"Science was created by god, legitimately, to be constant."

And other nonsensical word salad from this week's Peoria Unified School District Board meeting

It was like deja vu all over again…

Just last week at the 5.22.23 meeting in Peoria Unified School District (PUSD), I watched in awe as Board Member Rebecca Hill used biblical scripture to call for the death of all non-Christians and said “science doesn’t really change all that much.” 

BAM! Here I am, in the same room…if I believed in Hell, this would be it. 

The special meeting was held on June 1st —  the first day of Pride month — because there was a mixup about posting the last meeting, and all the agenda items that needed a board vote required a public meeting. These things happen, so there was nothing nefarious about it.

Since the last meeting, PUSD Superintendent Jason Reynolds has resigned, perhaps because every meeting since the 2022 election has been a circus, filled with TPUSA operatives, transphobes, and white Christian nationalists. But we won’t know for sure what Reynolds’ reasons are unless one of the MAGA board members decides to share it on their social media accounts. 

The items that needed to be voted on were standard consent agenda items, approval of curriculum for science and math, and a vote to consider putting forth a bond/override election. But buckle up and take your blood pressure medication, secular fam, because this meeting was anything but standard, and the sentiments shared by board members Rooks and Hill were far more dangerous than any drag story hour. 

The meeting kicked off with the moment of silence and the Pledge of Allegiance with TPUSA “manager” Tiffany Benson, yelling an “ALMIGHTY GOD” during the part of the pledge that was added during the Cold War, and then…we were off to the races!

Next, public comments on items NOT on the agenda. The first speaker wished everyone a Happy First Day of Pride Month,

and then pointed out the hypocrisy of board members’ Rooks’ and Hill’s choice to change the motto of the district from “Every Student, Every Day,” to “Every Student, Every Day, Except the Girls.” Next, I was up, and shared with folks portions of the letter from the Freedom from Religion Foundation (FFRF) about Hill’s and Rooks’ insistence to violate their oath to the Constitution by reading biblical scripture during their board updates. 

In the letter, FFRF reminded the PUSD board that this isn’t their first rodeo, and that in a similar case in Chino CA, rogue board member shenanigans resulted in a loss of $250,000 to the district. Taxpayers in the district deserve to know that these folks are shirking their duty to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars, and I wanted the public record to reflect that, since the 2024 election is right around the corner. 

Next, another parent in the district (who was involved in a legal kerfuffle with board member Rooks last fall) commended the board members who voted to protect trans kids and follow the law, and called for Rebecca Hill’s resignation from the board.

Anytime specific board members are called out during public comments they may respond, and what happened next was… something. I can barely pick my jaw off the floor, so I feel that the video of their comments will do a better job than I ever could in this piece: 

VIDEO FROM PUSD - 25:30

Hill said there’s only one god and he’s christian, saying that the first amendment allows her to say whatever she wants (it doesn’t). Rooks doubled-down by saying “Every Student, Every Day, Except the Girls,” because of course she did.  

Next, a consent agenda item was pulled; it had to do with the special education department, and a concerned parent spoke about discrimination in PUSD that made national headlines in the New York Times. This was the same parent that asked me at the last board meeting if they always read scripture at board meetings, commenting that she couldn’t tell if she was in a school board meeting or a church sermon. 

After consent, we move into items 7.1 & 7.2. The first was about the possible adoption of a resolution to authorize a bond election, the second was about the adoption of science and math curriculum. The first member of the public to speak about the bond resolution was Nikki Eancheff, who is apparently a candidate for the PUSD governing board. She gave what I can only assume is her stump speech, and even included the MAGA motto in PUSD (Every Student, Every Day Except the Girls - *yawn*). 

President Sandoval stopped her for a moment since nothing she was saying was related to the bond resolution, and she assured him that she had a point. Yadda, yadda, yadda, we shouldn’t approve a bond measure because of…you guessed it…bathrooms. 

A couple members of the public spoke in favor of the bond, and then the board discussed the possible authorization of a bond election. The first comments came from Rebecca Hill who is “staking her ground” on this, saying “if we’re only supporting 50% [of our kids]” that she doesn’t support the bond. 

Rooks said more of the same, and said that a bond measure isn’t the way to invest in kids, and encouraged the district to get “in touch with the mayor” of Peoria. Ummmm…

Next up, Board Member Ewing gave a thoughtful response to the bond that, I’m guessing, surprised many people in attendance. She mentioned that with the uncertainty in leadership (Superintendent Reynolds’ resignation) and the need for thoughtful planning, it may be the wrong time to push the bond measure. President Sandoval echoed some of her same concerns, and asked about postponing the measure, and in the end, the bond resolution failed 4-1, with Board Member Sorensen being the lone yes vote. 

I find this interesting as a former board member. Normally, I support approving EVERY bond and override measure, but given the tumultuous nature of the governing board and the district as a whole, I found this discussion thoughtful, insightful, and I guess next year, we’ll find out if it was the right decision.
Moving on…now we’re onto the science and math curriculum approval. You may remember that Board Member Rooks went on Fox News earlier this year to complain about the actual science in the textbook that hurt her Christian nationalist feelings. This alone is enough of a reason for her to recuse herself from her vote.

By going on cable media to disparage one of the vendors during the Request for Procurement (RFP) process, she puts the district in legal danger (again), and during my public comments, I pointed that out. I encouraged members to stay in their lane, and let the experts (lawyers, scientists, biologists, educators, etc.) do their jobs without interference from board members who don’t believe science changes (spoiler: this wasn’t well received by Board Members Rooks or Hill). 

A teacher and a couple of parents spoke in favor of this curriculum adoption, and another parent spoke against the curriculum as she struggled to pronounce numerous words, including “anatomical” and denied the existence of intersex individuals. Mmmmkay…

After public comments, the board members had their opportunity to discuss the curriculum adoption, and unbelievably, Board Member Hill doubled DOWN on her insistence that science doesn’t change. 

Read that again. A sitting, home-schooling, creationist, K-12, PUBLIC school board member said

Science.

Doesn’t.

Change.

She went on to say that “science was created by god, legitimately, to be constant.”

Rooks talked about trust, how she’s not going to stay in her lane, winning her election, and something about McGraw-Hill. I’m not entirely sure, because I was still thinking about Board Member Hill’s comments.

Thankfully, the curriculum adoption was approved, but only by a one-person margin. And we can expect to see even more Christian nationalists running for their boards to dismantle their public schools from within. 

These kinds of meetings are happening all over the state. School board members do not get a salary. This is (usually) a labor of love, and good, secular board members and candidates need your help.

Please sign up to get involved with Secular AZ, so we can ensure that our public schools remain free from religious grooming and indoctrination.