A male middle school girls’ coach in Weatherford Independent School District has been ousted following public exposure of his posts on a social media site catering to kinky sex.
Coach Lance Rankin was the girls’ athletic coordinator and physical education teacher at Hall Middle School in Weatherford ISD.
Principal Sean Kenny notified the Hall Middle School community on Wednesday that an unnamed employee was “no longer with the district.”
A district spokesman confirmed to Texas Scorecard that Rankin is “no longer an employee of Weatherford ISD.”
“I would like to inform you that Weatherford ISD became aware yesterday of information regarding one of our employees,” wrote Kenny.
The “information” refers to pictures exposed on Facebook showing Rankin’s posts on FetLife, described as “the world’s largest and most popular social network for the BDSM, Kink, and Fetish community.”
More disturbing, several former Hall students commented that the longtime coach was nicknamed “Spankin Rankin,” referring to an incident years ago in which he allegedly “spanked” middle school girls on the volleyball team.
Multiple people commented that Rankin had been repeatedly reported over the years for making female students feel uncomfortable by ogling them as they worked out and watching them change clothes in the girls’ locker room.
They described his behavior as “creepy” and “extremely inappropriate.”
“I could have told y’all this 12 years ago when I was in middle school,” commented one former Hall student. “He walked in on us in the locker room more than I’d say was normal.”
“Definitely creepy guy,” wrote another. “I remember him walking in on us when I was in middle school as well.”
Several commenters noted that Coach Rankin used an office in the girls’ locker room with a window that allowed him to watch the girls dress out for PE.
“I’m actually shocked that it’s taken this long to surface,” another former Hall student commented.
A girl who attended Hall five years ago wrote that “everyone tried” telling people about Rankin’s behavior but “nobody cared.”
“The sad part is, this isn’t anything new,” wrote a Weatherford ISD graduate. “I’m almost 10 years post graduating and only went to Hall for 6 weeks and this came to light about him, his kinks, and harassing the girls in the locker room within a year after my 8th grade year started… I’m truly shocked at the nerve of him to stick around at the school after it came out but more appalled by WISD for letting him stay.”
Rankin had worked for Weatherford ISD for more than 20 years. In January 2024, Rankin received a Staff Spotlight award for his “dedication and exceptional leadership” and his “outstanding contributions to HMS.”
According to a 2022 Weatherford ISD social media post, Rankin’s wife, sister-in-law, and niece also worked for the district.
Rankin holds a lifetime Texas teaching certificate for secondary English and physical education that was issued in 1997.
Hundreds of school employees across Texas have been accused of sex crimes involving students and other children, and thousands have been reported to the TEA for sexual misconduct.
