Fresno Unified superintendent called out amidst AI controversy

FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – A Fresno Unified spokesperson abruptly left the district after getting swept up in controversy.

Former Chief Communications Officer Nikki Henry posted on LinkedIn Tuesday, confirming her departure.

It all started over Superintendent Misty Her’s frustration with the Fresno Teachers Association. 

Her accused them of attacking her online, so she told Henry to compile a document of the union’s public statements and emails about her. That nine-page document was presented during a private meeting between Her and the union president.

President Manuel Bonilla said the document was all lies, though. 

The story quickly got out, and Her announced the situation was Henry’s fault during a previous interview.

“Nikki Henry has taken full responsibility for this,” Her said in May.

She told reporters she wanted to move forward from the situation. Now, they will move forward without Henry.

Henry’s LinkedIn post explains she used Artificial Intelligence to create the document, and she admits she did not fact-check it.

“We are not evolutionarily, psychologically prepared to understand that AI does not have general intelligence,” UC Merced Associate Professor Colin Holbrook said.

He warns that AI is a dangerous tool to trust.

Henry’s post says she “moved too fast under pressure,” and Holbrook says that stress is exactly what gets people into trouble with AI.

“The stakes are high and people feel a lot of pressure,” Holbrook said. “One thing I’m very concerned about is the dramatic, you know, tragic cost of over-trust when people are stressed in that way.”

The Fresno Teachers Association says AI is not the problem at all, though.

They say the problem is dishonesty.

The former Communications Chief fabricated statements and falsely attributed them to FTA leadership. Even on her way out, she refused to admit they were false – instead calling them “off the record” or “rough drafts,” as if that excuses deliberate misinformation. 

Let’s be honest, without public exposure, the district likely would have let the lies stand. And that raises a deeper concern: how often does something like this happen in the shadows?

This isn’t just about one person. It’s about whether Fresno Unified has the leadership and integrity to hold itself accountable. So far, Superintendent Her has refused to correct the record, claiming “the gist was there.” That’s absurd. There is no “gist” in a complete fabrication. To move forward, Superintendent Her should admit the statements were false.”
Fresno Teachers Association

Fresno Unified School District declined to comment for this story. They also declined to answer whether Henry will receive severance pay.