Four lawsuits against Fresno Unified allege a pattern of nepotism, incompetence, discrimination, and retaliation within the district’s safety and health division that included a cousin of Fresno Unified’s new superintendent, Misty Her.

Text messages acquired for one of the lawsuits show that when Her was deputy superintendent, she encouraged her cousin, Xai “Liz” Torres, to apply to be executive director of health services despite Torres having a nursing credential for less than three years, the lawsuit states.

“Misty just called me and asked why I didn’t put in for the director position,” a 2021 text message from Torres reads.

A year after Torres got her job, a different lawsuit alleges she failed to properly conduct an investigation into a friend and fellow nurse who mishandled a student’s asthma attack, resulting in that student’s death in 2022.

Torres, now on paid administrative leave, would not be disciplined until two years later, after another school nurse sued the district for punishing him for blowing the whistle on the student’s death.

Other veteran nurses say in their lawsuit that Torres passed them over for promotions and frequently referred to them as the “older nurses.”

A Fresno Unified spokesperson said they would not comment on ongoing or potential litigation.

Top Level Administrator Reassigned Twice

Her made the recommendation to Torres only a few months after becoming deputy superintendent in July 2021. As deputy superintendent, her job included interviewing and selecting “highly qualified employees.”

Before becoming executive director, Torres was made interim manager.

Plaintiffs’ attorney Howard Sagaser said Torres did not interview for that interim position. He said Amy Idsvoog, executive officer of First Response, Safety, and Health, selected her upon a recommendation from her husband, Paul Idsvoog, the district’s chief operating officer.

When Torres became executive director — the job Her encouraged Torres to apply for — she was interviewed by a panel. Sagaser said it’s not known who was on that panel or who else applied for the job.

Torres wouldn’t be the only example of possible top-level nepotism relative to the case of the student’s death.

Related Story: After Fresno Unified Student Dies, District Punishes Whistleblower: Lawsuit

Idsvoog oversaw school nurses and security guards, despite her previous job experience being limited to hotel sales, according to her LinkedIn profile.

Before taking on the health and safety position, Idsvoog served as the district’s communications director.

GV Wire obtained a draft lawsuit that attorney Matthew Harrison said he will be filing Tuesday on behalf of his client, Walter Gunn, who was the district’s former executive director of safety and security.

“Ms. Idsvoog does not have professional experience or expertise in security operations,” the draft lawsuit states. “Based on information and belief, Ms. Idsvoog was placed in her position (heading health and safety) after being removed from her prior position.”

Group Texts Show Her’s Advice to Cousin

Idsvoog has again been reassigned, Fresno Unified confirmed.

She is now executive director of customer service — even though the district’s newly adopted guardrails specifically promise no lateral movement for staff who do not meet standards.

The reassignment came after the claim was filed against the district in connection with the student’s death. Fresno Unified said that wasn’t the reason for Idsvoog’s job shift.

Fresno Unified spokesperson Nikki Henry said the reassignment was due to a “small reorganization following the departure of our chief academic officer.”

“Following the CAO’s departure, knowing the increased focus needed on customer service based on our two goals this school year, the customer service team was moved to be housed under the human resources division and needed a leader to help grow its capacity as it took on a much higher significance under the goals,” Henry said in an email.

In a previous interview with GV Wire, Her said that the effective staff guardrail was created not to get rid of people but to help them build the capacity to be successful.

The draft lawsuit against the district alleges that Idsvoog retaliated against Gunn for trying to break up “an insider group within the district — comprised of lifelong employees of the district, largely with personal and family ties to others.”

Lawsuits Begin with Age Discrimination Suit

The flurry of litigation began in 2024 when a group of veteran school nurses sued the district for age discrimination. Torres had denied promotions for three veteran nurses, choosing younger nurses with less experience for managerial and educational positions, that lawsuit alleges.

Torres “did not like the older nurses, as they always ask for extra pay when they are asked to do extra work, and that they are afraid of COVID,” according to that lawsuit.

Nurses Joni Kolb, Janell Beamon, and Heidi Sagaser all have decades of experience with the district as nurses, and each of them are nurse practitioners.

Kolb had been with the district for 15 years, and other nurses frequently sought her advice given her experience. She also helped train many other nurses. But in December 2022 Torres denied her application for a new nurse manager position.

Torres also disbanded a longtime advisory nurse panel, replacing it with a professional learning committee. Torres selected neither Kolb, Beamon, nor Sagaser, opting instead for younger nurses with less experience. The position included additional pay.

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The text message chain in one suit shows a group of school nurses, including Torres, collaborating to get older nurses punished.

“Ok guys In the next 45 days, if Janell has any other complaint of bullying, creating a hostile work environment, being racist, or incompetent she’s going to be fired. Make sure you file a formal complaint on her if she does any of the above,” one school nurse says in the group chat with Torres.

