Teachers Union Demands School Board Trustee Resign Over Withdrawn Racial Slur Claim

Fresno Unified School District Trustee Keshia Thomas is facing calls to resign after withdrawing her defense that she told the truth when she publicly accused a former football coach of using a racial slur against her son.

The Fresno Teachers Association issued a statement saying the community can no longer trust Thomas in her role with the district. The union also urged the Board of Education to disclose what the district knew about the defamation lawsuit and how much defending it has cost taxpayers.

Thomas made the accusation in 2022 on a GV Wire podcast, claiming former Bullard High School Head Football Coach Don Arax called her son the N-word. Arax sued for defamation. Last week, Thomas withdrew her defense that her comments were truthful.

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Thomas issued a public apology to Arax on Monday, saying she acted on information she believed at the time but has since learned was not accurate. She also rejected the union’s call to resign, calling the demand “irresponsible and distracting” and saying she was elected by the people of her community.

A sworn declaration filed in court last month said Thomas’ son never told her Arax used a racial slur against him. The son later reversed that position in a new statement, saying he did tell his mother and that he lied in the earlier declaration.

Fresno Unified had been covering Thomas’ legal expenses but said it will reconsider whether it will continue doing so in light of new information. The district said it has not indemnified Thomas, meaning it will not pay potential damages if she is found liable. The district’s legal costs have exceeded $350,000, according to one source.

“This is bigger than one legal defense or one court filing,” FTA President Manuel Bonilla said. “A trustee made a serious public accusation about a district employee. Four years later, the factual foundation of that accusation is being challenged, conflicting accounts have emerged, and Trustee Thomas has abandoned the defense that her statements were true. The question now is whether the community can still trust her judgment. We do not believe it can.”

The case is scheduled for mediation on August 31. If no settlement is reached, it could go to trial in December. Arax claimed more than $10,000 in damages when he filed the suit.

The Breakdown

• Trustee Keshia Thomas accused former coach Don Arax of using a racial slur against her son in a 2022 podcast appearance.
• Arax sued for defamation. Thomas defended herself for years by claiming her statements were true.
• Last week, Thomas withdrew that truth defense. Her son signed conflicting sworn statements — one saying he never told his mother the incident happened, another saying he did.
• The Fresno Teachers Association called for Thomas to resign, saying public trust is gone.
• Fresno Unified has spent more than $350,000 on Thomas’ legal defense but has not agreed to cover damages if she loses.
• The district said it will reconsider whether to continue covering her legal fees.

What This Means for You

Keshia Thomas represents the Edison region on the Fresno Unified School District Board of Trustees. The teachers union that represents district employees is now saying she can no longer be trusted in that role.

Thomas is running for Fresno City Council’s District 3 seat.

The Fresno Unified Board will decide whether to continue paying her legal bills. That decision will determine whether more public money goes toward defending a trustee who has now apologized for making a false public accusation.

What to Watch

The district said it has not indemnified Thomas, meaning it will not pay damages if she loses the case. But it has already spent more than $350,000 on her legal defense — public money that went toward defending statements she has now apologized for and called inaccurate.

The district’s statement says it “had no reason to question her account” when it agreed to cover her fees. That raises the question: when did the district learn her account was in question, and why did the spending continue after that?

The union is asking the board to disclose what it knew and when. The answer will tell you whether the board exercised reasonable judgment in committing public funds to this defense, or whether it kept paying long after it had reason to stop.

Mediation is scheduled for August 31. If that fails, the case goes to trial in December. Arax claimed more than $10,000 in damages, but the final amount — if he wins — will be determined at trial.