Fresno teacher in hot water for criticizing protest supporters. Here’s what she said

A Fresno Unified teacher faces criticism after a social media post in which she said she hopes students are “smarter and less ghetto” than educators who have spoken out in support of recent protest over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

Teacher Marcy Barlow Barnhart made her comments Monday on her personal Facebook page, which quickly circulated online before they were taken down.

“Those of you who call yourselves ‘EDUCATORS’ and are on your social media platform supporting the rioting/looting/ criminal behavior going on...... YOU DISGUST ME! I pray to God my students are smarter and less ghetto than you!!”

In a separate video post on her Facebook page, Barnhart said: “Teachers are out there trying to get their students to go and, you know, loot and riot and all that shit and I’m just here having a beer.”

Barnhart, who is listed in the staff directory at Kings Canyon Middle School, did not respond to requests for comment.

Floyd, an unarmed black man, died after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee against Floyd’s neck for nearly 10 minutes, igniting protests across the nation.

In an email to The Bee, Fresno Unified spokesperson Amy Idsvoog confirmed the post was made by a Fresno Unified teacher and said, “the district is looking into the matter.” Idsvoog did not respond to additional questions.

‘She is failing as an educator,’ trustee says

Fresno Unified Trustee Veva Islas described the comments as “troubling” and “inflammatory” and said focusing on looting and rioting “does nothing to acknowledge the horrendous history of racism against Black People. Nor the troubling circumstances that led to the murder of George Floyd by a police officer.

“Moreover, she is perpetuating a long-held racial trope that devalues ‘ghettos’ as unworthy neighborhoods,” Islas continued. “That people from these areas are inferior and stupid. And in this, she also fails to acknowledge the long history of disinvestment that has created disadvantage and vulnerability for certain neighborhoods. She is failing as an educator. “

Trustee Carol Mills said Fresno was a “shining example” of a peaceful protest aimed at social change.

“Rioting and looting have nothing to do with social change and I would hope no educator would support or excuse such criminal conduct,” Mills said in an email. “However, I also personally believe any social media postings on the subject should further civil discourse, not use racially charged terminology, and not inflame the situation. “

Stacy Williams, a Fresno-area community organizer, said the teacher’s comments were offensive but not surprising.

“This post is a perfect example of the insensitivity that teachers across the district have toward students of color and specifically black students,” Williams told The Bee. “I would definitely think it is a racist comment that was definitely directed toward the African American population. Because she’s not going to be using that word (ghetto) toward white upper-class students.”

The post, which has since been deleted, came a day after thousands of people gathered at Fresno City Hall in support of Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement. The protests in Fresno have been peaceful, but violence has erupted in other communities around the nation.

There have been videos circulating social media showing violent interactions. During Saturday’s protest in Visalia, a video showed two women being struck by a Jeep in the middle of the road. A man in Bakersfield drove through a crowd of protesters on Friday.

One Fresno Unified parent shared a screenshot of the post on Facebook and said, “Get her out of our schools!”

“When I saw this post, I saw it as a continuation,” Cesar Casamayor told The Bee. “When does it stop and when do we take accountability in the relationship teachers have with our students. This isn’t too uncommon. The only uncommon thing is that it got exposed in a public setting.”

Seeing a social media post that uses words like “ghetto” from an educator who works with a diverse population shows there has been a failure in training staff, said Abre’ Conner, an attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California. Students should be able to be in an environment that is “safe and welcoming,” she said.

“Teachers have a responsibility to help their students understand the history of racism, anti-blackness and police brutality and murders towards black people,” Conner said. “And how are they going to be the ones that are leading that charge if they themselves are not equipped to even be having fundamental conversations about the history of black people and the history of discrimination in this country?”

Conner is the lead ACLU attorney that has been working to close inequity gaps for students of color in Fresno Unified.

Teachers Union, superintendent speak out on Floyd protests

Superintendent Bob Nelson hasn’t addressed Barnhart’s post but has spoken out on the recent protests and some of the issues that ignited them.

“We are so incredibly proud of our community that came together on Sunday to peacefully protest these injustices right here in Fresno, and we ask our entire Fresno Unified family to come alongside us in this imperfect work and to continue holding us accountable as we breathe life in to our newly adopted Board Policy on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion,” the statement said. “We encourage everyone to actively educate yourself alongside us on anti-racism and to use your privilege (whatever privilege that may be) to serve and advocate on behalf of others.”

Nelson said he is “committed” to implementing recommendations to the district’s African American Academic Acceleration Task Force.

The Fresno Teachers Association did not respond to request for comment, but President Manuel Bonilla also issued a statement describing his “anguish” over Floyd’s death.

“We must continue to engage in the difficult but necessary conversation about implicit bias,” the statement said. “We must create venues for our students and community members to voice their priorities in their education. Then implement those priorities.”

Bonilla said there is no other choice but to “address the issues of institutional racism head-on.”

The Education Lab is a local journalism initiative that highlights education issues critical to the advancement of the San Joaquin Valley. It is funded by donors. Learn about The Bee’s Education Lab on our website.

This story was originally published June 3, 2020 at 7:31 AM.