Mansfield Middle School assistant principal on leave

Courtney McNaull
Mansfield News Journal

Editor's note: This story has been changed to clarify that Ronnie M. Brown has educator license applications pending with the Ohio Department of Education.

MANSFIELD - Mansfield Middle School's assistant principal, Ronnie M. Brown, is on paid leave as school officials investigate allegations of mistreatment of a student.

A News Journal investigation of the alleged mistreatment revealed Brown's principal's license expired before he was hired by Mansfield City Schools in July.

He did submit an application for renewal of his license, and the application has been pending since April. State law allows educators to continue working under a previous license if they have a pending application for renewal. 

Brown's personnel file contains a letter of reprimand from superintendent Brian Garverick for failure to disclose the status of his principal's license.

The expiration of Brown's license came after his previous school district reported misconduct by Brown to the state's Office of Professional Conduct.

Brown resigned from Columbus City Schools under threat of termination or non-renewal after he made multiple serious violations of district policies and procedures involving improper handling of cash, the report states. He also was accused of engaging in inappropriate conduct with a female subordinate, according to the report. 

Brown was hired by Mansfield City Schools on July 18 and was working as assistant principal at Mansfield Middle School until he was placed on paid leave effective 7 p.m. Nov. 1, according to district records. 

Brown's leave notice states, "There are allegations you mistreated a student," but does not elaborate on the alleged mistreatment. 

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Surveillance video, which was obtained by the News Journal through a public records request, shows Brown interacting with a male student at 7:35 a.m. Oct. 30 in the cafeteria. The video shows Brown talking with the student in what appears to be a calm manner for approximately one minute before the student stands up and attempts to walk away from Brown. At that point, Brown appears to place his hands on either the student or the student's backpack as the boy attempts to leave. As the boy tries to pull away, he appears to fall to the ground, then gets up quickly. Brown takes the student's backpack and holds it behind his back as he continues to attempt to speak with the student, who walks away. 

About a month prior to Brown's placement on paid administrative leave, on Oct. 2, he received a letter of written reprimand from the superintendent for failing to disclose the status of his professional license and other associated information. Brown's principal's license expired June 30, according to records from the Ohio Department of Education.

 ODE records show Brown applied for renewal of his principal's license on April 1. On May 2, Brown applied for a renewal of his K-8 elementary teaching license. On June 20, Brown applied for a new superintendent's license. All three applications are still pending.

In May, Columbus City Schools reported to the state that Brown, who was principal at Yorktown Middle School at the time, had resigned under threat of termination or non-renewal and that he had engaged in conduct unbecoming to the teaching profession. 

Ronnie Brown

According to the Columbus school district's report to the Ohio Department of Education Office of Professional Conduct, Brown took possession of cash from fundraising events and then failed to deposit them into student activity accounts. He also reportedly failed to keep documentation of the use of the cash and failed to secure cash and other district funds, causing financial loss to the district. 

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Additionally, the report states, Brown engaged in inappropriate behavior toward a female teacher who was his subordinate, and persisted in the conduct despite warning from his superiors. An investigation report from the Columbus district includes accounts from multiple staff members of a suspected ongoing relationship between Brown and the teacher. 

Both Brown and Mansfield City Schools assistant superintendent of human resources Mark Manley did not return phone calls for comment Friday. 

Manley did respond by emailing a statement attributed to superintendent Brian Garverick.

"In Mansfield City Schools, we believe in 'Every Student, Every Day.' We strive to be the best possible school district for our students and community," Garverick said in the statement. "What happened at Mansfield Middle School was an isolated incident. Following our procedural standards and duties as a school district, Mr. Brown has been placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation. We will communicate with families any further actions that may take place as appropriate."

Garverick and Manley did not respond to inquiries about why Brown was hired without a current professional license or whether the Mansfield district was aware of Brown’s record of misconduct at his previous district prior to his being hired at Mansfield. 

cmcnaull@gannett.com

419-521-7220

Twitter: @courtneymcnaull