Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Central High Teacher On Leave as Police Investigate Social Media Allegations
NANCY WEBSITE HEADSHOT 1
By Nancy Price, Multimedia Journalist
Published 5 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

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

These Fresno First-Graders Are Topping Their Peers in Reading

DON'T MISS

Fresno Burial Ceremony to Honor Five Abandoned Babies Set for Saturday

DON'T MISS

Visalia Man Arrested for Soliciting Sex From Minor in Kingsburg

DON'T MISS

Camalah Saleh Cruises to Win in Stormy Fresno State Student Elections

DON'T MISS

Trump Goes Golfing While Stock Market Chunks

DON'T MISS

Brandon Vang Wins Fresno City Council Special Election Outright

DON'T MISS

Trump Says He’s Giving TikTok Another 75 Days to Find a US Buyer

DON'T MISS

Tulare County Man Arrested After Firing at Deputies During Eviction Attempt

DON'T MISS

If ex-Bitwise CEOs Behave in Prison, How Much Less Time Will They Serve?

DON'T MISS

Trump Just Bet the Farm

UP NEXT

Camalah Saleh Cruises to Win in Stormy Fresno State Student Elections

UP NEXT

The NBA’s Playoff Chase Enters Its Final Days. Here’s a Look at What’s Happening

UP NEXT

USC’s JuJu Watkins Named AP Player of the Year After Historic Sophomore Season

UP NEXT

Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman Lands on Injured List Following Fall in His Shower at Home

UP NEXT

How Trump’s Latest Tariffs Could Affect Your Wallet

UP NEXT

Curry Scores 37 Points and Warriors Beat Lakers in a Potential First-Round Playoff Preview

UP NEXT

Measles Spreads to Central Texas; 5 States Have Active Outbreaks

UP NEXT

Startup Offers Controversial Microplastic Blood Cleansing Treatment

UP NEXT

Pence Will Receive the Profile in Courage Award From the JFK Library for His Actions on Jan. 6

UP NEXT

Politics Turns Ugly for a Conservative Running for Fresno State Student Body President

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

Camalah Saleh Cruises to Win in Stormy Fresno State Student Elections

3 hours ago

Trump Goes Golfing While Stock Market Chunks

3 hours ago

Brandon Vang Wins Fresno City Council Special Election Outright

3 hours ago

Trump Says He’s Giving TikTok Another 75 Days to Find a US Buyer

4 hours ago

Tulare County Man Arrested After Firing at Deputies During Eviction Attempt

4 hours ago

If ex-Bitwise CEOs Behave in Prison, How Much Less Time Will They Serve?

5 hours ago

Trump Just Bet the Farm

5 hours ago

Staged Crashes and Insurance Fraud: Is Your California Commute a Target?

5 hours ago

Fight Over Phonics: Will CA Require the ‘Science of Reading’ in K-12 Schools?

5 hours ago

Russia Says Trump’s Threats Against Iran Could Trigger ‘Global Catastrophe’

6 hours ago

These Fresno First-Graders Are Topping Their Peers in Reading

Fresno Unified School District has been on the hunt for ways to help bootstrap its youngest students struggling with reading and phonics, an...

49 minutes ago

49 minutes ago

These Fresno First-Graders Are Topping Their Peers in Reading

A public burial ceremony will be held Saturday, April 5, 2025, in Fresno to honor five abandoned infants, organized by Garden of Innocence – Fresno County. (Garden of Innocence)
55 minutes ago

Fresno Burial Ceremony to Honor Five Abandoned Babies Set for Saturday

Uriel Alcala Rios, 25, was arrested for soliciting sex from a 14-year-old girl on Thursday, March 27, 2025. (Kingsburg PD)
1 hour ago

Visalia Man Arrested for Soliciting Sex From Minor in Kingsburg

3 hours ago

Camalah Saleh Cruises to Win in Stormy Fresno State Student Elections

President Donald Trump waves as he arrives at the Trump International Golf Club, Friday, April 4, 2025, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP/Alex Brandon)
3 hours ago

Trump Goes Golfing While Stock Market Chunks

3 hours ago

Brandon Vang Wins Fresno City Council Special Election Outright

4 hours ago

Trump Says He’s Giving TikTok Another 75 Days to Find a US Buyer

Kenneth Bratton, 43, was arrested after allegedly firing at Tulare County Sheriff’s deputies during an eviction attempt in Porterville. (Tulare County SO)
4 hours ago

Tulare County Man Arrested After Firing at Deputies During Eviction Attempt

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

Search

Send this to a friend