FRESNO, Calif. (FOX26) — Fresno Unified Trustee Keshia Thomas says she will not resign after the Fresno Teachers Association called for her to step down amid new developments in a years-long defamation lawsuit involving former Bullard High School football coach Don Arax.
Thomas, who also remains a candidate for Fresno City Council, apologized to Arax and his family Monday, saying she has learned that information she relied on when making statements about Arax in 2022 was not accurate.
Keshia Thomas Formal Apology to Don AraxPDF previewPreview PDF
Fresno Unified Trustee formally apologizes to Don Arax after learning that information she
relied upon was inaccurate, while reaffirming her commitment to truth, justice and equality.
The developments are also prompting new questions about the cost of the litigation.
Fresno Unified told FOX26 that through June, the district had paid $235,330 in defense fees, along with $134,421 in Thomas’ defense costs, a combined $369,751.
The district now says its board will reconsider whether it will continue supporting Thomas’ attorneys’ fees.
FUSD agreed to help cover trustee Thomas’ legal fees at a time when we had no reason to question her account,
the district said in a statement to FOX26.
Since then, new information has come to light.
The district pointed to Thomas’ deposition and a sworn declaration from her son.
Sworn Declaration of Albert Alford Jr.PDF previewPreview PDF
In a sworn declaration, Keshia Thomas’ son, Albert Alford Jr., says Don Arax never used a racial slur toward him and that he never told anyone, including Thomas, that Arax had done so.
“In light of this, the FUSD Board will reconsider whether it will continue supporting Thomas’ attorneys’ fees,” the statement continued.
Fresno Teachers Association President Manuel Bonilla said the district should stop paying Thomas’ legal fees.
“The district should absolutely stop paying her legal fees, or do anything within its legal responsibility to make sure that that stops,” Bonilla told FOX26. “Because every dollar spent on her legal fees is $1 taken out of the classroom.”
Statements from 2022 and later deposition testimony
The dispute dates back to 2022 and statements Thomas made concerning Arax, who was then Bullard High School’s head football coach.
During a May 2022 interview with GV Wire, Thomas said her middle son went to football practice “where he has Arax calling him” the N-word and decided he would not play for Bullard.
Arax subsequently sued Thomas and Fresno Unified for defamation.
During an April 2025 deposition in the case, Thomas was asked whether she had ever told anyone that Arax called her son the N-word.
“No,” Thomas responded.
When asked, “You’re sure about that?” Thomas replied, “I’m pretty sure.”
Thomas was also questioned about a message she received from a Fresno media outlet in May of 2022 seeking an interview about a GV Wire article reporting that Thomas said Arax used a racial slur against her son.
Thomas acknowledged that she did not contact the reporter to clarify the account.
When questioned about why, Thomas testified that she had been asked not to speak with the media.
“At this point, I was not allowed to talk or asked not to talk to anybody in the media,” Thomas said during the deposition.
When asked who made that request, Thomas identified counsel for Fresno Unified School District.
Thomas apologizes to Arax
Thomas issued a public apology to Arax and his family on Monday, Aug. 17.
“At the time, I believed my son,” Thomas wrote. “As a mother, when my child told me something had occurred involving race, I took him seriously.”
Thomas said she acted on information she believed to be true but has since learned otherwise.
“I have now learned that the information I relied upon concerning Mr. Arax was not accurate,” Thomas wrote.
She later directly addressed Arax.
“Mr. Arax, I sincerely apologize to you and your family,” Thomas wrote. “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.”
Thomas said she cannot undo what she said but can acknowledge what she knows now and take responsibility for her words.
Teachers association calls for resignation
Following Thomas’ apology, the Fresno Teachers Association called for her to resign from the Fresno Unified Board of Education.
Bonilla said the union’s concern goes beyond the lawsuit and centers on whether Thomas retains the public’s trust.
“The fundamental piece of any elected official is trust,” Bonilla told FOX26. “Can she honestly say that the community should trust her after four years of saying that this statement was true?”
Bonilla also called on Thomas to withdraw from her campaign for Fresno City Council, saying he does not believe she should seek another elected office after losing the union’s trust.
Thomas rejects the union’s demand.
Thomas issued another statement on Tuesday, Aug. 18.
“I will not resign for acknowledging the truth and doing what I believe is right,” Thomas said.
As of Tuesday, Thomas remained a candidate for Fresno City Council.
“FTA’s attempt to turn an act of accountability into a political demand for my resignation is irresponsible and distracting,” Thomas said in a statement to FOX26.
Thomas said she was elected by members of the community and described attempts to pressure her to resign as “fundamentally undemocratic.”
Arax’s attorney responds
Brian Whelan, an attorney representing Arax, rejected Thomas’ characterization of her statement as an apology.
This is not an apology,
Whelan told FOX26. “It is the latest version of a story that finally ran out of places to go.”
Whelan argued Thomas was shifting responsibility to her son and said Arax welcomes Thomas acknowledging that her accusation was false at a jury trial.
“A jury can then decide the tremendous harm caused by her words and by FUSD’s republication and ratification of them and what both should be required to pay for that significant harm,” Whelan said.
Fresno Unified said it has not agreed to indemnify Thomas if she is found liable for defamation.
The district says mediation is scheduled for Aug. 31 in hopes the parties can find common ground on the remaining questions of damages and liability.