Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Central High Teacher On Leave as Police Investigate Social Media Allegations
gvw_nancy_price
By Nancy Price, Multimedia Journalist
Published 4 years ago on
July 28, 2020

Share

A Central High School teacher is on paid administrative leave after allegations arose on social media that he targeted female students for inappropriate sexual conversations and suggestions.

Central and Clovis unified school district spokeswomen say the districts are cooperating with law enforcement officials who are investigating the allegations made against teacher Lou Standifer.

Attempts by GV Wire℠ to reach Standifer have been unsuccessful.

“Student safety is a top priority for the district and as such, we are fully cooperating with law enforcement and will continue to do so throughout the course of its investigation,” said Central Unified spokeswoman Sonja Dosti, who confirmed that Standifer was put on administrative leave.

Former Clovis Unified Teacher

Standifer was employed by Clovis Unified from 2008 to 2016 as a full-time teacher and then as an occasional substitute until 2018, district spokeswoman Kelly Avants said.

“We, too, saw the posts surface on social media and have already begun to partner with law enforcement to assist fully their investigation into the allegations in those social media posts,” she said.

Fresno Police Sgt. Daniel Macias said a patrol officer took a report last week of allegations made against Standifer, and the report is under investigation by a Sexual Assault Unit detective.

Macias said that other potential victims are encouraged to come forward so their claims also can be investigated. He said they can call him at (559) 621-2492 or the unit at (559) 621-2447.

Not Staying Silent

A Twitter user with the moniker handle Lysarian Creations has posted a number of tweets urging girls or women who feel they were victimized by Standifer to speak out.

The poster said he is a 33-year-old photographer and artist who was once hired by Standifer to shoot a celebration of life event, and who became friends with several young women who later shared their stories about Standifer with him. He said he decided to make the allegations public “because I hate bullies and it’s the right thing to do.”

Tweets about Standifer include allegations in a text message directed to Standifer from one mother that he took her 17-year-old daughter to San Francisco. On that trip, the mother said, Standifer asked her daughter what kind of porn she liked, talked about a female who never had an orgasm, asked if she knew how to “take care” of herself, offered her his prescription medications, and reminded her she was no longer his student.

In a separate tweeted image, the young woman said the incident happened in 2015, but she hadn’t spoken out about it until recently.

“But now that I know he is a teacher at Central High I feel the need to share what happened to me so no other children get put in this same position or worse,” she wrote. “I was 17. He was friends with my dad. I looked up to him. This is never okay.”

Downtown Fresno Photo Shoot

In another tweet, a young woman said she was five months past her 18th birthday when Standifer drove her to downtown Fresno for a photoshoot. She said he tried to “help” her as she changed outfits in the car and told her she didn’t need to wear underwear because “a girl your age should have fun being risky.”

She said she blocked his subsequent attempts to contact her.

According to a Central Unified agenda report, Standifer was one of three chaperones on a three-day field trip to Monterey for the Black Students of California United annual conference in March 2019.

DON'T MISS

UConn Coach Geno Auriemma Breaks NCAA Wins Record With 1,217th Victory

DON'T MISS

Fresno Doctors Will Pay $2.4 Million to Settle Kickback Allegations, DOJ Says

DON'T MISS

Warriors Guard De’Anthony Melton to Undergo Season-Ending Knee Surgery

DON'T MISS

Massive Ground Beef Recall Affects Restaurants Nationwide, USDA Warns

DON'T MISS

Chris Stapleton Wins 4 CMA Awards, but Morgan Wallen Is Entertainer of the Year

DON'T MISS

These Fresno Schools Are Unsafe and in Bad Condition. And No One Is Complaining

DON'T MISS

Putin Says Russia Has Tested a New Intermediate Range Missile in a Strike on Ukraine

DON'T MISS

SEC Chair Gary Gensler, Who Led US Crackdown on Cryptocurrencies, to Step Down

DON'T MISS

Is Fresno Mobile Home Park Controversy Over? Tenants Applaud Federal Judge’s Ruling

DON'T MISS

Wiggins, Curry Power Warriors to Dominant Win Over Hawks

UP NEXT

What Will Happen to CNBC and MSNBC When They No Longer Have a Corporate Connection to NBC News?

UP NEXT

Classes for Cannabis? UC Merced Extension Launching Weed Workforce Training

UP NEXT

Who Are Fresno State’s ‘Heroes’ in Health and Human Services Services?

UP NEXT

Reedley College Celebrates Opening of Gleaming New Performing Arts Center

UP NEXT

Volunteers Came Back to Nonprofits in 2023, After the Pandemic Tanked Participation

UP NEXT

New Study: Proposed Trump Tariffs Could Cost US Consumers $78 Billion a Year

UP NEXT

Riders Stuck in Midair for Over 2 Hours on Knott’s Berry Farm Ride

UP NEXT

Measures A and Q Still Winning. Clovis Unified Trustee Candidate Extends Lead.

UP NEXT

Shouting Racial Slurs, Neo-Nazi Marchers Shock Ohio’s Capital

UP NEXT

More Logging Is Proposed to Help Curb Wildfires in the US Pacific Northwest

Nancy Price,
Multimedia Journalist
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

Massive Ground Beef Recall Affects Restaurants Nationwide, USDA Warns

19 minutes ago

Chris Stapleton Wins 4 CMA Awards, but Morgan Wallen Is Entertainer of the Year

21 minutes ago

These Fresno Schools Are Unsafe and in Bad Condition. And No One Is Complaining

27 minutes ago

Putin Says Russia Has Tested a New Intermediate Range Missile in a Strike on Ukraine

33 minutes ago

SEC Chair Gary Gensler, Who Led US Crackdown on Cryptocurrencies, to Step Down

52 minutes ago

Is Fresno Mobile Home Park Controversy Over? Tenants Applaud Federal Judge’s Ruling

1 hour ago

Wiggins, Curry Power Warriors to Dominant Win Over Hawks

1 hour ago

Sale and Skubal Claim Cy Young Awards After Historic Pitching Triple Crown Seasons

2 hours ago

What Will Happen to CNBC and MSNBC When They No Longer Have a Corporate Connection to NBC News?

2 hours ago

Bulldogs Stack Double-Doubles Like Burgers on a Plate to Beat Prairie View

2 hours ago

UConn Coach Geno Auriemma Breaks NCAA Wins Record With 1,217th Victory

STORRS — Geno Auriemma soaked in the moment. UConn’s Hall of Fame coach now stands alone atop the NCAA basketball wins list. Auriemma ...

16 seconds ago

16 seconds ago

UConn Coach Geno Auriemma Breaks NCAA Wins Record With 1,217th Victory

7 minutes ago

Fresno Doctors Will Pay $2.4 Million to Settle Kickback Allegations, DOJ Says

15 minutes ago

Warriors Guard De’Anthony Melton to Undergo Season-Ending Knee Surgery

19 minutes ago

Massive Ground Beef Recall Affects Restaurants Nationwide, USDA Warns

21 minutes ago

Chris Stapleton Wins 4 CMA Awards, but Morgan Wallen Is Entertainer of the Year

27 minutes ago

These Fresno Schools Are Unsafe and in Bad Condition. And No One Is Complaining

33 minutes ago

Putin Says Russia Has Tested a New Intermediate Range Missile in a Strike on Ukraine

52 minutes ago

SEC Chair Gary Gensler, Who Led US Crackdown on Cryptocurrencies, to Step Down

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend