ARIZONA, USA — Those who have attended Valley school board meetings recently may have noticed they are not just about budgets and student awards.
Emotions are high over what is taught and what is tolerated. Many parents are accusing board members and educators of racism, discrimination and bigotry. In three districts – Casa Grande High School District, Apache Junction Unified District, and Liberty Elementary School District - superintendents abruptly lost their jobs the past two months, prompting protests and accusations of board members playing partisan politics.
Many parents are demanding school boards create new policies regarding unisex bathrooms, the use of pronouns in class, what is deemed “appropriate” literature, social and emotional learning, and the presence of SRO’s.
This wave of anxiety and anger at school board meetings shows no signs of slowing down.
What are school board members expected to do in response to the demands? Is it appropriate for them to take a partisan stance? Are superintendents and teachers getting unfairly targeted? Where does state law clash with local policies?
Three education experts discuss the issues with Joe Dana.
- Marisol Garcia, President of the Arizona Teachers Association
- Chris Kotterman, Director of Government Relations for the Arizona School Boards Association
- Margaret Garcia Dugan, Deputy Superintendent of the Arizona Department of Education
Several Valley school districts have seen superintendent turnover in the first few months of 2023.
The Apache Junction Unified School District's board forced out its superintendent Heather Wallace earlier in April. Wallace still had more than a year left on her contract and had worked in the district for two decades before being named superintendent in 2021.
Parents are launching an official recall campaign against two of the board's members who voted for Wallace's early exit, a move that’s extremely rare in Arizona.
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Casa Grande High School District Superintendent Anna Battle was abruptly fired without cause in February. In a statement to 12News, the board's president said the move was the best choice for the district.
Dr. Cort Monroe, the former superintendent of Cave Creek Unified School District, took a sudden and since-unexplained leave of absence on Feb. 27. Neither Monroe nor the district's school board has clarified the reason behind Monroe's departure.
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