Parents protest Holy Trinity removal of Doug Butler

MELBOURNE Eileen O'Connor, a grandmother of three students who are running or have run cross country for Holy Trinity, held a sign and stood on the edge of Pineda Causeway early Monday morning, expressing her disappointment in the firing of longtime coach Doug Butler.

"He didn't do anything wrong, and if he did, they need to tell us what," she said. "He's besmirched."

Butler was dismissed Nov. 25 after 15 years with the school. His departure came 10 days after his boys and girls teams each won their eighth cross country championships under the Florida High School Athletic Association. Added to those 16 championships are four track and field titles his teams have won since he added head coaching responsibilities in that sport.

The removal of the successful coach, along with general disenchantment with what they see as Holy Trinity's direction, brought more than 70 parents, grandparents and supporters out to demonstrate at approximately 7 a.m. Monday.

Some parents hinted at an alleged social media posting as the trigger for his firing. School spokesperson Brandy Bean provided a statement reiterating that the dismissal was "a confidential personnel matter involving the termination of one teacher and coach, Doug Butler. This action, unanimously supported by the executive committee of the board of trustees, is final."

Her statement recognized that "children will experience disappointment in life. Parents and educators have a responsibility to help children to navigate such challenges with grace and dignity, learning resiliency."

Some parents suggested the administration's methods created too much uncertainty.

"This dismissal is a defamation of Doug Butler's reputation and a defamation of Holy Trinity," said Laura Pitten of Indialantic, mother of two students at the school. "To summarily dismiss him with silence gives the perception of horrific wrongdoing, but it's a personality conflict with the administration."

MORE: Butler gone after 20 championships

Some Butler supporters have established a campaign at gofundme.com to raise money to keep the coach from seeking another job before what they hope is his return. According to the site, 74 donors had contributed more than $16,500 as of Monday at 3 p.m.

Parent Terry Walcott of Palm Bay attended the rally as a show of support for Butler and to persuade the school administration to reverse its decision.

"We're hoping," he said. "I tell people that Holy Trinity is a great academic institution, one of the best in Brevard County, but all of us can get a decent education at other schools in Brevard County. There's only one Doug Butler, and, up to now, the only place you could get him was at Holy Trinity."

Julie Knight has already changed her children's school once. Despite a family history with St. Edward's in Vero Beach, she moved to Indialantic and commutes an hour a day to work so that her children can attend Holy Trinity. Her ninth-grade student is in the second year of training under Butler.

"We just have grave concerns for the future of the school," she said. "They're about to launch a capital campaign. My concern is the dollars for the capital campaign being handled correctly and about the transparency of the school to its constituency."

Knight's concerns went beyond a single personnel decision.

"To walk a man off campus who taught advanced classes is not right for the kids on an academic level," she said. "This display isn't only about coach Butler; it's about who's next."

Contact McCallum at 321-242-3698 or bmccallum@floridatoday.com. Follow him at www.facebook.com/FLtoday.brianmccallum or on Twitter @Brian_McCallum.