BELLAIRE -- A local high school teacher accused of having sex with a student resigned his position on Mancelona's school board.
A judge arraigned Frank E. Moser this week on two counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct. Moser, who taught English and social studies at Forest Area High School near Fife Lake since 2001, was elected this year to his second term on the Mancelona Public Schools board.
Moser resigned from the Mancelona board shortly after his arrest last week, fellow board member Bill Avery said. The board and community are in a "somber" and "shocked" mood, Avery said. The board is now focused on appointing his replacement.
"Right now we move forward," Avery said. "It was a horrible thing that happened, and it's sad for everybody involved, but our job as a board is to run the school ... we have to find somebody to help us do that."
Antrim County authorities allege Moser had sex with a female Forest Area High School student, 17, at his Mancelona home in November.
Moser was always helpful on the board, Avery said.
"Frank was a good board member," he said. "He was informed, he was thoughtful, he did everything a good board member should do. We need to find somebody to fill his shoes."
Forest Area had no prior disciplinary problems with Moser, Superintendent John Smith said. He was involved with students and student organizations, Smith said, and the district was "shocked" by the accusations.
The district is conducting an investigation independent of the police probe, Smith said. School officials don't believe Moser had inappropriate contact with any other students, he said.
"There's always that concern, but it doesn't appear that that's the case," Smith said. "It appears to be an isolated incident."
Moser's bond, initially set at $100,000, was reduced to 10 percent of $50,000, a court spokeswoman said, but sheriff's officials said he remained in jail Thursday afternoon. A preliminary examination is set for Dec. 16.
Some in the Mancelona community said they'll wait to see how the criminal process plays out before deciding what to think.
"I think Frank is a stand-up guy, and it's a shame if it did happen," Mancelona Auto Body owner Dan Robinson said. "We need to give him the benefit of the doubt until he's proven guilty."
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