Jackson, battling paralysis, on track to graduate in ’07
Doug Carroll
The Arizona Republic
Mar. 29, 2006 12:00 AM
Joe Jackson returned to class at Hamilton High School on Tuesday for the first time since breaking his neck in football practice last fall.
A team of Hamilton teachers had helped Jackson, who is paralyzed below the waist, keep up with his studies during his stay at Barrow Neurological Institute in central Phoenix. He returned home from Barrow a few weeks ago.
“The family wanted his return to school to be low-key, and we tried to keep it that way,” Hamilton Principal Fred DePrez said Tuesday morning. “He had to get up two hours early to come to school, so he’s struggling and he’s tired.”
Jackson was injured while trying to make a tackle during an intrasquad scrimmage Nov. 21. The news devastated the south Chandler school, and its unbeaten, No. 1-ranked football team considered dropping out of the state playoffs.
With the team deciding to dedicate the remainder of the season to Jackson, Hamilton defeated Mesa Westwood before losing to Brophy Prep in the Class 5A Division I championship game.
Throughout his rehabilitation at Barrow, Jackson’s goal had been to return to campus in time for the start of the fourth quarter, which began Tuesday after a two-week spring break. With the tutoring he has received, he is on track to graduate with his class in spring 2007.