The director of security for Metro Schools has announced that he plans to retire, just days after being placed on administrative leave while the district conducted an internal investigation.
Members of the district's security unit were notified of Jimmy Wheeler's decision this week in an email from Kenneth Stark, executive officer of operations for Metro Schools.
Stark announced that Lt. Jackie Streenz will serve as interim director.
"You all have been through quite a bit and I am seeking, to the extent that I can, [to] minimize that strain on you," Stark wrote in an email to employees in the school security unit.
Metro Schools placed Wheeler on administrative leave last week "so that we can do a departmental assessment." It came months after complaints were filed against him by several subordinates.
Wheeler was named director of security in 2013. Before joining Metro Schools, Wheeler served as an officer with Metro Police Department for 11 years.
A Nashville Scene article in 2000 detailed a series of violent episodes between Wheeler and a female companion in the 1990s.
According to his police file, Wheeler had once threatened to kill the woman and himself, the Scene reported. He also “held a gun to her head on at least one occasion.”
The newspaper also reported that a memo to Wheeler noted his admission that his arguments with the woman had resulted in her "being pushed over a couch, held down with your hand around her throat, and knocked to the ground.”
It's not clear which specific accusations had resulted in Metro Schools making the decision to place him on administrative leave last week.
This development follows the resignation of Smith Springs Elementary School principal Dr. Lance High after allegations of "inappropriate conduct."
Dr. Sam Braden, principal at John F. Kennedy Middle School, was placed on administrative leave and then turned in papers to retire after NewsChannel 5 Investigates revealed he had been the subject of multiple complaints.
Special Section:
NC5 Investigates: Metro Schools
