Wetherington calls it quits
Polk BOE agrees to 3-month payout to former superintendent
Polk School District will have to find a new superintendent after the Board of Education approved a resignation agreement in a special called meeting at the beginning of the month.
Board members voted unanimously to approve the agreement, which broke the threeyear contract with Superintendent Darrell Wetherington.
He’ll get $33,998.85, or three months worth of salary in the agreement approved 5-0 by the Board of Education in the March 2 meeting. That’s well below t he three- year agreement of $ 450,000 Wetherington signed and the previous board approved in July 2016.
The approval of his resignation comes following his suspension by the board on Feb. 21 fol- lowing an incident on Feb. 17 involving a disruption at Westside Elementary School involving Wetherington and his estranged wife, Jennifer Wetherington.
In his resignation, Wetherington also agreed to forego a hearing where he could have presented a rebuttal to the suspension and any other charges he was facing during a personnel investigation that started in January.
Following Thursday’s meeting, Wetherington said that despite his decision to resign, he plans to stay in the community.
“I thank Polk School District for the opportunity to work there for four years. They have great administrators, teachers and students in the district,” he said. “I have some job prospects in the Atlanta area, and though I don’t plan on leaving the community, I do plan to commute back and forth to those opportunities.”
Earlier last week, the Standard Journal also obtained a copy of a t emporary protection order Wetherington was served while staying in Cordele on Feb. 24. Tallapoosa Circuit Superior Court Judge Michael Murphy signed the order based on allegations made by Jennifer Wetherington of events that happened prior to the classroom disruption in the middle of the night at her home.
The temporary protection order first alleges Wetherington was engaged in stalking activities leading up to the incident at Westside Elementary School on Feb. 17 that prompted school board action.
She claims he was also involved in an extramarital affair and since their split has “refused to stop contacting her.”
Prior court filings for divorce papers made earlier in the month cited the reason for the breakup of their marriage as irreconcilable differences.
Furthermore, the court filing also gives details on an incident that occurred between the estranged couple at 12: 30 a. m. on Feb. 17 prior to an incident at Westside Elementary later in the day.
The filing alleges Jennifer Wetherington woke up around 12:30 a.m. on Feb. 17 at their Meadow Lakes Drive home to a banging on her garage door, and then laid still until the noise stopped before getting out of bed and checking on the noise.
It went on to describe a confrontation between the two after Wetherington came into the house presumably via his own house keys, but potentially through two unlocked windows Jennifer Wetherington found following the incident.
She said in the court filing she was “grilled” by her husband for approximately two hours about what she “was turning into the Board of Education hearing.”
It also alleges Wetherington threatened to “take care of” his estranged wife’s family if she tried to call for help, which she interpreted as a threat in the court filing.
Prior to an incident later in the day at Westside Elementary School, Wetherington was alleged in court documents to have continued to try and contact her by phone and text before he showed up at the school. Later in the day, he was also reported to have shown up at the house again but left immediately when he saw her car parked in the driveway.
When asked for comment on the court filing, Wetherington said he was “Extremely surprised, disappointed and unexpected. Especially after the wonderful conversations she and I had the week the incident occurred at Westside.”
The order includes stipulations that Wetherington stay 300 yards away from his estranged wife, avoid any contact with her or her family, and refrain from any harassing behavior.
A court date was also set for March 14 on the issue to give Wetherington a chance to show any cause as to why the petition shouldn’t be granted.
Polk County Police Chief Kenny Dodd said his office had looked into the overnight incident on Feb. 17, but had found no physical evidence to pursue any charges.
He added that officers from Polk County Police did try to discuss the incident with Darrell Wetherington and had set an interview, but he later declined to speak with officers.