Peoria Unified School Board Member Calls for Extermination of Non-Christians...

...and justifies it with "it's god's words, not mine"

Peoria…I wish I knew how to quit you. 

But there are just so many reliably WRONG things happening at your meetings every other week, and our members deserve to know about them. So buckle up, throw some Bailey’s in your coffee, and let’s break it all down. 

Because this last meeting was a doozy. 

And be sure to check your emails in the coming days, because on my way to the PUSD meeting, I was listening to public comments at the Paradise Valley Unified School District (PVUSD) board meeting, and as soon as my stomach can handle it, I’ll be writing a breakdown of their Thursday meeting, where the tinfoil hat brigade was in full force. 

Also, School Districts! Could you stop having your meetings on the same nights? Kthxbye.

Let’s get this (horrible, nightmarish) party started! 

Like every other meeting, this one started with a moment of silence (I still don’t really know who we’re being silent for, but I use this time for some deep cleansing breaths to brace myself for all the god-bothering 🐮💩), and the Pledge of Allegiance.

I also don’t say the Pledge anymore. I stand, but I don’t recite it. At a meeting a few months ago, my friend and fantastic young activist, Elijah Watson, chose not to stand, and an angry older woman scolded him and grabbed him by the arm for not standing. Good times. 

This time, someone yelled a very enthusiastic “UNDER GOD!!” from the back of the boardroom. Cute. 

As usual, after approving the agenda, it was time for board comments. Board member Hill was first up, and she repeated her ridiculous, bastardized version of the PUSD motto. The actual motto is “Every Student, Every Day, Prepared to Shape Tomorrow,” but she and board member Rooks have changed it to “Every Student, Every Day, Except the Girls,” because they don’t accept the fact that transgender girls are girls.

It’s cruel, intentional, and juvenile. I can’t imagine how the transgendered students feel when they watch these hateful “Christians.” 

She then quoted grifter and right-wing darling Riley Gaines, the mediocre swimmer who’s now making bank on the Fox News circuit by spreading her hate. The quote she chose was “A lie doesn’t become truth, wrong doesn’t become right, and evil doesn’t become moral just because it’s accepted and embraced by a portion of society.” But she didn’t quote scripture, so maybe she’s actually not going to violate her oath to the Constitution anymore. 

Just kidding! Of course she will!

Moving on, Board Member Sorensen thanked outgoing Superintendent, Dr. Jason Reynolds, for his service to the district and pointed out how difficult his job is, especially as more superintendents are stepping down. 

And let’s talk about this for a second, folks. He’s not wrong. There is not only a teacher retention crisis in Arizona, but there is a school administrator retention crisis. This year alone, 24 superintendents have resigned, retired, or been fired. In a normal year, from January to June, that number would be closer to about ten.

This is not normal. 

Board Member Rooks read Hebrews 10:23, again violating her oath to the Constitution for (I believe) the 10th time, and managed to remember one time where she thought Dr. Reynolds was decent to her, and that’s when she locked her keys in her minivan and how he gave her a ride. Awwwww. 

But basically, she’s been calling for his resignation since she was elected so whatevs, Heather.

She then went on to say Happy Father’s Day and Happy Fourth of July, and then thanked Riley Gaines for “not being afraid to speak up,” and brought up an extremely sus story of sexual assault happening in a school bathroom in New Mexico.

BTW, the only sources for this story came from the Washington Examiner and Independent Women’s Forum (an organization that Riley Gaines is a spokesperson for 👀), among others, and both of those publications have been identified as being biased to the right/far-right. I tried to find a reputable news source for this incident, but came up with nothing. 

Next, Board Member Ewing did what normal board members should do during their board updates, and that is she gave actual updates about the things she did in the district. And I’ll tell you what, she does A LOT. She went on to thank Dr. Reynolds for his service. 

After her, President Sandoval had a very lengthy tribute to Dr. Reynolds, and the older ladies sitting next to me couldn’t help but huff and puff and eyeroll about everything he said. 

At this point, Board Member Hill suddenly remembered that Dr. Reynolds is retiring, and she gave some phony thank you for his service, It just came across as really disingenuous, especially considering what she put him through over the last several years. 

Next, Dr. Reynolds gave an update about his district activities and then gave an emotional speech about his tenure in PUSD, and I was downright verklempt. He got a standing ovation, and he seems like a kind, competent, and hard-working dude. He didn’t deserve the treatment he received. Thanks for your service, Dr. Reynolds. 

And now, the real circus begins. Public comments! Tonight, 🧻USA wasn’t there, so it was just the usual bigots without any Nazi haircuts.  

