SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — A group of parents and teens in the Scottsdale Unified School District is planning a rally Tuesday evening to defend their superintendent who has come under criticism for comments he made about race and equity in 2019. The most serious accusation against Scott Menzel stems from a quote taken out of context, Menzel said.
The claim has nonetheless been parroted by websites in recent weeks that are critical of Menzel.
Three legislators want Menzel fired
The district hired Menzel to be superintendent in 2020. While previously working as a superintendent in Michigan, Menzel provided a lengthy interview to the political blog Torchlight Media about equity, inclusion and social justice (EISJ). Some conservatives rail against EISJ, saying it disproportionately emphasizes demographics, particularly race, in American society.
Three Arizona Republican state lawmakers whose jurisdictions include Scottsdale – Representatives Joseph Chaplik, Alexander Kolodin and Senator John Kavanagh – were so bothered by Menzel’s comments, they wrote an open letter to the district in January calling for Menzel to resign or be fired.
“Menzel’s racist views not only compromise his ability to lead, but he has made himself the center of a controversial spotlight that will only distract from learning,” the legislators wrote.
Parent: Allegations reflect “unnecessary culture wars”
12News was unable to reach Menzel on Monday, a national holiday. According to the Scottsdale Progress, Menzel said earlier this month the SUSD board was aware of the 2019 interview when he was hired and his comments were taken out of context. Read the full interview transcript here.
Shea Najafi, a mother of two students in the district, is leading a pushback against the criticism. Najafi told 12News the negative publicity against Menzel is the result of “unnecessary culture wars” and “silly” allegations that are unfounded. She is organizing a rally Tuesday before a scheduled school board meeting.
“I care deeply about public schools. When we found Menzel (in 2020) we were all so thrilled,” Najafi said. “I have many friends who work in the district. They say he is excellent with the students, excellent with staff and with the community at large.”
Most serious allegation not supported by transcript
The three lawmakers don’t just criticize Menzel for his views on race and equity. They use an excerpt from his comments to make a serious presumption that is not supported by his words.
The first sentence of their letter, the most serious allegation against Menzel, is made up of two partial quotes.
“The statements Superintendent Scott Menzel made in an interview about ‘white people’ being ‘problematic’ has made national news, and parents in our districts were shocked that it wasn’t followed with an immediate apology from Menzel or a response from the governing board,” wrote Chaplik, Kolodin and Kavanagh in the letter.
No doubt, labeling “white people” as “problematic” would be fairly described as a racist comment.
But Menzel did not say that in the interview.
According to the 2019 interview transcript, Menzel said the “identity” of white people is “problematic.” Critics of Menzel may bristle at that comment, even taken within context, but there is a significant difference between the words “identity” and “people.” The mischaracterization of what Menzel said appeared to begin with an article on the Fox News website and is being repeated in online forums.
What the superintendent said about “racial identity”
Here is a portion of Menzel’s full quote. It came in response to a question about how parents and community members can advance EISJ goals in schools.
“I would recommend that anyone download our Educational Equity Policy, and send it to their superintendent and school board. There’s a misperception that educational equity is really only for ethnically and racially diverse districts. But white people have racial identity as well, and in fact problematic racial identity that we typically avoid. So whether you are a homogenous district or racially and ethnically diverse, everybody has EISJ challenges. Every district has poor kids, every district has kids with IEPs, every district has diversity represented within its walls.”
Menzel told the Progress his comments relate to the history of white racial identity.
“Regarding the statement by the three legislators, if they read the full interview they would know I didn’t say anything hateful about any group,” Menzel is quoted saying, “I also did not say white people are problematic. In considering the history of this country, including slavery, forced relocation and genocide of the indigenous population, Jim Crow laws, redlining, these are examples of ‘problematic’ white racial identity. I believe that we have to look at history in order to build a better future.”
Kavanagh: “I will give him the benefit of the doubt”
12News requested comment from Chaplik, Kolodin and Kavanagh.
Monday evening, Kavanagh responded to an email from 12News asking him if he is willing to acknowledge his claim accusing Manzel of labeling white people as problematic is not accurate.
“I cannot read Menzel’s mind concerning whiteness and his interpretation, and I will give him the benefit of the doubt on that one, but that does not erase the other statements that I found, which are alarming,” Kavanagh said in a written statement.
Menzel also discussed book, white privilege & meritocracy
During the wide-ranging interview, Menzel also discussed the book White Fragility, also the target of “anti-woke” conservatives, and he mused about the impact of white male privilege on law, history books and culture. At one point, Menzel repeated an argument in White Fragility that criticizes the belief that America is a meritocracy of equal opportunity.
“White people need to feel comfortable, and quite frankly we shouldn’t feel comfortable, we should feel really, really uncomfortable, because we perpetuate a system by ignoring the realities in front of us, and living in a mythological reality,” Menzel said. “In this country it’s about meritocracy. ‘Pull up yourself by your bootstraps, everybody has the same opportunity’. And it’s a lie.”
Kavanagh: I don’t think those are appropriate statements
Kavanagh tells 12News he was deeply disturbed by Menzel’s endorsement of the book White Fragility, his comments about “dismantling systems,” meritocracy, and feeling “uncomfortable” as a white person.
“I don’t think those are appropriate statements to be made by someone who is overseeing the education of our children,” Kavanagh said. “I don’t think they represent the views of this district and the parents in particular of those children.”
Menzel: I have an obligation to open doors
Menzel also said in the interview he believes he has a responsibility to discuss ways white men have privileges. He also mentioned inequality among women and individuals with special needs.
“I see my responsibility as calling out the ways the system advantages people who look like me, and disadvantages people who don’t look like me. I also have two daughters, and I know that in this society being born male is an advantage over being born female,” Menzel said. “Because I had that advantage in this country, I have an additional burden and obligation to dismantle. I have an obligation to open doors for people who otherwise wouldn’t have doors open.”
Najafi said she worries SUSD is getting a bad reputation for “misinformation”. She also worries the city’s property values are being hurt by unfair criticism of the district getting national attention.
“If you really look at it, this is not just about Dr. Menzel. We have been continuously attacked for multiple things. It’s just constantly chipping away at our freedoms to learn, including social emotional learning, equity, inclusion and social justice and human health and development,” Najafi said.
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