Pottsville School Board fires suspended athletic administrator

Yahoo

08-05-2025

The Pottsville School Board on Wednesday night voted 8-0 to fire an athletic administrator the district had previously suspended for improper conduct and neglect of duty.
Derrell Johnson-Koulianos, 38, was terminated as the district's director of athletics and student activities by the board's vote during a special meeting.
That followed the recommendation of attorney Mark Fisher, who served as hearing officer during three days of a termination hearing for Johnson-Koulianos that concluded in April.
'The school district made inordinate efforts to help Mr. Johnson-Koulianos succeed,' Fisher's report said. '(He) could not comport himself to comply with the requirements of the job, the directives issued to him, and the standards and conduct required of a person in his position.
'While any one of the grounds for termination, by itself, would warrant his dismissal, the combination of proven grounds for termination demonstrated that (he) is incapable of properly performing in the school environment, and nothing short of termination would be appropriate.'
Following the termination vote, the board voted to advertise for a replacement for the position.
Johnson-Koulianos attended the meeting but did not speak during the public comment portion.
After leaving the meeting he said, 'I'm disappointed in the outcome,' but declined to give further comment.
His attorney, Joseph Nahas, was not at the meeting, but previously said that if the school board terminated Johnson-Koulianos, he planned to file a federal lawsuit against the district.
Johnson-Koulianos, a former University of Iowa football star, was hired last May. He was suspended without pay four-and-a-half months later after the district charged him with violating 11 district policies and the state school code, and ignoring repeated instruction and warnings from administrators to correct his behavior.
District officials say that he did not perform his job well, that his conduct was unprofessional and that he crossed boundaries with students through text messages and by commenting on, reposting and adding emojis to Instagram posts.
During the termination hearing, Fisher listened to testimony from district administrators, several parents and finally Johnson-Koulianos himself in April.
Johnson-Koulianos testified that he had no sexual intent when he commented on and placed emojis on online photos of female student-athletes. And though he admitted that he was failing at aspects of his job, he said it was because he did not receive proper training for those duties or help from administrators.
Fisher concluded the hearing after closing arguments from Nahas, who is representing Johnson-Koulianos, and school district solicitor Sarah Modrick. The results of that report were revealed during Thursday's meeting by board president Lynda Wytovich.
Fisher's recommendation was not binding, though, and the board members were free to vote as they chose. The eight board members present voted to terminate Johnson-Koulianos, while one board member was absent.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.