Glutton for Punishment

Recapping the Peoria AND Paradise Valley School Board Meetings

I debated whether to write about Peoria (PUSD) or Paradise Valley (PVUSD) this week since both meetings happened on the same night. It is A LOT to subject oneself to, but I’m a glutton for punishment and I DID watch both meetings… so I’ll give a brief breakdown of both. 

Did I mention that this is A LOT? (If you’re interested in helping us stay on top of what’s happening at these school board meetings, you can sign up to help here). 

So let’s go ahead and start with PUSD. In case y’all forgot, your presence and willingness to email the PUSD board seemed to help accelerate the resignation of PUSD Board Member and homeschooling creationist, Rebecca Hill.

So thanks to everyone who stepped up to make that happen!

The 8/24/23 meeting actually came a day after a rally and press conference for River Chunnui — the PUSD teacher who is currently suing the district and Board Members Rooks and Hill — at a public park the night before. There were members of the press there along with many teachers, students, and parents from PUSD.

Here’s where it gets weird. 

After the press conference ended, a few of us were sitting under a ramada when we spotted a blond woman quickly walking with purpose to our table. I could see she was wearing a shirt emblazoned with American flags, and my spidey senses went off — I knew this woman from somewhere. 

As she stomped closer and frantically shrieked at us from about 20 feet away, “HEY! What’s happening here? Did I see the press? IS THIS AN EVENT?” it clicked. From her shirt (it read “I’m not a Republican, I’m a Trumplican”) and her voice, I realized that this woman was none other than Jodi Brackett. 

You may remember her from other board meetings where she “serves” three members of the board by passing out mystery envelopes. 

She has a history of squawking in the district about various issues, so her obsession with all of us Chunnui-supporters totally tracks. 

The meeting the next evening was jam-packed and included attendees like former Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction and advocate for teaching creationism Diane Douglas, former Republican legislator in the old LD21 Beverly Pingerelli,🧻USA operative Tiffany Benson, and J6-insurrectionist-fake-elector-Republican-Senator-(LD27)-Mama-Fratelli lookalike Anthony Kern.

Of course, many others we’ve come to expect who assert that they are NOT transphobes while explaining very clearly to everyone there that they are TOTALLY transphobes were also in attendance.

All I have to say about the 8/24/23 meeting in PUSD was that it was essentially a love fest for Board Member Hill’s brand of bigotry coming from many audience members. Then most on the board thanked her for her service (with a very neutral farewell from Board Member Sorensen).

The only mention of her bigotry actually came during public comments from one of her supporters who read the Peoria Education Association’s statement about her resignation. There was so much fawning over her that I felt myself getting hot around the collar. 

The other thing I’d like to say about ALL of these meetings is FOR THE LOVE OF [insert the deity of your choice here], PLEASE, SCHOOL BOARD PRESIDENTS, GAVEL AT YOUR SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS.

I’ve said it before, and unfortunately, I’m sure I will say it again: School board presidents need to reign in bad behaviors at their public meetings. FULL STOP. 

(Except we all know I’ll have more to say about that - sorry, not sorry).

With that, I’m going to pivot to the PVUSD meeting that occurred on the same night…because it was dominated by discussions about audience behavior during board comments. In fact, the bulk of the meeting was over an agenda item that would move public comments to the end of the meeting. 

So real quick, let’s talk about school board agendas. Typically, meetings open with the Pledge of Allegiance and/or a moment of silence (still confuses me as to why this is a regular occurrence). Next is usually recognition of students and/or staff, then board and superintendent reports. Public comments (not related to specific agenda items) come after that, usually followed by items that require action (a vote), and discussion items. The meeting generally ends with a discussion of future agenda items, a legislative update, and a motion to adjourn. 

First of all, there is no law or statute in Arizona that requires public comments at all. Additionally, there are MANY districts that designate public comments to the end of the agenda. Even though they may be at the end of the meeting, constituents can still speak on items that are actually on the agenda as they come up. 

But if you’re going to the meeting to address the board about non-agendized topics, you have to wait till the end. No big deal. 

Of course, to Fox News-watching, QAnon extremists, everything is a conspiracy theory, so you better believe that there was pushback. 

Before this meeting ever happened, Board Member Sandra Christensen put out a super scientific (/sarcasm) survey on her social media. Let’s just take a minute to talk about this trend of using social media to stoke the flames of outrage that we're seeing with many of these evangelical extremist school board members. 

Simply put, it’s Bad Boardsmanship 101. Just take this “survey” she put on Twitt—X (whatever it’s called). First, these board members frequently block anyone who disagrees with them. 

Second, who even knows how many of the survey takers even live in the district? Or are TPUSA operatives? Or how many are bots?

Board members like Christensen and Rooks frequently use their social media accounts to froth people up about the culture war du jour. It’s just another way they display their unwillingness to take their elected roles seriously. 

Public comments started with some guy wearing an infowars.com t-shirt complaining about teachers’ unions and the sexualization of kids. He incorrectly explained what the letters in LGBTQ stand for (it was horribly vitriolic and offensive so I'll spare you), and asked that all rainbow flags in the district be removed. He then accused the board of being pedophiles (like really WTAF, call a freaking point of order!).

