Supporters Of James Monroe Coach Call For His Reinstatement

FREDERICKSBURG, VA — Supporters of former James Monroe High School head football coach Richard Serbay, who was told last week by school administrators that he was being let go, are considering holding a peaceful protest at the Fredericksburg City School Board's next regular meeting on Monday. Given his 35-year tenure as a successful footbal coach, Serbay's supporters believe he has earned the right to return as head coach at James Monroe for at least one more year.

Ed Williams, one of the leaders of the campaign to keep Serbay as head coach, contends the school board is hoping the controversy over James Monroe's decision to fire Serbay will fade away with time. By holding a peaceful protest outside the school board meeting, Williams hopes the board will understand that many of their constituents intend to keep the pressure on the city schools system to reinstate Serbay as head coach.

Williams, whose son played football under Serbay and will be graduating from James Monroe in June, started an online petition about a week ago calling for the school system to reinstate Serbay. The petition has received more than 1,400 signatures. At Monday's meeting, Williams also may seek to deliver the petition and its signature to the members of the school board.

On the petition site, people have left a variety of comments in support of Serbay. One person urged the school system to treat Serbay with "dignity and class" by letting him coach at least one more year.

"We believe that a regular, ordinary employee that has served an organization for 35 years — more than half their life — deserves better than to be summarily fired without cause or explanation," Williams said in an email to Patch. "The nearly 1,500 signatures petitioning for his reinstatement and the hundreds upon hundreds of comments supporting him are a testament to the fact that he was, and is, an extra-ordinary coach, employee and man. He deserves far better treatment than he has gotten from Fredericksburg City School officials and we demand that they do right by him. To us, that means nothing short of reinstating him for a final year."

James Monroe High School Principal Timothy Duffy and Assistant Principal Jay Snyder met with Serbay, 69, on Feb. 19 to let him know he was being relieved of his duties as head coach. A former James Monroe player under Serbay, George Coghill, has been named interim head coach.

As James Monroe football coach, Serbay won more than 250 games. The Yellow Jackets were Group AA, Division 3 state champions in 1986, 1987, 1996 and 2008. Serbay was a 2014 inductee into the Virginia High School League Hall of Fame and a 2012 member of the James Monroe High School Hall of Fame.

Serbay has said he wanted one more year as head coach so he could have a farewell tour and thank his coaching counterparts, fans and the high school's support staff. He also had served as the school's athletic director for 20 years earlier in his career at the school.

Katie Pomeroy, Fredericksburg City Schools board member for Ward 2, sent a message to Williams thanking him for reaching out to her about Serbay. She expressed support for organizing a celebration to honor Serbay's "many accomplishments." Pomeroy said she plans to speak with her colleages on the school board as well as Dr. Marceline R. Catlett, superintendent of Fredericksburg City Schools, to ensure a farewell celebration is arranged for Serbay.

"Coach Serbay has impacted the lives of so many students, players, coaches, fans, and community members throughout his illustrious career as an educator and coach," Pomeroy wrote to Williams. "His accomplishments must be acknowledged and celebrated and I will make it my goal to see that this happens."

Williams said he appreciated the letter from Pomeroy but emphasized that the purpose of the online petition is to convince the school system to reinstate Serbay, not to organize a going-away celebration.

The Fredericksburg City Schools said it could not comment on the campaign to reinstate Serbay because it is related to a personnel issue.