DeKalb Schools officer files whistleblower suit, claims district ignores reports of misconduct

A whistleblower lawsuit claims DeKalb County School District Superintendent Steve Green, left, ignored claims of misconduct made by a school district public safety officer. Curtis Compton/ccompton@ajc.com

Credit: ccompton@ajc.com

Credit: ccompton@ajc.com

A whistleblower lawsuit claims DeKalb County School District Superintendent Steve Green, left, ignored claims of misconduct made by a school district public safety officer. Curtis Compton/ccompton@ajc.com

A DeKalb County School District public safety employee has filed a whistleblower lawsuit, saying district officials retaliated against him for reporting corruption in the public safety department and sexual misconduct involving students.

The lawsuit was filed Monday on behalf of Cpl. Fredrick Joiner. Joiner, a member of the public safety department since 2014, is currently on administrative leave.

In one situation, Joiner said he informed officials at one school about a student who was sexually assaulted and an assistant principal exhibiting predatory behavior against a student. In another, he said he was assaulted by a counselor after bringing her a suicide note, and the student who wrote it.

Many incidents were backdated to avoid the appearance of delayed investigations, he said.