Four R-I staff members hand in resignations

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Following an investigation into texts sent using Palmyra R-I School District electronic devices, four Palmyra R-I School faculty members have submitted their resignations.

Kevin Miles, Mark Hoerr, Tyler Krietemeyer and Marty Smyser resigned their positions with the school district effective immediately, according to a statement from the board and from Superintendent Jason Harper. 

The board approved the resignations on Thursday, March 30, at a special board meeting.

Earlier in the month, the four had been placed on paid administrative leave following a special school board meeting on March 20.

Texts between the teachers, Miles, Hoerr and Krietemeyer, and PHS assistant principal, Smyser, revealed indications of disrespect for fellow faculty members as well as some students.

Names of those discussed in the texts have been redacted from all information provided by the school district.

 

 

While Smyser’s resignation leaves a vacancy in the high school office, the resignations of Krietemeyer and Hoerr leave a hole in the Palmyra High School football program.

Miles, who had coached the Palmyra Panthers football team for 12 seasons, had submitted his resignation at the Nov. 8 school board meeting. 

That resignation followed a school board meeting, at which a group of parents had expressed their concerns with Miles and the program. 

The football program officially forfeited six games this fall due to a self-reported violation of Missouri State High School Activities Association bylaws regarding player participation limits. 

Miles also received a one-game disciplinary suspension for the season opener at Hallsville from the district administration as the “result of a situation that occurred in an unsupervised locker room.” 

Miles was hired in February to become the football coach and assistant athletic director at Salem (Mo.). High School. He will be the fifth head coach for the Tiger football program in the past six years.

Also in February, the Palmyra R-I school board selected Krietemeyer to be the next head football coach.

Both Krietemeyer and Hoerr, who was an assistant football coach, taught social science in the school district.

 

According to Harper, the district is hoping to have long-term substitutes finish out the school year. They are also finding ways to help Jared Pontius, high school principal, in that office as well.

The high school physical education/fitness position has already been filled next year by Dalton Hill, Harper said. 

“The high school social science, middle school social science and high school assistant principal positions will be opened up and filled as soon as possible,” said Harper. “We will take time to see if we can get quality applicants, and then we must go through the interview process. 

“We do have multiple coaching positions to fill, and those will be posted and addressed in a similar manner to the teaching positions,” Harper added.