Latest news with #PottsvilleSchoolDistrict
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Suspended Pottsville AD testifies at termination hearing
A suspended Pottsville School District athletic administrator testified during his termination hearing this week that he had no sexual intent when he commented on and placed emojis on social media photos of female student-athletes. Derrell Johnson-Koulianos, 38, who is suspended without pay as director of athletics and student activities for the district, testified Monday during the third and final day of the hearing, which began in January. The former University of Iowa football star was hired last May and was suspended four-and-a-half months later after the district charged him with improper conduct, neglect of duty, and violating school laws. Attorney Mark Fisher of Allentown, who is the hearing officer, concluded the hearing after Johnson-Koulianos testified and after both his attorney, Joseph Nahas, and school district solicitor Sarah Modrick presented closing arguments. Fisher will prepare a report for the Pottsville School Board and recommend that it either fire or retain Johnson-Koulianos. That recommendation is not binding, though, and the board members are free to vote as they choose. The district suspended Johnson-Koulianos in October — first with pay and a day later without pay — after school officials 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 improper and that he crossed professional boundaries with children through text messages and by commenting on, reposting and adding emojis to Instagram posts. Johnson-Koulianos maintained that his placement of fire emojis on Pottsville student photos and comments such as 'immaculate vibes' were his way of showing support for the district's athletic programs and to speak in lingo that today's students could relate to. 'Never in a million years' did he intend any sexual connotations, he said. Johnson-Koulianos also admitted that he had been struggling with the financial aspects of his job before his suspension, but blamed the district for failing to train him for work they knew he wasn't capable of performing. The district created the position shortly before hiring Johnson-Koulianos, who initially applied to be Pottsville's head football coach position, but was not chosen for that job. Johnson-Koulianos said that Pottsville Superintendent Dr. Sarah Yoder had encouraged him to apply for the administrative post, having been impressed by his interview, his story, his energy and enthusiasm, and telling him he would be an asset to the district and its students. But Johnson-Koulianos said that all of his previous employment was as a football coach. Much of the AD job entailed doing financial work for the athletic department, which he said he was not educated to perform, had no experience with and was therefore failing at. Work that should have taken five minutes took him an hour, he said, pulling him away from other duties within the athletic department, and prompting him to offer a part-time district administrator $5,000 of his $65,000 salary to teach him how to do it. 'I was drowning,' he said. During cross examination, district solicitor Sarah Modrick questioned whether Johnson-Koulianos had come to his supervisors to explain how much help he needed, which he said he did not. Derrell Johnson-Koulianos answers questions during a hearing at the Terrance P. Reiley Community Building in Pottsville, Monday, April 7, 2025. It was the third and final day of the hearing, which began in January. (MATTHEW PERSCHALL/MULTIMEDIA EDITOR) During the first day of testimony in the hearing in January, Yoder testified that Johnson-Koulianos engaged in 'grossly inappropriate communications and behavior via social media' with Pottsville students through the use of texts, emojis and suggestive language, and continued to reach out to students after he was suspended. Johnson-Koulianos was also accused of transporting students in the bed of his pickup truck without administrative permission, appointing a special education student as an intern without the necessary approval, failing to follow protocols for duties like submitting ticket sheets for sports events and managing cash receipts, insubordination, not being honest on his resume that he had been fired from previous employment, and circumventing the chain of command by communicating with school board members about his employment status, disciplinary actions and the investigation into his conduct. During the second day of the hearing in March, the mothers of two female Pottsville High School students said that they never thought of Johnson-Koulianos's online communication with their girls as being sexually suggestive or otherwise out-of-line. Nahas on Monday said that the district's administrators were not being honest in their case to terminate Johnson-Koulianos. His initial suspension came after administrators had heard rumors about Johnson-Koulianos having a sexual relationship with a female cheerleader. Soon after being suspended, Johnson-Koulianos reached out to several people connected with the district, including a school board member and a cheerleading adviser, even though administrators told him to refrain from contacting anyone within the district, he acknowledged. He said that he was angry and was scared after learning that the district was investigating the rumors of an inappropriate relationship, but did not provide him with details. He also heard that the school board was planning to fire him, and that the matter had been referred to Pottsville Police and the state ChildLine for suspected child abuse. Johnson-Koulianos said that his contact with the school director and cheerleading adviser were an attempt to find out what was going on, since he was in the dark about the allegations. 