Bullard High football coach Don Arax, left, and FUSD trustee Keshia Thomas, right.
Fresno Bee File
Fresno Unified Trustee Keshia Thomas is fighting battles on several fronts — defending a defamation lawsuit, resisting calls for her to resign, and running a campaign for Fresno City Council.
In a 2022 podcast, Thomas said former Bullard High School football coach Don Arax called her son a racial slur at a football camp. Thomas’ son has since said the incident ‘wasn’t true’ and Thomas issued a formal apology.,
Arax filed a defamation lawsuit against Fresno Unified and Thomas. The district says it has spent $370,000 defending Thomas and itself against the lawsuit. With a Dec. 7 trial approaching, new disclosures are reshaping the case — and the district’s legal bills.
Thomas, in her written apology to Arax, said she relied on her son’s account of the incident, which he recently recanted. The Fresno Teachers Association, the union representing the district’s educators, called for Thomas to resign. She is refusing.
“FTA’s attempt to turn an act of accountability into a political demand for my resignation is irresponsible and distracting,” Thomas said in a Tuesday news release.
“ I will not resign for acknowledging the truth and doing what I believe is right.”
Thomas declined to answer questions directly from The Bee.
Here are key takeaways and a timeline of recent eventsAugust 2022: Arax sues Thomas and Fresno Unified for defamation, over allegations Thomas made in a 2022 podcast, accusing Arax of using a racial slur against her son at football camp.June 4, 2026: Fresno Unified switched legal representation from Whitney, Thompson and Jeffcoach to Johnston and Hutchinson LLP, with the district’s general counsel citing the firm’s trial effectiveness and expertise in defamation cases.June 9, 2026: The Bee reports on derogatory text messages between Arax and Bullard High School Principal Armen Torigian after Thomas made the racial slur allegation. “What a f—ing b—-. I’m going to sue,” Arax texted to Torigian, regarding the accusation, according to discovery material from the lawsuit.July 20, 2026: Fresno County Superior Court Judge Kristi Culver Kapetan denied Thomas’ motion to be dismissed from the suit, noting Thomas denied making the slur claim during a 2025 deposition — an inconsistency the judge said could raise issues at trial.July 27, 2026: Thomas’s son, Albert Alford Jr., filed a sworn court declaration recanting the 2013 racial slur allegation, stating the incident ‘wasn’t true’ and that he never told his mother Arax used the racial slur against him.Aug. 17, 2026: The Fresno Teachers Association called on Thomas to resign after her son’s disclosure, noting Fresno Unified had spent about $370,000 defending Thomas and the district.Aug. 17, 2026: Thomas issued a formal apology to Arax, but his attorney rejected it as public relations rather than genuine contrition, with trial scheduled for Dec. 7.Aug. 18, 2026: Thomas releases another statement saying she will not resign.
This report was produced with the assistance of a proprietary tool powered by artificial intelligence based on our own originally reported, written and published content. Before publishing, journalists reviewed this content in compliance with McClatchy Media’s AI policy.
This story was originally published August 20, 2026 at 10:54 AM.