Central Unified School District trustees hope the second time will be the charm for a $120 million bond measure and voted 5-1 Tuesday night to put it on the Nov. 3 ballot. In the March primary election, Central Unified's Measure C just missed the 55% voter approval margin needed for...
Central High Teacher On Leave as Police Investigate Social Media Allegations
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...
Valley Children’s Head Doctor Warned of COVID-19 Risk in Reopening Schools
Valley Children's Healthcare chief medical officer Dr. David Christensen was blunt during a recent Zoom meeting with Fresno County school district officials and county health officials about reopening: Based on the current COVID-19 infection and hospitalization conditions, "now is not the time to risk it." Central Unified School District administrators...
Superintendent: New Boundaries, Year-Round Schools Possible if Clovis Unified Bond Measure Fails
Clovis Unified School District trustees voted Wednesday to put a $335 million bond measure on the November ballot, even as trustees and the district's superintendent acknowledged that asking for voters to approve a tax measure during a pandemic is less than ideal timing. But district officials concluded that with steadily...
Central Unified’s School Year Will Start with Online Instruction Only Due to COVID
Central Unified School District officials, with an eye on rapidly rising rates of coronavirus infection in the Fresno area, decided Tuesday night to provide online instruction only when school resumes in August. The decision to resume distance learning only was made after Central and other school district officials on late...
Central Unified Trustee Seat Will Stay Vacant Until Nov. Election
The Central Unified Area 4 seat formerly held by Richard Atkins, who resigned this week in response to public outcry over his Facebook post that urged U.S. critics to "go back to your country," will remain vacant until the November election. The elected candidate will serve out the remainder of...
Friday Deadline to Add Picking Atkins’ Successor to November Ballot
Richard Atkins submitted his written resignation from his Area 4 seat on the Central Unified School District board of trustees on Wednesday morning, Superintendent Andy Alvarado said. Atkins dated his resignation June 23, but it won't be official until it reaches the Fresno County Superintendent of Schools, Alvarado said. "Jim...
‘Go Back to Your Country’ Central Trustee Abruptly Resigns
Central Unified School District trustee Richard Atkins abruptly resigned his Area 4 seat Tuesday night in the midst of a special public meeting in which members of the public called for him to resign or be removed or recalled because of a controversial Facebook post. The board had just voted...
Madera County Schools Official on Facebook: ‘I’m Proud to Be White’
The president of the Madera County Board of Education apparently posted an image of the Confederate flag overlaid with a message proclaiming "I'm proud to be white" on her Facebook page, prompting criticism Tuesday from the county's superintendent of schools. The message continued with "I bet no one passes this...
Central Unified Trustee Apologizes for ‘Go Back’ to Your Country Facebook Post
Central Unified trustee Richard Atkins is apologizing for a controversial Facebook post that has sparked a petition drive calling for his resignation. Atkins declined Monday to discuss with GV Wire what prompted his post, which said, "If you don't Love the Country you live in, then go back to the...