'Everything was at stake in my life, my reputation, my livelihood, everything,' he said. Johnson-Koulianos denied any wrongdoing with the student, saying 'that never happened.' During the second day of the hearing in March, the student mentioned in those rumors also denied that Johnson-Koulianos did anything inappropriate with her. Police did not file any criminal charges against Johnson-Koulianos as a result of that investigation, and the school district did not mention a sexual relationship with a student in its list of charges for termination. Nahas said that both he and the hearing officer asked for the investigatory documents from the district related to that accusation, but that the district never provided them, making it more difficult for the hearing officer to make an informed recommendation. In his closing argument, Nahas said that it was Yoder whose employment should be terminated since it was she who recommended that Johnson-Koulianos be hired for a position he was not prepared for, and who failed to ensure he received the proper support to succeed. Modrick used a PowerPoint presentation for her closing argument, reminding the four Pottsville School Board members in attendance that the hearing was not a court or criminal proceeding. The board members do not need to believe beyond a reasonable doubt that they should fire Johnson-Koulianos, only to find a preponderance of evidence to support that action, she said. Modrick pointed out that when hired, Johnson-Koulianos signed paperwork agreeing to follow a number of district policies that he later violated, and has admitted to having information on his resume that was not accurate. The Pennsylvania School Code gives school boards the right to remove employees for 'incompetency, intemperance, neglect of duty, violation of the school laws (of the state) or other improper conduct,' she said. She then gave a timeline of the infractions Johnson-Koulianos is charged with committing and encouraged board members to read the hearing transcripts before making a decision. Before adjourning, Fisher asked Johnson-Koulianos about his social media comments and the emojis he placed on students' photos. Johnson-Koulianos said that he still did not think they were wrong but would not post them again if he had the chance. 'My perspective has changed,' Johnson-Koulianos said, due to the 'backlash' resulting from his social media activity and the 'optics' of it. 'I don't see a problem with it, but I wouldn't do it again,' he said. Johnson-Koulianos acknowledged that in a text message prior to his termination hearing, he said he would never return to work for the district as long as Yoder was the superintendent. Following the hearing on Monday, though, Nahas said that his client said that during an emotional time, and that if he's retained by the district, he will consider his options. Johnson-Koulianos said he has applied for numerous jobs since he was suspended by Pottsville but has received no calls back, which he blamed on the investigation into sexual allegations against him. He remains out of work. Following the hearing, Nahas said that if the school board terminates Johnson-Koulianos, he plans to file a federal lawsuit against the district.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Federal court to hear Gillingham lawsuit vs Pottsville School District Friday
POTTSVILLE — A civil rights lawsuit filed by Gillingham Charter School students and staff against the Pottsville School District is set to head to federal court in Scranton on Friday. Twenty students and two staff members from the Pottsville-based charter school are suing the district, alleging that it violated their civil rights during a regional college fair held Oct. 3 in the district's Martz Hall. The school district has filed a motion to have the suit dismissed. The hearing is set to start Friday in the Middle District of Pennsylvania court building at 235 N. Washington Ave, with Judge Karoline Mehalchick presiding. Gillingham Executive Director Nicolle Hutchinson has said that Gillingham students and staff who attended the fair were subjected to unnecessary force, verbal intimidation and public humiliation by Pottsville's superintendent and two guidance counselors during the event. As a result, the students and teachers suffered emotional distress and significant injury to their reputation, she said. The plaintiffs are seeking a jury trial and financial compensation. The lawsuit names as defendants the school district, Dr. Sarah Yoder, superintendent, and high school guidance counselors Kayla Peters and Cindy Stasulli. School district solicitor John E. Freund III said in a recent statement that 'the complaint is rife with false and inaccurate statements. The complaint has no legal merit and the standing of many of the plaintiffs is questionable. The complaint improperly attempts to rehash old grievances over charter compliance issues.' The college fair was not open to the public but was by invitation only to public school districts of Schuylkill IU29, he said. Pottsville administrators have also previously denied any wrongdoing at the fair, and said Gillingham had been told not to attend. Filing the lawsuit were Gillingham juniors and seniors who went on the trip, including some who are minors and therefore also have their parents listed as plaintiffs. The staff members listed on the suit are athletic director and physical education instructor Leonard Martin and English teacher Deidra Herbert, who were chaperones for the trip. The suit alleges nine counts against the district, including three first amendment violations for suppressing the students' and teachers' freedom of free speech and expression by banning their attendance and their recording of the event, and infringing on their right to peaceful assembly in a public forum. It also accuses the district of a fourth amendment violation by engaging in unreasonable searches and seizures. In addition, it alleges that the district treated them unequally because their attendance and viewpoints were controversial, denied them due process by committing 'assault and batteries' upon 11 students and one adult, used undue force to detain several students and attempt to seize property, conspired to violate their civil rights, and treated them unequally by denying them the same opportunity to attend the fair as other public high school students in Schuylkill County. 'Gillingham Charter School students walked into Martz Hall looking for an opportunity, just like everyone else, to gather information about options for their future after graduation,' Martin said. 'That opportunity was taken away from my students, and I would love for their voices to be heard.'