President Sandoval started off by saying that he isn’t going to read the statement that he usually does since he reads it all the time and no one pays attention to it. He said he watched the last meeting and was saddened about the behavior of some during public comments. He told the audience that they are an example for the children in the district, and should be setting better examples as the adults in the room. I’m not holding my breath. 

What I’d really like to see is for people to be shut down or kicked out. And board members who read scripture need to be called out by others at the dais IMMEDIATELY. Until that happens, we can expect more bad behavior, and the district can likely expect a costly lawsuit. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

The first speaker was a woman I hadn’t seen before. She was in a wheelchair, and pointed out (correctly) that the lectern is NOT accessible. She then went on to point out that many things in the district are not accessible and/or ADA compliant. She was unapologetic in her speech, and I hope that the district makes the changes she recommended.

 I’d also like to point out that this is why bonds and overrides are so important. Both Board Members Rooks and Hill oppose bonds and overrides. Dr. Reynolds assured her that he’ll get the right people to reach out to her. 

Next up was the Envelope Lady once again “serving” members of the board, and promising she will NOT behave better, so take that, President Sandoval! 

Next up was a dad in the district, angry about bathrooms, and he called out Board Member Sorensen and accused him of sleeping at the dais. He also called out Board Member Ewing and accused her of misrepresenting a safety conference she attended. Dr. Sorensen responded by saying that he processes information by closing his eyes sometimes. The dad wanted to respond, but President Sandoval reminded him that public comment is not a time for a dialogue. 

Ms. Ewing responded by basically saying that she was actually at the event, and she was simply relaying the information presented at the conference. She said that the folks at this safety conference were all on the same page that guns are far more dangerous to children than trans students. Like, duh. When will the ammosexuals get that? 

[Quick aside here to plug our upcoming speaker series on white Christian nationalists’ obsession with guns, starting on September 22.]

The next speaker was the daughter of the dad that just spoke. She accused the board of not caring about their safety and said that she knows that they care more about “boys who think they are girls.” All I could think was how this harmful rhetoric is being force fed to her by her parents. 

THAT is real grooming, folks. 

Also, I would like to make a plug for the MAX documentary called Transhood. If you’ve never met a trans child, this lovely film paints a very accurate picture of what it’s like to be trans or be the parent of a trans child. Spoiler alert: it’s really effing hard, and they face tons of discrimination and hate. 

After that, it was my turn! I made sure to wish everyone a happy pride month, and I was sure to wear my rainbow Diamondback shirt (which was difficult, as I’m a die-hard Cubs fan), but I did that because of this: 

The America Pack grandma turned around when I wished everyone a Happy Pride Month, because this is what this brand of “Christians” do.

I wanted to share with any non-evangelicals that when Board Member Hill called for their extermination, it was wrong, and shouldn’t have been said. I didn’t mention her by name, but Board Member Rooks piped up to say “I believe that was spoken against to” Ms. Hill and would she like to “speak back”?

And she did. 

She justified her hate speech by saying that it was “god’s word” and that it was the gospel. She said she didn’t “mention it out of my personal speak, it actually was god’s words.” 

AND THAT MAKES ANY OF WHAT YOU SAID OK?! 

We need to break this down folks. 

First, let’s just pretend that a deity actually wrote the Bible. What kind of lunatic do you have to be to follow the gospel and murder others who don’t share your worldview? 

Second…lady! You are a public school district board member. There are Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, Native, and Atheist families in your district. You just told those families they deserve to be exterminated, and that oopsie! It’s not me saying it, but my maniacal, abusive, controlling god. 

Third, she’s once again violating her oath to the constitution, and where is the Anti-Defamation League right now?!

Next, PUSD candidate Nikki Eancheff talked about [GASP!] trans bathrooms because that’s her entire platform. 

Next, a regular attendee who speaks frequently said things that frankly, I rarely understand. Her speeches are often filled with lots of metaphors, and I never can quite tell which side she’s on, but I like her style regardless. 

There wasn’t much else that was spicy after this. A routine vote for a new principal at an elementary school. Again, though both Rooks and Hill promised to vote no on everything going forward, the contract was unanimously approved. 

More routine stuff happened, but folks, if by now you all aren’t compelled to get involved in your local school board, I don’t know what else to do. 

A👏sitting👏board👏member👏is👏calling👏for👏the👏extermination👏of👏all👏non👏 Christians👏

She is calling for a holy war, and according to Jeff Sharlet and others, we are already in a slow civil war. 

We have so many opportunities for those of you who are willing, ready, and able to show up and advocate for public, secular, schools and government. 

Please sign up to volunteer, become a monthly supporter or member, or join our board of directors to ensure that Arizona’s schools and public spaces stay free from religious hate speech.