Video: James Tate Can Go to Prom

 can have his romantic dance after all.

Officials in Shelton, Conn. today said that the high school senior, whose  following a creative proposal sparked a , will be allowed to go to prom.

Speaking before about 10 media members on the steps outside Shelton High School — the same steps where she dug in with a  — Headmaster Dr. Beth Smith said that after careful consideration, Tate can attend.

"I never thought that such a decision would lead to international notoriety as I make tough, unpopular decisions on a daily basis," Smith said.

Tate could not immediately be reached for comment.

The reistatement bookends a weeklong media frenzy that started with  that Tate had been banned from prom after he was issued an in-school suspension May 6. The suspension was triggered by an infraction for trespassing on school grounds before dawn that day, when Tate and some friends taped pieces of cardboard to the exterior of the school, with letters spelling out the question “Sonali Rodrigues, will you go to prom with me?” to surprise his prospective date.

The school reversed its decision, but it isn't clear whether administrators legally could have prevented Tate from attending prom if he'd chosen to fight the ban. As legislators worked to  that would help Tate's cause, one Branford attorney told Patch Saturday that  for filing injunctions that prevent prom bans in similar cases.

The national outcry voiced itself through social media and national TV, as Tate appeared on the Jimmy Kimmel and Today shows. A Shelton high alum formed an alternative event to be held June 4, “The James Tate Senior Prom 2011,” whose supporters reportedly include Pepsi, Red Bull and an area Hyundai dealership.