Runner’s dad: infection killed son at meet
By LEONARD GLENN CRISTBELOIT - The father of the West Branch runner who unexpectedly died in April after completing a relay race thanked the West Branch Board of Education Friday for their support following the tragedy.
Roy Johnson said he wanted to thank the school district, teachers, students and "everybody who gave their heart and soul to us."
Ryan Johnson, 17, collapsed April 15 at West Branch's Clinton Heacock Stadium and never regained consciousness.
Roy Johnson said he recently received the Stark County coroner's report on Ryan's death, which revealed a symptom-less viral infection Ryan contracted a few months prior settled in his heart, causing the death.
Roy Johnson told the board that the school helped raise Ryan to the man he was.
Superintendent Scott Weingart said the Johnson family has been very inspirational. Weingart said Roy Johnson was in the office almost every day in the days after Ryan's death.
"I can't tell you, friend to friend, how much I appreciate that," Weingart said.
Also at the meeting, Treasurer Karen Elsner said school lunches will not be raised during the upcoming year. She credited an efficient and wise cafeteria staff for the cafeteria's fiscal stability. The cafeteria earned a profit of nearly $70,000 last school year.
The board also approved a change to its student handbook, banning facial, tongue or other visible piercings, other than standard ear piercing. Ear gauges are also prohibited.
Leonard Glenn Crist can be reached at lcrist@salemnews.net