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Pottsville parents' testimony supports suspended athletic director
Several Pottsville parents testified Tuesday during a termination hearing for a suspended athletic administrator that they did not worry about messages and social media interactions that their daughters received from him. The second round of the hearing for Derrell Johnson-Koulianos, 37, a former University of Iowa football star hired May 22 as Pottsville School District's director of athletics and student activities, included about seven hours of testimony. In October the district suspended him — first with pay and a day later without pay — after school officials 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 improper and that he crossed professional boundaries with children through text messages and by commenting on, reposting and adding emojis to Instagram posts. On Tuesday, though, the mothers of two female Pottsville High School students said that they never thought of Johnson-Koulianos's online communication with their girls as being sexually suggestive or otherwise out-of-line. The parents were called as witnesses for Johnson-Koulianos by his attorney, Joseph Nahas of Frackville. Suspended Pottsville School District athletic administrator Derrell Johnson-Koulianos during his termination hearing Tuesday. (MICHAEL URBAN/STAFF REPORTER) One mother spoke about his commenting on a photo of her daughter, who is a junior. As a parent she saw his use of fire emojis and phrases like 'fire fits' and 'immaculate vibes' in reference to their clothing and appearance as his way of communicating with students in language they can relate to. When asked by Nahas whether it bothered her, the parent said, 'absolutely not.' 'I really thought nothing of it,' she said. 'That's typical of the way kids to talk to kids.' Another mother, whose daughter's post about winning a volleyball award was reposted by Johnson-Koulianos, said that she saw that action as him promoting a Pottsville athlete. Nahas also called as a witness a 19-year-old Pottsville senior who testified that she was called in to speak with district officials and Pottsville Police about a rumor circulating the school that she and Johnson-Koulianos had sexual contact, which she denied. When asked where the accusation came from, she said, 'I have no idea.' Her mother also testified, and she, too, denied the allegation made about Johnson-Koulianos having sex with her daughter. Johnson-Koulianos was never criminally charged with that offense, but Nahas said that accusation was still the main reason behind his suspension. The Pottsville administration was represented by attorney Sarah Modrick, who said that is not accurate. While the district investigated that allegation, it was not among the district's charges against him and did not bring his suspension, she said. The real reasons behind his suspension, Modrick said, were explained by the witnesses she called: Dr. Jared Gerace, the district's director of curriculum, instruction and assessment and its safety and security coordinator; Tiffany Hummel, who is the high school principal; and Scott Mattea, assistant athletic director and activities treasurer. The three testified about Johnson-Koulianos's failures to fulfill his duties as an administrator, to follow district guidelines about staff-student relationships, and his insubordination as he continued to reach out to district staff, students and officials during his suspension although administrators ordered him not to. The district's investigation into Johnson-Koulianos 'substantiated that he violated professional boundaries,' Gerace said. The hearing is tentatively scheduled to resume on April 7, with Johnson-Koulianos to be the next witness to testify. When the hearing concludes, hearing officer Marc Fisher of Allentown will make a report to the board and recommend that it either fire or retain Johnson-Koulianos. That recommendation is not binding, though, and the board members are free to vote as they choose. Several board members were present during Tuesday's testimony. An expanded version of this story will be posted Wednesday on and will run in Thursday's print edition.
