A school district in Texas has voted to terminate the contract of head football coach who the board says engaged in improper electronic communications with a former student.
In release on the school district's website, the district says that Roger Masters submitted a letter of resignation effective at the end of the school year on April 24, but due to information provided to the board, the board decided to terminate Masters' contract before the end of the school year.
"I want to make sure that our community understands that the Board has taken swift and serious action upon receiving this information," wrote acting superintendent Victoria Gutierrez in the statement. "There has been no hesitancy on this matter whatsoever. Further, the District will be reporting the circumstances of Mr. Masters’ termination to the State Board of Educator Certification, as required by law."
The Mathis ISD board was provided with documents from superintendent Tim Norman on April 16 regarding "improper electronic communications between coach Masters and a former student" that took place in a previous school year.
According to the Caller Times, Norman had not previously shared the information with the school board, and the district decided to place Masters and the superintendent on administrative leave with pay until April 22.
April 26 was the first day the Mathis ISD school board could take action based upon rules in the Texas Open Meetings Act.
Masters held the position for less than one full year after being officially named to his role in August 2023.
The release states that an external law firm is conducting an investigation to uncover everything that happened leading up to the revelation of the improper communication and the investigation into the actions will continue even now that Masters' employment has ended.
