Fresno teachers union criticizes school district’s use of AI-generated documents
Tensions in the longstanding feud between Fresno Unified and the teachers union escalated after the district’s new superintendent confronted the union’s president about its public critiques using a document containing quotes fabricated by artificial intelligence.
Fresno Unified Superintendent Misty Her confirmed to ABC30 that the district’s chief communications officer, Nikki Henry, used A.I. to compile a document listing examples of criticism from union leaders in news articles and social media posts.
Manuel Bonilla, president of the Fresno Teachers Association, said the district’s leadership presented him the document, titled “Instances of Fresno Teachers Association Leadership Targeting Misty Her,” at a May 7 meeting.
The meeting came after weeks of feuding between the school district and teachers union that spilled into the public sphere via combative comments on Facebook and in local news media.
The union was critical of the school board’s lengthy superintendent search process, which it said lacked transparency and public input. The district’s budget proposal created another rift between the two parties. The proposal aims cutting a program, Designated Schools, the union wants to preserve but the district says is ineffective.
According to ABC30, Her described the document as being created to help mend the situation between the district and teachers union. In its summary, the district brought forth allegations that the FTA framed Her “as disingenuous, authoritarian, or incompetent.”
“They utilized that document to say that we had personally targeted the superintendent,” Bonilla said.
To support its claims, Fresno Unified compiled a list of quotes taken from local publications, including The Fresno Bee, as well as numerous FTA communications. After the meeting, Bonilla said he and his team reviewed the materials and had some doubts, prompting him to request a digital copy.
That’s when Bonilla said he confirmed the district used artificial intelligence to create fabricated quotes in news articles. The links to the articles included in the report each end with “source=chatgpt.” Bonilla said he mentioned these observations during a follow-up sit-down between FTA and FUSD leadership last week.
Later that week, Her admitted the document was created with A.I. and not vetted.
Her told ABC30 she stood by the sentiment behind the report.
“I want to be completely honest with the public about what’s happening. My comms person did use A.I. to help generate the document. I didn’t check the document,” Her told the news station. “But I will say that the gist of it was there, the articles were there, the postings were there.”
Henry is on leave through June 9, per an automated email response. The school district has not publicly commented whether Henry’s leave was in response to the A.I. incident.
The incident was first reported by GV Wire, a local news outlet.
Bonilla says the incident is indicative of a larger issue.
“This is just the most clear and egregious example of what so many people have called out in this system for years,” Bonilla said. “How many times has something like this happened to influence the view of untold number of management and board members about us and our teachers?”
He also emphasized that teachers wouldn’t accept A.I.-generated work and called for district officials to be held accountable.
Specifically, Bonilla said the FTA is seeking an independent investigation, as well as for Henry to be fired for “the magnitude of the allegation and the egregious nature of the decision.”
Fresno Unified officials declined requests for comment by the The Bee and said they would no longer speak about the issue.
“Our current focus remains on student outcomes and finishing the final weeks of the school year strong by celebrating our graduates and their accomplishments,” a district spokesperson said Monday in a statement.