Nurses also encourage one another to vote out “old people” from the Fresno Teachers Association.

“Come on guys! I need your votes for FTA! We can’t let those old people win!” that nurse says.

Another School Nurse Alleges Age Discrimination

Another school nurse, Lisa VanRyn, sued earlier this month for wrongful termination, alleging similar behavior from management.

Though she was a newer employee with the district, VanRyn was also a nurse practitioner and had 12 years of experience as a nurse with Clovis Community Medical Center.

VanRyn complained about how the licensed vocational nurse at her office was frequently late, stole from the supply cabinet, and used profanity in front of students. But instead of disciplining the LVN, the district punished VanRyn.

VanRyn alleges she did not get support from her principal when she asked her not to use her medical office as a space for students being disciplined. Her lawsuit also points out how her office did not comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

VanRyn was eventually fired.

Attorneys say it matches the pattern at Fresno Unified that the other veteran nurses reported.

“Recognizing VanRyn’s potential as either a witness or a co-plaintiff in the Kolb age discrimination lawsuit, defendant FUSD terminated VanRyn to prevent her from further associating with any of the Kolb plaintiffs,” the lawsuit states. “VanRyn also believes that the manner in which she was terminated was designed by defendant to intimidate plaintiffs in the Kolb age discrimination lawsuit.”

Fresno Unified Not Consistent with Its Disciplinary Actions

Lawsuits say Fresno Unified has not been consistent when it disciplines its employees.

When one LVN feared she was having a stroke in January 2024, she asked an “older” nurse to take her blood pressure because she felt ill. That nurse, Tanya Desmond, noticed it was high, the VanRyn lawsuit states. But not seeing any other stroke-related symptoms, Desmond did not think it was a stroke.

The LVN then left and contacted members of health services management about feeling ill. One manager then told Desmond to check up on her. Desmond found the LVN in the parking lot talking on the phone coherently.

Desmond asked if she should call an ambulance and the LVN said she would call for one, the lawsuit states.

It is unclear whether the LVN did suffer a stroke, but both managers wrote Desmond a letter of reprimand and put her on paid leave. Notes from the investigation were destroyed.

The VanRyn lawsuit reports that Desmond later signed onto the complaint that included Sagaser, Kolb, and Beamon.

VanRyn Suit Against Fresno Unified

The district’s disciplining of VanRyn is in contrast to an event in 2022 where a school nurse and alleged friend of Torres tended to an asthmatic student. After the student used her inhaler six times, she still could not breathe and could not walk. But instead of calling for an ambulance, as the district’s asthma policy dictates, that nurse called the child’s parents.

That child then went into a coma and died a few days later.

Torres was tasked with an investigation, but that investigation did not include interviews with the parents or an interpreter. No reprimand was issued. The only reprimand came two years later against school nurse Lawrence White-Zarate, who informed his superiors about the incident. White-Zarate had learned about the incident after the student’s brother came to him needing psychological help.

White-Zarate received an unsigned letter of reprimand from the district. The next day VanRyn was fired.

“(Fresno Unified) looked to cauterize risks to its legal defenses against claims of age discrimination once White-Zarate pointed out that the asthmatic student’s concealed death and Tanya Desmond’s reporting to the (Bureau of Registered Nursing) demonstrated a disparity in treatment among nurses,” the lawsuit states.

Newest Lawsuit Alleges Same Insider Groups as Nurses

Cliques and retaliation aren’t unique to school nurses, a draft lawsuit alleges.

In 2023, the district hired Gunn to oversee security across the district. Gunn, with 20 years of experience in the military and law enforcement, came to the district with glowing recommendations, according to his draft lawsuit.

It did not take long for him to find an insider group of lifelong employees who protected each other as they perpetuated “unfair and hostile treatment of those district employees outside the group who are deemed a threat to their actions,” the draft lawsuit states.

Many in that group committed unsafe and unlawful actions, including discrimination, it states.

Gunn also reported a $1.3 million shortfall in the district budget, it says.

Many of those within the group were associates of Idsvoog.

“(Gunn) immediately raised his concerns and findings to Ms. Idsvoog,” the draft lawsuit states. “However, instead of addressing those concerns, Ms. Idsvoog and her partners in management took further steps to undermine (Gunn’s) authority, impugn his character, and protect the insider group.”

Gunn requested to work under another manager as Idsvoog triggered post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms related to his military service. Though staff told Gunn that the district has provided changes in supervisors for others, the district would not allow him to work under another supervisor.

“(Gunn) quickly discovered that those who express opposition to its (the district’s) interests and objectives are subject to harassment, retaliation, and unfair treatment by others within the district,” it states.

Gunn resigned in September 2024.

Gunn’s Draft Lawsuit Against Fresno Unified