JOHN COFFELTEditor

The Manchester City Board of Education has opted to begin the process to terminate Westwood Middle School teacher and former coach Chad Dyer.

The move came during the regular school board meeting Sept. 9.

“(A dismissal) is never something that you or a board wants to have to go through, but we have to follow the process and that’s where we are,” Director of Schools Dr. Joey Vaughn said.

Vaughn said that until the process of terminating a teacher with tenure is complete, Dyer will be on administrative leave without pay. He will eventually be terminated or reinstated depending on the results of the case.

Vaughn made the recommendation for dismissal from service at the meeting, and the board approved the motion unanimously.

“The motion was made that if any (pending charges against Dyer) are true, then dismissal from service is proper and that Mr. Dyer will be given notice of his right to a hearing before a hearing officer which the director of schools will appoint, Vaughn told the board.

“Manchester City Schools will follow the process for the dismissal of a tenured teacher as we move forward,” Vaughn said.

This action follows a series of arrests throughout spring and summer of this year. According to documentation presented to the board, on June 12, Dyer was arrested on two counts of theft. The warrant for Dyer’s arrest shows that he is accused of shoplifting on three dates immediately following his completion of the court-ordered treatment program in May.

On June 20, the Assistant Attorney General filed a motion to revoke Dyer’s bond on the grounds of his continued criminal conduct.

Before that arrest Dyer was charged on Feb. 23, with a Class D Felony for stealing 10-12 pallets of sod from a sod farm. On Feb. 26 Dyer was suspended without pay for four days pending an investigation. It ended after Dyer pled guilty to misdemeanor theft on Feb. 29.

Dyer’s felony charge was reduced to a misdemeanor as a part of plea negotiations and pursuant to the judicial diversion statute. Dyer was ordered to pay $3,120.00 in restitution and was placed on probation for twelve months.

Then on April 26, Dyer was arrested and charged with domestic assault and violating an order of protection previously secured by his wife and was suspended April 29 without pay. This suspension lasted from April 29 through the end of the school year on May 24. Dyer attended the court-ordered treatment program from April 29-May 18.

Dyer shared the following statement with The Times.

“I would like to take this opportunity to express my deepest apologies to anyone I have let down or shamed,” Dyer said. “This community has been more than fair to me over the years. I am ashamed of myself for what I have put my family and friends through. I was in a very dark place with a clouded mind for too long. I have sought and received help. I hope and pray that God can use my testimony to help others who are struggling one day. I ask for continued prayers for myself and for my family as I continue to heal.”

Dyer has been an employee of Manchester City Schools since July 26, 2004 and has been tenured since June 11, 2007. He resigned in October 2021 as head football coach.

John has been with the Manchester Times since May 2011. John has won Tennessee Press Association awards for Best News Photo and placed in numerous other categories. John is a 1994 graduate of Tullahoma High School, a graduate of Motlow State Community College and earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Middle Tennessee State University. He lives in Tullahoma, enjoys painting, dancing and exploring the outdoors.