In June, more than 10 Fresno Unified teachers from Tehipite Middle School came forward with formal complaints against their principal, accusing her of drinking on the job, having sex with colleagues and subordinates, and favoring staff who enabled a party-like behavior at the school with more pay and contracts.

In addition, the complainants say the party-like behavior on campus and off campus encouraged by the principal permeated to decision-making affecting students’ education.

“Given the seriousness of these concerns and their impact on employees, students, and the overall school climate, we respectfully request that the district conduct a prompt, thorough, and impartial investigation,” stated one complaint among the documents obtained by GV Wire.

But despite lengthy, corroborating allegations from staff who say they witnessed this behavior firsthand, the district has kept principal Shannon West on administrative leave.

The district’s complaint form assures whistleblowers that investigations take 20 days and that after another 20 days, the superintendent, or a designee, would issue a decision that “shall be final.”

Fresno Teachers Association President Manuel Bonilla called the allegations “shocking and disgusting.” He confirmed to GV Wire that Superintendent Misty Her received the complaints on June 12 of this year.

“More than four months later, the investigation remains incomplete,” Bonilla told GV Wire. “District policy calls for investigations to be completed within 20 working days, yet we’re approaching 90 days. Given the seriousness of the allegations, the number of complaints, and the district’s resources, there’s no reasonable explanation for why this has taken so long.”

West did not respond to emails from GV Wire seeking her response to the allegations.

Fresno Unified Says Investigation Ongoing, but Patterns Exist

In a response to questions from GV Wire, a Fresno Unified spokesperson sent the following statement concerning West:

“The district takes all allegations of misconduct seriously and is committed to maintaining a safe, professional, and ethical environment for our students and staff. To protect the integrity of the investigative process and respect employee privacy rights under state law and labor agreements, the district cannot comment on specific personnel matters, active investigations, or the employment status of individual staff members.

“Administrative leave is a standard operating procedure during an inquiry; it is non-disciplinary and does not imply wrongdoing. The district enforces clear policies prohibiting on-duty alcohol consumption and any workplace conduct that violates professional standards. When allegations are substantiated through due process, the district takes prompt and appropriate action.”

The allegations against West follow a lawsuit filed earlier this month against a former human resources chief put on administrative leave for more than a year and allowed to resign after sexual harassment and stalking accusations made by a subordinate.

Earlier this year, the district also let their chief school nurse resign and collect nearly $100,000 in severance after putting her on administrative leave for more than a year. That nurse had failed to conduct a formal investigation into the actions of a fellow nurse in the death of a student in 2022. The State Board of Registered Nursing found “incompetence” and “unprofessional conduct” by district employees in the death.

In 2022, when trustee Keshia Thomas accused former Bullard football coach Don Arax of calling her son a racial slur, it came out in deposition that the district never investigated the truth of the claims. Arax was fired from his coaching position and is now suing the district and Thomas for defamation in a case set for jury trial in December.

“Unfortunately, this reflects a larger pattern of questionable conduct and a lack of accountability within district leadership. …” Bonilla said. “At what point do we stop treating these as isolated incidents and start questioning the leadership culture that allows these problems to continue?”

Allegation’s of West’s Drinking, Sexual Behavior

West began at the southeast Fresno middle school at the end of the 2023-24 school year. Tehipite has made news in the past for its endowment, Steve’s Scholars, from the Farber family. It also debuted a large esports arena and technology hub for district students in 2024.

Transparent California reports that in 2025, West earned $168,547 in base pay and $243,059 in total pay and benefits, including $16,963 in “other pay.”

It didn’t take long for staff to notice the culture they say West created. By the 2024-25 school year, complainants report that West regularly fraternized with fellow school leadership members,  taking them out for drinks at various clubs and bars.

Three teachers report that at the end-of-the-year leadership meeting, hosted at the Fairway Lounge, West not only encouraged drinking — buying alcohol and finger food — but made sexual conversation. She asked staff what they thought about other staff members’ sexual orientation, which one teacher said made many staff members “uncomfortable.”

She also initiated a game of “f—, marry, kill,” asking attendees about what school staff they would sleep with, marry, or kill.

She talked about her own sexual experiences and encouraged others to talk about theirs.

“I found the conversation unusual and uncomfortable because it involved personal sexual topics during a gathering that had been presented as the final (Instructional Leadership Team) meeting of the school year,” one whistleblower reported.

That whistleblower did not know if school funds went to buy the alcohol and food.

Details About Holiday Party

Disconcerting behavior went beyond inappropriate talk and after-work drinking, complaints allege. West told one whistleblower, who described themself as being in West’s “in group,” more than once about her sexual behavior.

At the end-of-the-year party in 2024, West told the teacher about leaving to have sex with another married principal at the district. The next year, after that teacher tried to distance themself from West, the principal told the teacher about a man having “f—– her so hard that she was incredibly sore.”

In the complaint, the teacher reported that West took the man on a campus tour, including through the teacher’s classroom. At the time, the teacher assumed the visitor was an education professional.

“This man had no business being on our school campus, let alone being walked through my classroom full of children,” the teacher reported.

Alleged Inappropriate Behavior with Staff, Drinking on the Job

Sex may have included staff members, according to the complaints.

“Sexual relationships involving current and former employees, administrators, and other district personnel that have significantly impacted workplace relationships and morale,” a complaint stated.

One teacher reported that at a conference in Sacramento, after touring several bars, West told the teacher the next day that she had slept with a subordinate who recently separated from their spouse.

That next year, at a lunch meeting with the teacher, West pulled out a Polaroid-style photograph of another staff member naked, a teacher alleged.

At that same 2024 party, another teacher reported seeing West put her hands on the shoulders of a new teacher. Other staff members also reported seeing West act intimately with the new teacher on other occasions during the school year. When the complainant talked to the teacher about it, he said he didn’t want to report anything because he was afraid of retaliation, being a non-tenured teacher.

Another instance of inappropriate talk on campus included West telling a female student and her mother to meet with a particular counselor because he was cute, a complainant stated.

West also faces allegations of drinking on the job. At a lunch meeting, a teacher reported that West “consumed what appeared to be two alcoholic beverages” before going to a training seminar at Tenaya Middle School.

A different complaint outlined West’s “consumption of alcohol during the duty day, followed by returns to school campuses and interactions with staff.”

Whistleblowers Talk About Favoritism

Teachers allege that West also created an “in group” of staff whom they say she rewarded with extra contracts. Several complainants detailed accusations about drinking and sexual behavior, but all wrote about extra benefits and perks for staff close to the principal.

Multiple teachers recounted stories of having assignments cut without clear reasons. Meanwhile, other teachers with less experience or with close personal relationships to West received significant supplemental pay of up to $15,000.

In one instance, a staff member received nearly $27,000 in supplemental and contract pay, despite “relatively short duration at the site,” a whistleblower wrote.

At the same time, one teacher reported being shorted for supplemental work. That teacher went an entire year without being notified about the pay cut.

When West came to Tehipite, two teachers reported that she hired several staff members without involving leadership in decisions.

One of those hires — believed to be a friend of West’s — received more than $6,000 in supplemental contracts on top of a coaching contract even though he did not have any scheduled classes.

Without extra responsibilities, the extra pay wasn’t justified, a teacher wrote in a complaint.

“On paper, it appears that a friend of West’s was given a job and has been awarded additional pay and freedom that no other staff are being given,” that teacher wrote.