FRESNO, Calif. - Fresno Unified School District Superintendent Misty Her has told local media outlets that she did not fact-check a school district document containing fabricated information about the Fresno Teachers Association.
The document, which Her said was put together by the district’s spokeswoman, Nikki Henry, at her direction was made using an artificial intelligence tool, according to Her.
The document was aimed at showing how the teacher’s union has gone after Her in the past months. According to Her, the intent of the document was to reflect the tone of the public criticism against her between August 2023 up until this month, and how it was affecting her and her family.
But much of what was contained in the document was either false or not accurate. This was revealed by the teacher’s union after they were handed the document on May 7 by Her.
FTA leaders said they quickly noticed discrepancies in the information contained in the document, and found a link within the file that indicated it had been generated using ChatGPT.
The document included reference to news articles where the union president was quoted, but the district’s document included a quote that does not actually appear in the news report. The document also included reference to meetings and dates that did not match records by the union.
The union called for an investigation into the matter and even said the person who is responsible for creating the document should be terminated from the district. It also called for the same person to be placed on leave while an investigation was conducted.
On Friday KVPR reached out to Henry, the district’s spokeswoman, for more information about the situation but received an automatic reply stating Henry was out of the office until June 9. It was not clear whether it was a planned leave.
A separate district official, Zuleica Murillo, told KVPR via email the district would not issue a public comment.
“Our focus remains on student outcomes and finishing the final weeks of the school year strong,” part of the response said.
KVPR had inquired about what steps the district was taking following the news about the document containing inaccurate information.
This ordeal comes after months of tension and news headlines involving the school district.
Her was voted as the district’s superintendent following intense debate within the district and with the teacher’s union over the future of the district and its leadership. She became the first woman and the first person of Hmong descent to lead the district. She also has support from a majority of the school board.
In a post on the self-publishing website Medium, the teacher’s union said the district’s document attempted to “discredit our voices.”
“If materials containing false direct quotes, inaccurate, or unverifiable claims can be presented as evidence against union leadership, what protections exist for the average employee?” the union wrote.
