Questions linger in wake of video showing ex-Fresno principal strike student with special needs
Education Lab Newsletter
Get stories that matter on education issues critical to the advancement of San Joaquin Valley residents, with a focus on Fresno. Sign up, and join the conversation.
Aftershocks reverberated around Fresno schools this week following the release of a disturbing video showing a former elementary school principal striking a student with special needs.
Brian Vollhardt, now-former principal of Wolters Elementary School in Fresno, has been charged with a single misdemeanor count of child abuse in connection with the June 7 incident that was caught on camera. He is scheduled to appear in court later this month.
Fresno Unified officials have said the student is physically OK and received “the necessary social-emotional supports” from the district.
The explosive video — and subsequent acknowledgment of missteps by Fresno police — emerged Thursday during a Fresno Unified news conference called in response to an investigation by The Fresno Bee’s Education Lab.
During the news conference, Police Chief Paco Balderrama said he wasn’t aware of the three-month-old video until Tuesday after a Fresno Bee reporter requested an update on the investigation. Prosecutors filed the misdemeanor charge against Vollhardt the next day, officials have confirmed.
Some Fresno Unified trustees took to social media in the following days, expressing outrage at the violence and frustration over the slow law enforcement response.
“While I am glad that action has been taken, I appreciate Chief Balderrama’s recognition that Fresno PD failed to take action on this months ago, when they should have,” Fresno High-area Trustee Andy Levine said in a series of tweets Thursday night. “In my role now as Trustee I will do everything I can to make sure we do more to protect our most vulnerable students, so that every single child feels safe and seen.”
What we saw in the video released today breaks my heart. We have so much work to ensure no child is treated this way by an adult in our District again. While I am glad that action has been taken, I appreciate Chief Balderrama’s recognition that Fresno PD failed to take action on
— Andy Levine (@AndyLevine559) September 9, 2022
Trustee Terry Slatic said on KMJ, “I live to expose the dysfunctionality of Fresno Unified. ... In this particular case, it’s really not a Fresno Unified dysfunctionality.” The trustee went on to discuss the months-long delay on the part of the police department to issue a warrant for Vollhardt’s arrest.
The incident was the topic of FUSD’s weekly “Friday Message,” which was posted on Twitter. Assistant Superintendent Misty Her encouraged Fresno Unified families and staff to lean on the district for support in processing the disturbing event.
But Fresno police weren’t the only ones facing scrutiny in the wake of the shocking video. Questions lingered Friday over how Vollhardt managed to get a vice principal job at another Fresno County school just two months after the June 7 incident.
Golden Plains Unified mostly silent on Vollhardt hiring
Vollhardt resigned from the Fresno Unified School District on Aug. 4, almost two months after he struck the young Black student who has special needs.
He was hired 11 days later as the vice principal of Tranquillity High School at a salary of $104,134, Golden Plains Superintendent Martin Macias told the Ed Lab on Friday.
But those were the only questions Macias was willing to discuss directly.
In a news release late Thursday, Golden Plains officials said they weren’t aware of the June 7 incident until Wednesday night.
It’s unclear whether the district conducted any background checks. FUSD Superintendent Bob Nelson said he doesn’t believe Golden Plains ever contacted Fresno schools to check Vollhardt’s references.
Macias declined to respond to the question on Friday, saying only, “Golden Plains makes every effort to properly screen its applicants.”
Golden Plains placed Vollhardt on administrative leave Thursday morning, just 24 days after giving him the vice principal position.
Macias said Vollhardt would remain on leave until the conclusion of the criminal case.
It’s also unclear whether the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing plans to take action against Vollhardt. FUSD officials on Friday confirmed contacting the commission regarding Vollhardt within days of the incident.
The commission did not respond to requests for comment Friday, and Vollhardt’s credentials were still listed as active.
Vollhardt set to appear in court in late September
Prosecutors obtained a warrant for Vollhardt’s arrest Wednesday, but it’s unclear if he’ll actually be taken into custody on the misdemeanor charge before his arraignment.
According to Fresno County Superior Court records, attorney Roger Wilson was at the courthouse Thursday and arranged for Vollhardt to be arraigned on Sept. 26 before Judge Gabriel Brickey in Fresno County Superior Court.
Law enforcement obtained the $5,000 misdemeanor “rush warrant” on Wednesday, a day after The Bee asked for updates on the investigation, according to online court records.
Balderrama said “system failures” caused the months-long delay in the case. FUSD officials reported the incident to police on June 9, and police received the video evidence on June 13. But the video was miscategorized as “suspended” and didn’t make it to the right investigators until this week.
Balderrama said he should’ve immediately been made aware of the case and said, as soon as it was brought to his attention, he made sure the investigation became a department priority.
Ex-principal had history with student he’s accused of striking
The Bee’s Education Lab also revealed this week that the June 7 incident wasn’t the first involving Vollhardt and the student he’s charged with striking.
Documents obtained by the Ed Lab through a formal public records request revealed another incident 11 days earlier, on May 27.
The district complaint filed against Vollhardt said problems began around 11 a.m. May 27 when the student — whom The Bee is not identifying — tried to leave his classroom, and Vollhardt was called to help the classroom staff.
Vollhardt allegedly stood in the classroom’s doorway, blocking the student’s exit, for 20 to 30 minutes. When the student became agitated and tried to leave the classroom again, Vollhardt allegedly told the student, “this will not end well for you,” according to the FUSD complaint.
The student then tried to kick Vollhardt, and Vollhardt began repeatedly asking the student, “Is that all you got?”
The student became more agitated in response to the principal’s comments and allegedly cursed at the principal and told him, “I hope your family dies.”
As the student turned to walk away, Vollhardt then forced him to the ground. Vollhardt kept his knee against the student’s back and pinned his shoulders for “approximately 2-4 minutes,” the complaint says.
After Vollhardt let the student go, the student began throwing items and flipping desks while Vollhardt left the classroom.
Nelson said district officials only became aware of the May 27 episode during their investigation into the June 7 incident.
Education Lab Newsletter
Get stories that matter on education issues critical to the advancement of San Joaquin Valley residents, with a focus on Fresno. Sign up, and join the conversation.
The Education Lab is a local journalism initiative that highlights education issues critical to the advancement of the San Joaquin Valley. It is funded by donors. Learn about The Bee’s Education Lab at its website.
