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

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

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

DON'T MISS

World’s Largest Almond Processor Will Shutter Sacramento Plant. 600 Workers Impacted

DON'T MISS

Trump Eyes Major Funding Cuts for California, Including All Public Universities

DON'T MISS

Farming Regulation Costs Rise 1,300% Since 2006: Cal Poly

DON'T MISS

Southern California Air Regulators Weigh a Plan to Phase Out Gas Furnaces and Water Heaters

DON'T MISS

US Supreme Court Allows DOGE Broad Access to Social Security Data

DON'T MISS

Doctors Were Preparing to Remove Their Organs. Then They Woke Up.

DON'T MISS

Abrego Garcia Is Returned to US From El Salvador

DON'T MISS

Proud Boys Convicted in Jan. 6 Attack Sue Government on Claims of ‘Political Persecution’

DON'T MISS

FDA’s AI Assistant ‘Elsa’ Fails Its First Day on the Job

DON'T MISS

Documentary Series Goes Inside Trump’s Bubble

UP NEXT

FDA’s AI Assistant ‘Elsa’ Fails Its First Day on the Job

UP NEXT

8 Ways Musk and Trump Could Inflict Pain on Each Other

UP NEXT

Fresno Unified Has Twice as Many Administrators, Lower Test Scores Than Its Peer District

UP NEXT

D-Day Veterans Return to Normandy to Mark 81st Anniversary of Landings

UP NEXT

Lambda Legal, a Nonprofit Supporting LGBTQ+ Rights, Exceeded Fundraising Goal by $105M

UP NEXT

Fresno State’s Ag College Is Growing. A New Corporate Sponsor Will Help Them

UP NEXT

Trump Threatens Musk’s Government Deals as Feud Explodes Over Tax-Cut Bill

UP NEXT

Fresno Unified Will Provide Free Summer Lunches for Youth

UP NEXT

Clovis Unified Families ‘Resigned’ To Grad Ceremony Ban, Attorney Says

UP NEXT

Fresno Unified’s Misty Her Says She Was Assaulted. Police Have No Reports

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

Trump EPA Moves to Roll Back Rules Projected to Save Billions of Dollars and Thousands of Lives

2 hours ago

Valley Foster Care Agencies Are Facing an Insurance Crisis and Possible Closure

2 hours ago

World’s Largest Almond Processor Will Shutter Sacramento Plant. 600 Workers Impacted

16 hours ago

Trump Eyes Major Funding Cuts for California, Including All Public Universities

17 hours ago

Farming Regulation Costs Rise 1,300% Since 2006: Cal Poly

17 hours ago

Southern California Air Regulators Weigh a Plan to Phase Out Gas Furnaces and Water Heaters

18 hours ago

US Supreme Court Allows DOGE Broad Access to Social Security Data

18 hours ago

Doctors Were Preparing to Remove Their Organs. Then They Woke Up.

18 hours ago

Abrego Garcia Is Returned to US From El Salvador

18 hours ago

Proud Boys Convicted in Jan. 6 Attack Sue Government on Claims of ‘Political Persecution’

19 hours ago

Giants Beat the Slumping Braves in 10 Innings on a Wild Pitch

SAN FRANCISCO — Tyler Fitzgerald scored on a wild pitch by Pierce Johnson with two outs in the 10th inning and the San Francisco Giants beat...

10 minutes ago

10 minutes ago

Giants Beat the Slumping Braves in 10 Innings on a Wild Pitch

3 hours ago

Trans Troops, Facing a Deadline, Opt to Stay and Fight the Ban

3 hours ago

Can This 14-Year-Old Football Star Become a High School Millionaire?

3 hours ago

Trump EPA Moves to Roll Back Rules Projected to Save Billions of Dollars and Thousands of Lives

3 hours ago

Valley Foster Care Agencies Are Facing an Insurance Crisis and Possible Closure

16 hours ago

World’s Largest Almond Processor Will Shutter Sacramento Plant. 600 Workers Impacted

18 hours ago

Trump Eyes Major Funding Cuts for California, Including All Public Universities

18 hours ago

Farming Regulation Costs Rise 1,300% Since 2006: Cal Poly

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

Search

Send this to a friend