Next, he called for the resignation of Board Members Anne Greenberg and Kerry Baker (referring to the latter as “AOC”) and accused them of not having children in the district (Baker has three in the district). 

This is dangerous rhetoric, folks. This hateful vitriol is going unchecked and, as we saw in California last week, and Jacksonville last weekend, has deadly outcomes. 

There were several more public commenters, of both the pro-public education and anti-public education varieties. Next, we dove right into the discussion about changing meeting times and protocols. Several people spoke out against moving public comments, including Captain Infowars and others. 

Now remember folks, board comments are NOT required by state law, and several districts put public comments at the end of their agendas. Also, THE PUBLIC CAN STILL COMMENT ON SPECIFIC ITEMS FOR CONSIDERATION AS THEY COME UP. 

All this will do is require that people who accuse board members of pedophilia (see above) have to wait until later to spread their hatred and mis/disinformation. The folks who suddenly seemed to care about working class parents at this 8/24 meeting, mentioned that this change to the agenda would disenfranchise those parents, and I can see that point. 

However, that said, working class parents still have ample opportunities to engage with the board. And I’m sorry, but these folks only care about marginalized and underserved communities when it suits them, if I’m being totally honest. So they can stop pretend-caring about actual parents in the district and have a seat. 

After public comments about this agenda item, President Case changed things up and gave her comments about this agenda item first (she usually goes last). She talked about how for 10 years before she was on the board, she was a parent who frequently attended meetings. 

She mentioned the national trend of falsely accusing public education institutions of ridiculous and egregious things (litter boxes in classrooms, rampant pedophilia in public schools, trans-on-cis violence, etc.), and how these inaccurate statements about the state of our public schools serve to hurt said schools and drive educators from the profession. 

At this point, a member (or members - I wasn’t there physically) of the audience started heckling President Case, completely proving her point.

Clerk Baker called a “point of order.” At this point, President Case explained (much like Kiana Sears at a Mesa Public Schools meeting last month) that a school board meeting is for the school board, and that the public can participate when it’s their time, but after that, they need to sit down and accept the will of the board.

Don’t like your board? Support the candidate of your choosing or run yourself, but don’t get it twisted: 

This👏is👏not👏your👏meeting👏

She mentioned the large number of emails the board received in support of this change to the agenda, and noted that these voices are just as important! I personally emailed the board, and know of dozens of others who did the same. In fact, Board Member Pantera affirmed that the comments in favor of this change outnumbered those against 2-1. 

Fun fact about President Case and Board Member Pantera is that they’re probably more on the moderate/conservative/middle of the political spectrum, and on occasion, may even vote with Board Member Christensen. Their votes give me hope that this trend of radical extremists trying to take over school boards may be coming to an end as the old school, "McCain Republicans" reject the ultra MAGA base. 

President Case needed to leave the meeting, so that means that Clerk Baker was now running the meeting and folks, she was a natural (mostly). 

Board Member Christensen had a sad about this vote and the words from her colleagues on the dais, accusing President Case (who frequently votes WITH Christensen) of “scolding” everyone (she wasn’t). Board Member Greenberg expressed her disappointment about people using public comments to spout off mis/disinformation, echoing the sentiments of most of her colleagues. 

After this, President pro tempore Baker amended the agenda item to move public comments closer to the end of the meeting, but before all discussion items. She had the gavel for all of five minutes, and came up with a perfect compromise, IMO. She also used her “teacher voice” with the audience and when audience members started having temper tantrums. 

She sternly said into her microphone, “also, if I continue to hear outbursts from the crowd, you will be asked to leave. Thank you,” and I damn near cried. Baker has been on the PVUSD board for exactly eight months. It was truly one of the only times in the past eight months that I’ve seen a school board president, pro tempore or otherwise, gavel with authority (except for maybe Julie Cieniawski in SUSD).

President pro tempore Baker struggled a bit with her compromise amendment, but made it through and I’m telling you folks, she’s a natural. I hope Baker continues to serve her community going forward, and I’m already kind of picturing her in a county or state position. 

The meeting ended with standard items, including a vote about School Resource Officers (SROs), another to accept gifts, and a presentation about school safety. 

Oh, and while all this was happening, back in PUSD, Board Members Rooks and Hill voted against a partnership with the Maricopa County Department of Public Health because it would provide standard vaccinations at select school campuses. You know where my dad got his polio vaccine? At his public school, in a sugar cube. 

So all this to say…

…AND to make my standard ask: The only way to combat Christian nationalism is to stand up to it. 

I WISH that voting was enough, but it’s not. We need every person who cares about the separation of church and state and their public education system to stand up and fight back against conspiracy theorists and evangelical extremists at every turn. 

Now is the time to get involved. Luckily, secular AZ makes it easy: Click here to add your name to our volunteer interest form, and here to become a member.

Together, we’re stronger — and our (reasonable, rational) voices can prevail!