Knoxville — Three former Knox County Schools security captains are suing Knox County and the county board of education, alleging schools security chief Gus Paidousis is racist, dictatorial and retaliatory.
The Sept. 12 federal lawsuit by Dan Stewart, Douglas Ryerkerk and William Kee echoes similar allegations filed by the men in 2017 in Knox County Chancery Court. The men were joined in that action by Davey Sanderson, a former schools security sergeant.
They allege the county and school board failed to act to stop his retaliation and "illegal conduct."
Stewart, Ryerkirk and Kee, all fired by the school system after being placed on leave for several months in 2016, are now focusing on their U.S. District Court lawsuit. Sanderson's action continues in Chancery Court. Sanderson was fired in 2017.
The former captains, all law enforcement veterans, seek damages as well as reinstatement to their jobs or something comparable.
Schools spokeswoman Carly Harrington said the school system does not comment on pending litigation.
The lawsuit alleges Paidousis sought to fire them and worked through Sheriff Jimmy "J.J." Jones to revoke their bond cards. The card is a "special deputy" credential issued by the Knox County sheriff that allows the holder certain privileges, including the ability to carry a weapon.
After the captains were put on leave with pay in early 2016, the lawsuit states, Paidousis arbitrarily declared that security personnel had to carry a bond card in order to work in school security, effectively cutting the men off from being able to work.
The plaintiffs allege Paidousis decided to fire them because they'd raised questions about his decisions and complained about him in late 2015. The men said they'd complained to numerous county and school officials without any luck.
The men also have filed complaints with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, alleging discrimination.
Paidousis, according to the lawsuit, wanted to terminate the men in part because they'd raised objections in 2013 to his desire to require security employees to take psychological test. The captains said it would be illegal under federal law to require existing employees to take such a test, the lawsuit states.
The plaintiffs also allege Paidousis made racist statements about several black employees including, John Smelser, a white officer with a black wife.
Smelser this spring settled his own lawsuit with Knox County, which wrote him two checks totaling about $45,000, records show.
The captains' lawsuit names other officers who have filed suit over Paidousis' leadership, alleging he's proved an arbitrary leader who retaliates against those who challenge him or object to his decisions.
The captains' personnel files show Knox County Schools had separately reprimanded to varying degrees each of the three captains for at least one incident in 2015.
PERSONNEL FILES
Records show Stewart had been put on leave with pay in 2015 from an incident in December of that year when he told a high school principal there likely was a gun present on campus considering the number of students present. He also began discussing an unrelated investigation during a meeting with a student and his mother, according to records.
His actions were deemed unprofessional.
Kee also received an official reprimand in December 2015.
According to the document, that stemmed from an incident that apparently happened in the fall of 2015, Kee acted "in an unprofessional manner" and was "uncivil to a coworker," according to the file.
Kee also earlier in the year had been suspended with pay for several days for failing to secure his school-issued gun and leaving it unattended in his car, resulting in its theft.
The only recent complaint in Capt. Ryerkerk's file had been from May 2015.
PAIDOUSIS' PAST
Paidousis began his employment with Knox County Schools in mid-2013, when he took the position as chief of security after a career with the Knoxville Police Department. He replaced Steve Griffin, who retired in the midst of an investigation into an inappropriate relationship he had with a vendor who sold security equipment to KCS.
Paidousis had been deputy chief of KPD's Criminal Investigation Division. He'd spent three decades with KPD and grew up in the Knox County Schools district.
Paidousis' personnel file consisted mainly of his resume and documentation related to his hiring process from 2013.
In his 2013 application for the position of KCS chief of security, Paidousis said he had "an outstanding, high energy work ethic, committed to truthfulness, good decision maker and exercise attention to detail and follow through."
In May 2018, Paidousis submitted his resignation to schools administrators. Soon thereafter, however, he changed his mind and was retained.
