Fresno Christian Schools failed to address racial bullying, father and son say
A father and his recently graduated son say leaders at Fresno Christian Schools failed to properly address instances of racial harassment captured in viral social media videos.
J. Mason said his son Jeremiah, who is Black, captured a student on video interrupting him to motion a Nazi salute last September and was later suspended. Less than a month later, Jeremiah Mason captured another video of a student calling him the “N-word” followed by a third, off-camera incident in which another student repeated the racist slur at his son, J. Mason told The Bee.
J. Mason, a Fresno Christian Schools alumnus, said his son began attending the school in first grade and had been called racist slurs by students in elementary grades. J. Mason pulled Jeremiah from the private school in fifth grade following racial bullying, though his son returned to Fresno Christian for his senior year.
J. Mason approached the school board following the second on-camera incident Jeremiah Mason captured this past school year. He said he wanted “repentance, reconciliation, and restitution” and questioned Fresno Christian Schools’ commitment to Biblical principles.
J. Mason said Fresno Christian should be held to a higher standard and criticized administrators’ inaction. He wants the school to refund his son’s senior-year tuition, which cost $13,028 as well as an $850 senior activity fee.
“Things are going to happen in the world. We understand that. But if there’s no accountability taken, it makes it very difficult for me to feel like this was a positive experience and that my son got the same level of education. Therefore, you need to give me back what I gave you,” he said.
The Masons are calling for a change in administration with hopes of helping future Black students avoid similar situations.
”People (should) understand what they’re getting into when they go there,” J. Mason said.
The Fresno Christian Schools Executive Board said the institution “takes all allegations of racial discrimination seriously” and reviewed the matter “confidentially in accordance with school policies.”
The board also noted that Jeremiah was offered counseling, though J. Mason believes his family is entitled to “restitution.”
This story was originally published August 5, 2025 at 12:07 PM.
