The Greene County School Board terminated a high school teacher’s contract during a special meeting Wednesday morning.

The Board voted unanimously to terminate the ongoing contract for high school special education teacher Peyton Paddock. The decision came after an investigation by the Jefferson Police Department. Officers responded to the high school at 11:34am on March 31st and found Paddock under the influence of alcohol. 

Paddock submitted to a preliminary breath test that resulted in a 0.255 blood alcohol level. He claimed to have consumed alcohol the night before and then drove to school that morning, but didn’t consume alcohol on school grounds. School video surveillance also showed Paddock driving to the parking lot and staggering from his vehicle to the building.

Paddock was arrested and charged with a serious misdemeanor for his first offense for an OWI and pled guilty in Greene County District Court. He had all but two days of an 180 day jail sentence suspended and was placed on probation for one year with the Boone and Greene County Probation Services.

Superintendent Tim Christensen said Paddock is placed on administrative leave for the rest of this school year and will no longer be an employee of the school district going forward. Paddock did not request a hearing for his employment with the district and Christensen is required to send information to the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners who will decide on whether or not Paddock keeps his teaching license. Paddock has been employed with the Greene County School District since January of 2019.