Fresno Unified Board Trustee Keshia Thomas has admitted to fabricating a claim that a former Bullard High School football coach, Don Arax, used a racial slur against her son. Thomas withdrew the allegation in court recently, a move that followed a defamation lawsuit filed by Arax in 2022.
Thomas had previously asserted in a May 2022 podcast that Arax, who is white, called her son the N-word in 2013. It has since emerged that the child did not even attend Bullard High School. In a deposition video from April 2025, Thomas recanted her earlier statements. When questioned by Arax's attorney, she stated, "I have never referred to him as a racist to anyone," and later, "I never said he called my son the N-word."
Her son also provided a declaration acknowledging similar untruths. Thomas issued a public apology to Arax and his family, stating, "I believed the information I had at the time, but I have since learned that the information I relied upon was not accurate. Had I known then what I know today, I would not have made those statements."
Following Thomas's admission, the Fresno Teachers Association (FTA) has called for her resignation from the school board and to withdraw from her upcoming Fresno City Council race. FTA President Manuel Bonilla questioned her credibility, asking, "How can we as a community trust that what she says is accurate, it's true?"
Thomas has refused to resign, criticizing the FTA's demands as "irresponsible and distracting" and an attempt to politicize her act of accountability. "Those principles should not disappear when politically inconvenient," she stated.
The Fresno Unified School District (FUSD) initially agreed to help cover Thomas's legal fees, citing that they had no reason to question her account at the time. However, in light of new information from her deposition, the FUSD Board will reconsider its financial support. A statement from FUSD clarified that they have not agreed to indemnify Thomas should she be found liable for defamation.
The case is scheduled for mediation on August 31, with a potential trial in December if a settlement is not reached. Arax originally sought over $10,000 in damages in his lawsuit.