Parents, students press Gettysburg Area School District over annual coach-posting policy, urge retention of football coach

Dozens of parents, students and volunteers urged the Gettysburg Area School District board to abandon a 2023 policy that requires annual posting of coaching positions and to confirm Matt Heizer as the high school's head football coach.

Speakers at the citizens' participation portion on March 17 said the policy leaves coaches and athletes in limbo and damages team culture. "The policy of making our coaches go through this every year needs to be reworked," said Jill Grama Whitmore, identifying herself as a parent of an eighth-grader involved in football and wrestling. Whitmore said the board should rely on an athletic director, principal and superintendent for hiring decisions rather than intervening in annual coaching postings.

The petition opposing the policy has collected more than 500 signatures, speakers said. "2023 board policy mandating the annual posting of coaching positions has garnered over 500 signatures from our community," said Justine Sig, who urged the board to let administrators handle hiring decisions and to stop what she called a "demoralizing practice." Several parents who read comments from the petition said Heizer's work as a coach, mentor and community figure has produced positive outcomes for students.

Student speakers and a volunteer strength coach described program-level impacts they said would follow if the position were reopened at this point in the season. "To try to say that in March, we're gonna upend this and bring in another coach to organize football really displays the fact that whoever came up with this policy... truly is not qualified to hire a high school football coach," said a volunteer who identified himself as the district's volunteer strength coach.

Wade Liddy told the board he had seen a completed application for the head coach position dated Nov. 5, 2024, and said he had not seen a reason to reopen the position now. He asked the board to tell the community whether Heizer would be retained so spring and summer programs can proceed: "Let coach Heizer know he is indeed the coach for 2025 and allow him to move forward with all necessary preparations for the 2025 season."

Student Dante Howard described personal support from Heizer: "He made me feel valued, not just as a player, but as a person," Howard said, and asked the board to reconsider any decision that would remove Heizer from the program.

Board members did not vote during the public-comment portion; later agenda items addressed unrelated routine approvals and personnel matters. Speakers requested clearer communication from the district about the coaching position's status and said uncertainty has already affected youth programs, spring recruiting events and volunteering.

The board's formal policy and any administrative follow-up were not changed on the record during public comment; speakers asked the board to direct the athletic director and superintendent to provide clarity to families and athletes.

Ending: Public commenters said they will return to future meetings if they do not see a public response from the board or administration clarifying Heizer's status and the district's approach to coach hiring.