Braden Flax, who graduated from MAMS this spring, said Serie was a “very good coach.” Flax is blind, but that did not stop him from competing on the school’s wrestling team. Serie “encouraged me to follow my dreams,” Flax said.

A Facebook group supporting Serie had 840 “likes,” and an online petition seeking his reinstatement had 337 electronic signatures as of press time.

Susan Schwartz, who became the board president on July 9, said at last week’s board meeting that school officials were legally prohibited from commenting on personnel matters. And Saul Lerner, the district’s director of physical education, athletics, driver education and health, told reporters outside Brookside that district officials could not discuss the situation.

School administrators had rated Serie as a “highly effective” teacher, Kilada said. Just 7 percent of teachers in the state were graded “highly effective” in 2011-12.