Fresno Unified school board meeting ends early with angry shouting and chaos — again

For the second time this school year, a Fresno Unified board meeting ended in chaos, and shouting after Trustee Terry Slatic interrupted a community member who was criticizing him.

The heated exchange between Slatic and a resident was the culmination of a tense meeting of the FUSD school board on Wednesday night that saw more than a dozen community members call for the resignation of Trustee Veva Islas over recent comments on Twitter regarding people refusing COVID-19 vaccinations.

Others spoke in support of Islas. The two sides could be heard bickering in the crowd off and on throughout the meeting, with both sides accusing the other of racism.

But when resident Jessica Mahoney used some of her time to lament a failed effort to recall Slatic more than a year ago, Slatic interrupted her and indicated he would not let her finish. Slatic and Mahoney exchanged words before Slatic turned his attention to Board President Elizabeth Jonasson Rosas.

“Do your job, president,” Slatic said, demanding Mahoney be removed for shouting. Jonasson Rosas called on Slatic to let the resident speak, but Slatic refused, repeating the phrase “do your job.”

As Slatic argued with Jonasson Rosas, Mahoney tried to continue her remarks, reminding Slatic that she had the floor. Mahoney then raised her voice, at one point repeatedly shouting “stand down, Marine,” at Slatic, a retired U.S. Marine Corps major.

Slatic indicated he would continue to speak over Mahoney until Jonasson Rosas relented.

“I will go all night,” Slatic said.

Jonasson Rosas abruptly adjourned the meeting with Mahoney still standing at the microphone.

Wednesday’s meeting was reminiscent of the last FUSD school board meeting that was adjourned early and left district business unfinished. The late August meeting was ended after Slatic appeared to stage a kind-of filibuster during FUSD’s regular school board meeting.

Then-FUSD Board President Valerie Davis ended the school board meeting after less than a full hour following numerous failed attempts to silence the disgruntled trustee. But Slatic continued to speak even after his microphone was shut off and parents were trying to address the board directly.

The FUSD school board eventually censured Slatic over the outburst, his second formal censure during his first term in office.

Tensions boil over during FUSD school board meeting

Slatic spoke with the Education Lab about Wednesday night’s events and said the entire ordeal could have been avoided had Jonasson Rosas “enforced the civility clause.”

Minor squabbles within the crowd could be heard throughout Wednesday’s meeting, including at least one argument between two residents — Rafael Avitia and Josh Fulfer — who were critical of Slatic and Islas, respectively, in which police officers got involved. Nobody was escorted out of the meeting, according to Amy Idsvoog of FUSD.

Following the quarrel, both Fulfer and Avitia addressed the school during the public comment portion of the meeting. Avitia also criticized many in the crowd who oppose COVID-19 safety mandates, including vaccination requirements and mask-wearing.

“I feel sorry for these people because they’re my neighbors, and they’re killing people with their ignorance,” Avitia said. “What kind of Christian are you? What kind of Christian do you think you are?”

The remark drew a derisive laugh from Slatic, which appeared to anger Avitia.

“Get this on record, everybody. You’re not supposed to respond,” Avitia responded, raising his voice. “Look at this idiot over here.”

Avitia called Slatic an “American terrorist” and a “white man afraid of brown women.”

Slatic later said Jonasson Rosas should have enforced the rules of civility when Avitia began shouting.

“Jonasson Rosas and Islas as board officers have proven they don’t want to enforce the civility clause equally,” Slatic told The Bee.

Jonasson Rosas said Slatic’s accusations “have no merit.”

“He was yelling at me to do my job when frankly, the one who should be focusing to do his job is him. The one who has failed to do his job is him by distracting us,” Jonasson Rosas told the Education Lab.

Jonasson Rosas said Slatic is causing a scene at the podium “on purpose to gain attention for himself.”

More controversy on Fresno Unified school board

Wednesday’s meeting debacle came just hours after The Fresno Bee reported that Fresno County prosecutors had closed the investigation prompted by Slatic in September. Slatic accused FUSD Superintendent Bob Nelson and four trustees of violating California education laws that require the district to inform teachers when a transfer student has a history of violence.

Prosecutors on Wednesday said they could not prove “that any individual knowingly failed to provide information as required.”

Slatic’s tenure serving on the board of California’s third-largest school district has been fraught with in-fighting and other controversies, resulting in two formal censures.

The first came in 2019 when the school board censured Slatic following multiple confrontations at Bullard High School. The incidents involved an Army recruiter, a wrestling coach, and a time when Slatic grabbed the backpack of a Bullard student and an altercation ensued.

Those investigations concluded that Slatic violated board policies, including failing to “govern responsibly” and blurring the distinctions between board and staff roles.

Slatic also was involved in a controversy in July 2019 surrounding his behavior at a Bullard High cheer practice when he scolded some cheerleaders over a blackface incident. One cheerleader’s family sought a restraining order against Slatic but failed to convince a judge Slatic’s behavior amounted to harassment.

Slatic eventually won $1,000 from the 16-year-old girl’s family to help him recoup part of the legal fees he racked up defending himself.

In 2020, a prominent Latino pastor in Fresno said Slatic told the pastor to “go back to the barrio” after an argument erupted during an informal meeting. Slatic flatly denied using the phrase and said the pastor was “bearing false witness.”

This story was originally published February 2, 2022 at 8:21 PM.