Jason Johnson has been named the new principal of Orange High School by the Orange County Board of Education.
Johnson formerly served as principal of Gravelly Hill Middle School from 2006-11 and as an assistant principal at A. L. Stanback Middle School from 2001-04. Recently, he has been working with the N.C. Department of Public Instruction as a school transformation coach, where he worked with school principals across the state to improve student achievement and learning environments, according to a news release.
Johnson will replace Armond Hankins, who was recently demoted to an assistant principal positon in an as yet unnamed school. Hankins has said he does not accept his demotion but declined to comment on the reasons the district gave for removing him.
A group of parents and others have signed an on online petition supporting Hankins and suggesting race was a factor in his demotion, after the departure of other black administrators in recent years. The school board has said race was not a factor in the decision.
