-of-the-year events, including graduation.

The second leave expired on Aug. 1 and because Hixson didn't leave for Iraq, his leave of absence for that tour of duty was cancelled.

The school board went into executive session Monday night and discussed the matter at length, according to Superintendent Greg Goins, and the decision was made to reappointment the principal to his previous duties.

"There was a lot of discussion about it but it was all in closed session for personnel," Goins said Wednesday. "There's not a lot I can say."

Just after the school board granted Hixson his second leave of absence, he talked to The Southern about "stressful personal issues" that led to the board's decision to grant his early leave.

Hixson said those issues included his deployment to Iraq and a then-recent divorce from another high school employee.

"People need to understand that being a school administrator can be a very stressful job," Goins said Wednesday. "If you add personal problems to that, you magnify those stress levels."

Goins said he is confident that Hixson is now ready to reassume his duties without personal conflicts.

"I will just come back from my leave of absence," Hixson said Wednesday afternoon. "My (military) orders were cancelled.

"There are a lot of projects going on right now at the high school. We built a new and pretty large computer lab. We have hired a new part-time business teacher and an English teacher. We are expanding our curriculum and we are working on the roof right now."

tara.fasol@thesouthern.com/351-5824