Dear Fresno Unified Board of Trustees and Superintendent Nelson,

I am writing today to continue the advocacy of the holistic aquatics program that flourished at Fresno High School 2018 - 2021. This holistic program hit some of the most important aspects of what parents and students need to thrive. FUSD continues to ignore this situation that ultimately marginalizes the kids you are responsible for serving. We are going into year three and the advocacy has not only continued but grown in numbers, something voted officials should care about. We will not go away just because of a broken system. Our kids are worth the continued advocacy.

Background:
My oldest son was a senior at Fresno High School when Coach Lopez began her tenure in 2018. From day one we saw a huge change in how the season was being run. There seemed to be a new life brought into the program. Morning practices were added, team bonding, and fundraisers. From there the program grew substantially, including offseason opportunities to both the boys and girls equally. The team numbers ballooned to being more comparable to the only other FUSD school with an aquatics club that serves kids, Bullard. My younger son was able to start playing water polo at Echo Aquatics two years before he started high school at Fresno High School. During that time we saw him grow in every regard, notably his confidence. This early start gave my son a competitive edge that wouldn't have been possible otherwise. It was amazing to see him training with kids that reflected the population of the school, a valuable life lesson. Something FUSD claims to promote.

The program that was gaining so much momentum and truly making a difference, unfortunately was openly dismantled for all to see. Harassment, shady donations, coaches being locked out, and then the ignoring of the advocates. It is my opinion that people and organizations have a tendency to ignore a situation when they know it’s wrong. 

My husband spoke at a board meeting in January of 2022, along with several other advocates. All ignored. Letters have been ignored. Most recently my husband again tried at the site level. The new principal sent him to speak to the athletic director. A conversation that went nowhere and it was noticeable that the athletic director would not look him in the eye.

Fresno High school went from having a large team to not being able to field a girls team. This is a clear title IX issue that is again ignored. It was so disheartening that I would leave because I couldn’t watch it.
FUSD no longer has a focus on actual water safety that meets the requirements of the Navy’s water safe criteria. This program went beyond kids being able to swim and having fun, but ensured they were water safe.

Specific asks from FUSD:
- The deck to be cleared of the current coaches. One coach was deemed hired through discriminatory practices and is a coach for the club that takes priority of the FHS pool. A conflict of interest being that there is not a club for the kids at FHS. Both head coaches just sit there while assistant coaches do the leg work. Neither coach offers the students of FHS the opportunity to participate in a complete aquatics program, like the one offered in the past.
- Coach Lopez to be reinstated.
- A fair hiring process for the boys coaching position.
- A real offseason program, exactly like the program Echo Aquatics offered. Ideally the reinstatement of Echo Aquatics. Consequences for outside entities that interfere with other outside entities that use FUSD facilities. 

The program Coach Lopez provided demonstrated all of the value’s FUSD claims to represent. Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and most importantly KIDS FIRST. Coach Lopez’s team helped with homework, provided real emotional support, bridged with parents, and even provided a nutritious breakfast to those who attended morning practice. All of this is non-existent in today’s version of the FHS aquatics program. The defamation regarding Coach Lopez is just as concerning. This is not a “personnel” issue but a broken system issue. It’s well known that “personnel issue” is code for having a lawyer squash the situation.

At what point will FUSD act with integrity and make the changes needed for the kids they serve? As of now they just send a lawyer to stonewall advocates and victims of this injustice. This is a serious situation that requires FUSD to step it up for kids and the community. The real reflection of the community, not just Fresno’s business elite.
Several board members are up for re-election next year, this will be a factor in how I vote. The patterns of manipulated evidence and specific examples of ignored advocating will be shared in the upcoming updates to this petition.

Other resources pertaining to this situation:
- Fresno Area Manatee Master’s Facebook reviews. ALL of the information has been validated as truthful.
- March 2022 news story sharing some of Coach Lopez’s mission
- An interview Coach Lopez contributed too
- A segment from former board member Terry Slatic on the situation

What needs to be clear to FUSD, this will not just go away. It’s been over two years of advocacy and we are still here. This type of advocacy doesn’t continue unless something is seriously wrong. Younger siblings will enter high school and the same parents will still be here advocating for FUSD to make this right.

Sincerely a mom of a freshmen,
Cresta