STANDISH – The Bonny Eagle school district’s policy committee met Thursday night and reversed a decision made earlier this week regarding Hollis native Nicole DeMarco’s request to march in the Bonny Eagle High School graduation ceremony Friday, June 7.

Demarco, 18, and all other students who have earned a GED diploma this year will be allowed to participate if they so choose.

When asked about the ruling made the night before the ceremony, Bonny Eagle Superintendent Frank Sherburne issued the following emailed statement:

“The Board and the Board’s Policy Committee has been reviewing the Participation in Graduation policy for approximately a month because we are reviewing the I section of the policies. The Board discussed this policy at the regular Board meeting on June 3 for the second time and made additional suggestions to the Policy Committee.

“Last night, the full Board simply acted on potential language changes to the policy as suggested at the meetings. It was the desire of the full Board see how this year’s ceremony went using the suggestions to help guide the new policy language.

“All students who would have graduated with the class of 2013, but received their GED through Bonny Eagle Adult Education Program, but did not participate in the GED graduation were contacted and invited to participate this evening.

“The Policy Committee will be meeting after graduation to review the policy again and determine how the language should be drafted integrating suggestions made last night and at prior Board meetings and with the experience of the ceremony this evening.”

The DeMarco family is pleased with the board’s reversal and credits their attorney Beth Maloney of Kennebunkport, as well as public outcry, for the reversal.

The case came to the attention of local media on Tuesday after DeMarco’s mother, Lisa DeMarco, notified the press. The family said Nicole DeMarco was the victim of discrimination and favoritism since the district’s superintendent, Frank Sherburne, had allowed a school employee’s daughter to march last year despite only attaining a GED. That student, similar to DeMarco, had to withdraw from high school for health-related issues. Both attained their equivalency diplomas through Bonny Eagle Adult Education.

DeMarco, who battled illness throughout her high-school career and was sick in bed earlier this week with a serious cold, plans on attending Friday night’s ceremony at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee in Lewiston. The ceremony starts at 7 p.m.

Nicole DeMarco