Joe Clark, the high school principal who gained national fame by roaming hallways with a bat and bullhorn, will undergo surgery Sunday to remove bacteria infecting his heart valve, a cardiologist said.

Clark, 52, was admitted Wednesday to Beth Israel Hospital in Newark, N.J., with a high fever, said Dr. Sharlene Watts, his cardiologist."The reason it is being done urgently is that pieces of the bacteria are breaking off the valve and spreading to other parts of the body," Watts said.

If unchecked, Clark's condition could lead to a stroke, Watts said.

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"He is in pretty good spirits," she said. "Because of the fever he is pretty washed out. You have a very active man and now he is confined to bed rest."

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