The Akron Board of Education voted to terminate Darian Johnson, a custodial supervisor, on Tuesday.
Johnson had been on administrative leave since Nov. 7, 2025. Three days earlier, he reportedly entered the district administration building after hours and removed papers from his supervisor’s desk. He later disobeyed orders to return to school property after being placed on leave, according to a referee’s report submitted to the Akron Board of Education.
Akron Public Schools’ attorney, Chris Williams of Pepple & Wagoner, stated that a neutral referee overheard the case and issued a nearly 20-page report on the matter.
“Both Mr. Johnson and the Board had every opportunity to present witnesses and evidence in support of their respective positions on the question of his termination during that hearing,” Williams said in a statement. “… After reviewing the Referee’s report, the Board acted last night to adopt his findings of fact and conclusions of law, and to further accept and implement his recommendation that the Board terminate Mr. Johnson’s employment.”
In a statement to Signal Akron, Johnson said his termination was a clear case of retaliation.
“From the beginning this process lacked fundamental fairness,” he said. “The referee refused to hear my side of the story and entirely ignored the toxic, harassing work environment from which this matter arose.”
Akron schools investigates Johnson’s reason for entering administration building
Johnson, first hired by Akron Public Schools in 2024 as part-time summer help, was promoted to facilities supervisor shortly thereafter by former Superintendent Michael Robinson. Prior to that, Johnson worked for the City of Akron.
At the time of the 2025 incident, Johnson was one of two daytime facility services supervisors, with access to all of the school district’s buildings, classrooms and offices. He reported to Debra Foulk, executive director of business affairs.
Johnson was responsible for overseeing the daytime custodial staff who worked in half of the district’s buildings. He was not assigned to the administration building at 10 N. Main St. at the time of the incident, yet Foulk reportedly felt he was “spending too much of his time there,” according to the referee’s report.
On Nov. 4, 2025, Johnson entered the administration building at 9:41 p.m. — well after his standard work shift of 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. He then used his badge to take the elevator to the fifth floor and spent about 20 minutes in a conference room before entering Foulk’s office.
Nighttime custodial workers spotted Johnson in Foulk’s office “rummaging” through papers on her desk. He reportedly told the staff he was looking for his folder and lost keys.
Johnson had been in administrative buildings for meetings earlier that day but was not in Foulk’s office or the conference room he entered, according to the report. Also,video footage showed Johnson left the building with papers that he did not enter the building with.
The next morning, Foulk reported there were typed meeting minutes missing from her desk.
During the investigation, Johnson explained his reason for entering the building was that he had lost his keys and was “retracing his steps.”
According to the report, he had entered the administration building after hours at least twice before. Both of those times, he claimed he was looking for his keys.
In his statement to Signal Akron, Johnson said the referee “chose to disregard the district’s own independent investigation” which he alleged confirmed a hostile environment and the discrimination he was subject to during his tenure.
“Instead of addressing these systemic failures, the extended timeline allowed Akron Public Schools leadership ample time to rehearse and fabricate testimony that now stands uncorrected on the record.”
Delay in returning Akron schools property
After a meeting with district officials on Nov. 7, Johnson was placed on administrative leave and told to turn in his badge, keys and any other school property.
He reportedly refused to sign the notice placing him on leave and did not turn over his badge or all of the keys he had.
He was again told to return district property on Dec. 17 and did not do so. He only returned items to district spokesperson Stacey Hodoh on Dec. 19 when the pair met near the administration building at North Main.
Hodoh returned those keys to district security.
Johnson disputed allegations to Akron Board of Education
In a Nov. 7, 2025, email to Akron school board members, Johnson disputed the allegations against him and called it “disheartening” that he faced escalated disciplinary action after cooperating with the investigation.
Johnson stated his reason for being in 10 N. Main St. after hours was because he realized he lost his house keys on district property after work — including coming in early that day to ensure school facilities were ready for Election Day.
He stated his entry into the administration building was mischaracterized by the investigation as he was designated for around-the-clock entry into Akron Public School buildings in case of emergencies or staff support.
“If I was up to ‘no good,’ I would not have used my badge to swipe into the building,” he wrote to school board members.
Johnson felt his placement on administrative leave was part of a pattern of retaliation related to violations he reported to human resources, including a claim of sexual assault against one of the men who worked in the Grounds Department in August 2025.
Johnson’s email also alleged that he repeatedly raised issues with the district’s inability to pass fire inspections, including violations such as blocked exits and cluttered boiler rooms.
The Akron Beacon Journal reported that only one school in the district passed its initial fire inspection in 2025 and that the district as a whole had more than 200 violations across 44 buildings.
“I have reported these severe and compounding issues to multiple high-ranking officials …. Yet the issues persist,” Johnson wrote. “And my personal consequences continue to mount.”
“I am not asking for special treatment, but for the fairness and due process that any employee deserves,” he also wrote.
Report: Johnson ‘proved that he could not be trusted’
In January, the Akron Board of Education passed a resolution to consider terminating Johnson’s contract — suspending him without pay in the interim.
Johnson took the unusual step of demanding a public disciplinary hearing before an appointed referee. Ohio Revised Code allows for a school board or a terminated employee to demand the quasi-judicial hearing.
That hearing spanned several days in February and March. Johnson did not testify in his defense.
In his report, referee William Dowling stated Johnson could have justified his actions but “chose to say nothing, relying instead on self-serving written statements he prepared after the Board’s investigation began.”
Dowling sided with the district and the evidence it presented.
“Johnson was employed in a position of great trust and he proved that he could not be trusted,” he wrote.
On Wednesday, school board president Barbara Sykes said it is important the district follow its policies and procedures in disciplinary cases.
“Employees have a right and we want to make sure that all of his rights were acknowledged and respected – we’ve done that,” Sykes said, adding the school board will continue to update and review policies to ensure that students, staff and vendors are treated “as fairly and equally as possible.”
Johnson can appeal his termination in court.
“This is not the final word,” Johnson stated to Signal Akron on Wednesday. “Having now cleared federal regulatory hurdles through the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to proceed with direct civil action, I am currently reviewing the matter with my attorney to determine all available legal remedies to challenge this decision.”
“Beyond my personal fight, I am committed to exposing a long-standing, systemic pattern where individuals who dare to challenge corporate and institutional mistreatment are systematically silenced — and institutional weaponization that historically and disproportionately targets people of color, specifically Black women and men.”
