Johnston Co. School Board votes to censure Ronald Johnson again as months-long controversy continues

The board voted 6-1 to censure board member Ronald Johnson. A copy of that censure, and a report on Johnson's conduct, will also be sent to the District Attorney's office. Johnson was the only 'no' vote.

Johnson has been embroiled in controversy for months. In August, he was accused of secretly recording board members on 10 different occasions. That same month, a school district employee also came forward, accusing Johnson of sending inappropriate texts about her in 2019.

The school board focused on those texts, and the independent report into Johnson's behavior on Thursday night.

The report says the school district employee came forward with screenshots of multiple texts between Johnson and former school board attorney Jimmy Lawrence.

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In those texts, Johnson told Lawrence that the school employee was "wearing the hell out of that dress" and that "I'm ready right now."

During Thursday's meeting, board members called Johnson's behavior "sickening" and "ridiculous."

"It’s sad. This is sad, that we’ve got board members talking about having a relationship with someone that’s out there in the audience," said board member Lyn Andrews.

Later, Andrews addressed Johnson directly.

"This is not a game that we’re playing around this horseshoe. This is children’s lives. This is the livelihood of employees. This is not a game, Mr. Johnson. But it is to you, Mr. Johnson, yes it was."

Other board members also condemned Johnson's actions.

"In this role, we are role models. We are role models for children. We are role models for employees," said Terri Sessoms. "This is not the kind of behavior that we want our children to grow up thinking is ok."

Johnson defended his actions, saying he and the school district employee hung out on a number of occasions and joked about the texts.

"I proactively sought out this individual. Apologized to this individual. We were friends then. We were friends for years, and I told her about this, and it became a running joke between us."

Thursday's censure is the latest attempt by the Johnston County School board to punish Johnson.

In August, the board also censured Johnson for secretly recording board meetings, including discussions about administration salaries. There's also a claim he used his status to try to change the school assignment of two special education students.