Published
3 years agoon
A woman identified as an agriculture science teacher at Tranquillity High School in western Fresno County made racist comments about Black people and the Black Lives Matter movement in a conversation that sparked outrage after it was publicly posted on Facebook.
“Tired of Black this black that … why dont (sic) they stop acting like asses and working like responsible citizens and maybe they will be respected like everyone else. I’m tired of hearing about black lives matters … I’ve over it,” Shannon Ables-Flack wrote.
Ables-Flack could not be reached for comment Thursday morning.
Adrian Vibe Harris, who hosted the Fresno Juneteenth Rally, called for the district to take action against Ables-Flack.
“Seems we have another racist Teacher in Central Valley at Tranquillity High School Please do something about this employee! She is full of hate and I pray she does not get the privilege to teach black students! Or any student for that matter. She clearly states she does not think any black people work and does not have any respect for them! As an educator she needs to have some compassion on what’s going on in this world!!!” Harris wrote in a Facebook post.
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Andre Pecina, assistant superintendent for Golden Plains Unified School District, said the district was aware of comments by a Golden Plains employee on her personal Facebook account.
The comments “do not represent the views and mission of Golden Plains Unified School District,” he said.
Pecina said he could not discuss the matter further or confirm whether Ables-Flack is still employed by the district. As to whether it’s under investigation, Pecina said the district is following its regular protocols.
Ables-Flack previously worked for Central Unified School District, spokeswoman Sonja Dosti confirmed Thursday morning.
The incident is the latest involving a Fresno-area school official or student involving hate speech posted to the internet or a racially insensitive incident.
Two school board officials — Central Unified trustee Richard Atkins and Madera County School Board president Sara Wilkins — resigned their elected positions days after their racially-charged posts on Facebook became public.
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Nancy Price is a multimedia journalist for GV Wire. A longtime reporter and editor who has worked for newspapers in California, Florida, Alaska, Illinois and Kansas, Nancy joined GV Wire in July 2019. She previously worked as an assistant metro editor for 13 years at The Fresno Bee. Nancy earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in journalism at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. Her hobbies include singing with the Fresno Master Chorale and volunteering with Fresno Filmworks. You can reach Nancy at 559-492-4087 or Send an Email
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