Fresno Unified School District schools can't reopen safely by Aug. 17, the district's teachers union says, because of rising coronavirus infection rates in the county and the need to maintain health and safety guidelines set by local, state, and federal health and education officials. "It is abundantly clear that we...
Fresno Unified Parents Must Decide by July 31: Campus or Online?
If parents want their kids to attend Fresno Unified School District's online school for the new school year, they will need to opt in by July 31, Superintendent Bob Nelson said Thursday. Parents who don't reserve a seat for their kids for the eLearn Academy online school will presumably be choosing...
McLane’s New Pool Full of Promise, Empty of Swimmers for Now
The water shimmers invitingly over the 11 swimming lanes in the massive blue-tinged pool, which according to a nearby sign has a maximum occupancy of 434. But because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the brand-new pool at McLane High School in central Fresno has zero occupants. Except for the occasional nocturnal...
Football Players Back on the Field at Fresno-Area Schools, But No Tackling Yet
Football practices look considerably different at high schools in the Fresno area this summer as teams adapt to restrictions designed to help protect players from the coronavirus. For now, at least, there's no tackling, no ball-passing, and no contact between players. Coaches are throwing "air passes" — think "air guitar"—...
Pastors Accuse FUSD Trustee Slatic of Abusive, Racist Rant at Bagel Shop
Two Fresno pastors have lodged complaints with Fresno Unified School District that allege trustee Terry Slatic was belligerent, used profane language, and told one minister to "go back to the barrio" in a March meeting. The district said in a news release distributed late Friday on behalf of the school...
How Do FUSD Black Students Spell School Success? R-E-A-D-I-N-G
Branya Robinson, a soon-to-be fourth-grader at Storey Elementary, has been reading a history book that highlights the accomplishments of African American women. Most people know Josephine Baker as a wildly popular American dancer in Parisian nightclubs in the 1930s. Branya says there's more to Ms. Baker's life story: "I learned...
FUSD Employee Accused of Forcible Sex with a Minor
A longtime Fresno Unified School District employee was arrested Tuesday by Fresno police sexual assault unit detectives on multiple counts of forcible sex with a minor and oral copulation. Police said Terry McCoy, 43, confessed to the allegations. According to police, McCoy worked for the school district as a noontime...
Face Masks, One-Way Hallways Proposed in Fresno School Reopening Plan
Hallways would be marked with one-way signs, facial masks would be "strongly encouraged/required," and football player conditioning could begin as soon as Monday under a proposed Fresno Unified schools reopening plan that trustees will consider at tonight's board meeting. The plan includes the results of recent surveys showing that parents,...
Fresno Unified Investigates ‘Offensive’ Tweets About DACA but Not Anti-Trump Facebook Posts
Fresno Unified School District has launched another investigation of an employee's social media postings that have been deemed offensive. The latest investigation involves a staffer at Design Science Middle College High School who reportedly tweeted in 2017 and 2018 about immigration and the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or...
With Reopening on Horizon, Fresno School Leaders Survey Students and Staff
Fresno Unified wants to know what's on the minds of its 74,000 students and 10,552 staffers as the district shapes its plans to reopen schools in August. Emails have been sent to students and staffs with links to short surveys, which for students include questions about barriers to education created...