Parents and students of the Fredericksburg Independent School District showed up at a special board meeting Thursday, Dec. 2, to speak in support of athletic director and head football coach Lance Moffett.

The longtime coach is seeking reassignment with the district after an incident with a student. Moffett was blocked by the district from coaching the rest of the football season on Tuesday, Nov. 23.

Bill Harkleroad, a parent of a student at Fredericksburg High School, said he and his wife want “real, authentic, strong men and women” coaching their son.

“This is speaking for me and my family, though I don’t think we’re inconsistent with the rest of the community,” he said. “We want coaches who care enough to forcefully correct him, that teach him to be responsible, strong and brave. And coaching him on what to do when he messes up because he will mess up.”

He went on to say that Moffett should be forgiven for what he did.

“With his removal, what are we teaching our kids?” he asked. “Are we teaching them that if they mess up, there is no forgiveness?”

He said the way the situation was handled has stolen something in the students that “cannot be replaced.”

“This was a teaching moment,” Harkleroad said. “It could’ve been used to show that even a strong coach, a coach that 99% of students look up to, messes up, but that he could make it right. Well, that teaching moment is gone.”

Danny Elliott also spoke in favor of Moffett with an email from his son to Supt. Dr. Joe Rodriguez. Tucker, Danny’s son and now a football player at Boise State University, was speaking on behalf of his personal experience under Moffett’s coaching.

“Coach Moffett was very impactful in my life, teaching me man-life lessons and avenues to handle life,” he read. “Coach is not just a coach to me, but a role model and a friend. He is someone who I can call in any situation, and always reiterated that if I ever needed him, he was there for me.”

Wearing a red shirt with black letters in support of Moffett, 16-year resident Michelle King also gave support based off her knowledge of the situation.

“I believe that punishment needs to fit the crime,” she said. “I know that we do not have all the details of this whole situation and I understand you might not be at liberty to give those details.

“That said, I’m saying the things that I’m saying based off of the details that I do have.”

She said from what she has heard, she feels the punishment was too severe for the crime and the timing of the decision felt wrong. She also believed that if the crimes were as big as the punishment he received, he should’ve been fired on the spot.

“It feels like reassignment means that you didn’t have legal grounds to fire him in the first place, which in my understanding, you could have allowed the football team to finish their amazing season undistracted,” she said.

She also asked if the board gave Moffett a chance to share his side of the story.

“I wonder if you had a chance to hear his side before making the harsh determination that, after 11 years of flawless and faithful service here at FISD, that a few mistakes were enough to get rid of him?” she asked.

She said that if the district makes a decision with such impact to the community, it should share more details.

“We want to support you, we want to stand behind you, and it feels hard to do that without having the whole picture,” King said, adding that the lack of information has hindered the community’s ability to unite and caused excess speculation.

“The information shared with the public is much like the dense fog that covered our town this morning,” she said. “It gave zero visibility or clarity to the public to make an informed decision on whether to stand with the school board or not.”

After the meeting, Rodriguez said the district has no plans to share more information at this time.