Marc Villarreal, shown in this Department of Defense Education Activity photo on April 7, 2023, was relieved of his duties as principal of Vicenza High School in Vicenza, Italy, on Friday, pending the outcome of an investigation into accusations of inappropriate conduct, according to the organization. (DODEA)
KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany — A former Department of Defense Education Activity principal of the year was removed from his Vicenza High School post and is under investigation for what the agency termed “inappropriate conduct.”
Marc Villarreal was relieved of his duties Friday as principal of the school, which is on a base that is part of U.S. Army Garrison Italy, a DODEA statement Monday said.
DODEA officials did not disclose details about the accusations of inappropriate conduct, and Villarreal declined comment Monday.
A message from school leaders to parents Saturday said there is “an active investigation” into Villarreal, who was selected as DODEA’s principal of the year in 2023.
Community superintendent Michael Jimerson was named acting principal, the statement said. Villarreal had been the principal at Vicenza since at least 2024, according to an Army statement.
About 299 students in grades 9 to 12 are currently enrolled at the school, according to DODEA Europe enrollment data.
Villarreal was removed from the Principal’s Corner page on the school’s website. Only Doris Brodie, the assistant principal, is listed on the page.
Leaders of the union that represents DODEA schools in Italy, Turkey, Spain and Bahrain said they learned of Villarreal’s removal around the same time DODEA announced it.
Villarreal previously worked at Sigonella Middle High School in Sicily. He was a teacher and assistant principal there before becoming the Vicenza principal, according to his DODEA biography. He joined DODEA in 1998.
In 2023, former DODEA director Thomas Brady praised Villarreal for establishing strong partnerships with parents and military leaders at Sigonella, according to an agency statement at the time.
Jimerson was selected as the Vicenza community superintendent for the DODEA Europe South District in November. Prior to that, he was the principal of Stuttgart High School in Germany.
