(KNOXVILLE) Three Knox County school security captains who filed a scathing complaint against their boss have lost their powers to carry firearms and make arrests, and are now on paid administrative leave, officials told WBIR 10News.
To carry their weapons, they need the bond cards issued by the Knox County Sheriff's Office.
Sheriff Jimmy "J.J." Jones ordered the unrestricted bond cards withdrawn in a notice this week to Knox County Schools personnel officials.
“As of right now, I have revoked the bonds,” he told WBIR 10News on Wednesday. “That’s not to say that they might get a limited bond later, but right now I’m still investigating this and looking over their paperwork.”
School officials said once the captains lost their bond cards, they were placed on paid administrative leave.
The captains are Dan Stewart, Bill Kee and Doug Ryerkerk.
The trio filed a written complaint on Dec. 14 against Knox County Schools Security Chief Gus Paidousis, saying he has a history of racist, sexist, threatening and retaliatory behavior in the workplace.
They also said Paidousis has violated both the board's civility code and policy pertaining to employee harassment.
They have asked for whistle-blower protection.
Given that holding a bond card by the Sheriff's Office is a requirement for their jobs, "Captains Stewart, Kee and Ryerkerk have been placed on administrative leave with pay, pending review and recommendations from our Human Resources Office regarding any appropriate personnel action," KCS Superintendent Jim McIntyre said in a letter Wednesday to school board members.
Documents inspected last week by 10News show Knox County Schools had separately reprimanded to varying degrees each of the three captains for at least one incident in 2015.
"The described acts of misconduct documented in the respective personnel files of the aforementioned individuals causes me great concern," Jones' letter to Kathy Sims states.
Jones said he learned about the personnel files from the media. He then asked Tom Cox, the department's captain of professional standards, to look into the men's records.
"What I saw gave me a little heartburn," he said. "I had to pull (the bond cards). I don't want to put Knox County taxpayers out on a limb because I'm the guy who issues the cards. Once someone brings something to my attention, it obligates me to make a decision one way or the other. I don't want something to happen and then someone to later come back and say 'Well, you knew about this.'"
Jones said most school security officers have such cards that allow the officers to carry guns on school property and to and from work. The cards issued to the three captains, however, allowed them to carry guns and make arrests “seven days a week” in Knox County because they are supervisors and might have to make home visits.
In December, KCS placed Capt. Stewart on administrative leave/suspension with pay, from Dec. 11 to Dec. 18. The corrective action stems from an incident on Dec. 10, when Stewart began discussing an unrelated investigation during a meeting with a student and his mother. Then, in a meeting with Carter High School principal Ryan Siebe, Stewart told Siebe there likely was a gun on campus, given the number of students present. When Siebe objected, according to the personnel file documents, Stewart reiterated his position.
"The comments you made during the parent meetings and your interaction with Principal Siebe on December 10th were not professional, and were not in keeping with the expectations we have for employees of the Knox County Schools," the Dec. 18 letter states. "Further, some of the information you shared was of a confidential nature. The comments you made were speculative, unsolicited and tended to exacerbate an already difficult safety and security challenge."
In the letter, Adrian Rucker, KCS director of human resources operations, told Stewart he has an opportunity to correct his behavior and admonished him to follow all KCS and Board of Education policies and procedures from now on.
Capt. Kee, too, received an official reprimand in December.
In a "Written Reprimand" dated Dec. 16, a district HR official directed Kee to participate in harassment and sensitivity training provided by KCS director of benefits and employee relations Scott Bolton.
According to the document, that stemmed from an incident that apparently happened this fall, in which Kee acted "in an unprofessional manner" and was "uncivil to a coworker."
"It was alleged that you used profanity when addressing...a coworker about 'going over your head,'" the written reprimand details. "It was also alleged that you cursed at the employee for taking information to Chief Gus Paidousis regarding the Knox County Security division being out of compliance with FCC regulations."
Earlier in the year, Kee was suspended without pay for three days for failing to secure his school-issued gun and leaving it unattended in his car, resulting in its theft. The gun was stolen from Kee's vehicle in late March, and Kee was suspended in late April.
The only recent complaint in Capt. Ryerkerk's file was from May of this year and resulted in no major disciplinary action.
The complaint alleges that during an investigation at a school in late April, Ryerkerk searched the subject's purse in plain view of students and parents at the school. Additionally, it said, Ryerkerk discussed other cases involving employees in front of the complainant. Finally, a review of the allegations revealed that Ryerkerk's car "was not maintained in a professional manner."
The issue was resolved with a simple meeting between Ryerkerk and Paidousis.
