Worst. School board meeting. Ever.

Way to go, PUSD Board. You "win."

Hey there, Secular Fam, have you all noticed how many evangelical extremists reject the expertise of actual experts of things lately? It all started in 2020. At first, everyone was like, “OMG, yay, teachers! You’re amazing. My children are horrible! Homeschooling sucks! Why am I drinking wine at 9:00 AM?”

Teaching is hard for certified teachers under the best of circumstances, and I do not envy the parents and/or teachers who went through such a difficult time. Something shifted with the MAGA crowd in the fall of 2020 when individual school districts had to make tough decisions about school openings, closures, and masking. 

I was still on my school district governing board at the time, and we decided to follow the science and the advice of the CDC since none of us were experts. We also made sure kids and families were fed and passed out food boxes every week. We had a couple of campuses open for our kids with special needs, we got electronics in the hands of all of our students, and worked with families to connect them to high-speed internet whenever we were able.

It wasn’t easy, and we certainly didn’t make everyone happy, but we had a mostly collaborative board with passionate people who truly cared about kids and their community. 

Thankfully we avoided the Pitchfork Mafia, but watched as districts all around the state were being targeted by rabid anti-science, anti-masking evangelicals. Church leaders and gym owners defied local, state, and/or national guidelines, and the leader of the free world was encouraging people to inject themselves with disinfectant or to sit in direct sunlight. 

One of the last conversations I had with my own sister was when she called for Anthony Fauci to be put before a firing squad. I’m sure a bunch of us lost even more family members during this time, either due to their political ideologies or the COVID-19 pandemic. 

So after fawning all over teachers in early 2020, by the fall, that had changed. Scientists, epidemiologists, doctors, and healthcare workers were next to be demonized. Remember this?

This distrust continued, and in 2023, people in Peoria (PUSD) and elsewhere decided they know more than attorneys about established law, and spoke against mental healthcare professionals like social workers and counselors. 

At last night’s PUSD meeting, superintendents and police officers were added to the list of professionals that evangelical extremists know more than. So let’s get right to the abusive, threatening, insulting, and hateful speech that adorned the PUSD meeting, Secular Fam because (and I can’t believe I’m about to type this out again): 

This was hands down, the worst school district governing board meeting I’ve ever seen. 
Honestly, at this point, I think these people are just part of some MAGA deplorable, guerilla improv team using the time set aside for serious public comments to instead practice their Harold (you’re welcome, improv nerds of the world!). You know, Yours Truly has dabbled in the improv dark arts, and trust and believe, no one — unless they’re on the “yes, and” train — wants to see improv (that’s my apology to my friend Sarah, who I once forced to go to an improv performance - Sorry, Sarah! Love you!).

So let’s open up this can of deplorables and see what new lows have been achieved by these miscreants, shall we? 

The meeting started in the usual manner and I was eager to see how President Proudfit would handle being thrust into the presidency since the last PUSD meeting. First up was a moment of silence for a student who lost their life and the Pledge of Allegiance. President Proudfit acknowledged that there are LOTS of people who watch these meetings, and she’s right. 

Next up was Consent Agenda items, and since there was nothing about staff travel or taking care of our most marginalized students, nothing was pulled. After Consent was approved, two stellar students shared their journey as students in a specialized program in PUSD. It was pretty inspiring, and I’m so glad that these kids act with such professionalism and maturity. They were, hands down, the most mature and professional part of the meeting, and I’m glad that President Proudfit encouraged them and others to leave before public comments. No child needs to be subjected to what happened during the call to the public. 

Next up were board member updates, and they were mostly normal except for Board Member Rooks’. She insinuated that neither the district leadership or law enforcement are capable of doing their jobs as she talked about a “shelter-in-place” situation that happened this month at one of the PUSD schools. This is another example of extremists rejecting the expertise of the professionals that surround them. 

Don’t get me wrong. Lockdowns and any other kind of volatile situation in schools are stressful AF. The prevalence of smartphones may complicate these events as students may be texting parents and/or posting to social media during the event. As a teacher, it was important for me to follow all the safety protocols to keep my students and me safe, knowing that the administrators and local law enforcement were doing what was needed to handle whatever the situation may have been. 

Many of these pArEnTaL RiGhTs people demand that they be involved in absolutely every moment of every day of their children’s lives, even if that means ignoring safety protocols and maybe even putting kids and teachers in danger. Unfortunately, these lockdown events happen. The staff is told to go into some form of lockdown, the situation is assessed by campus and district leaders and the local police, the lockdown ends, and parents are notified. Imagine what would happen if parents are notified at the beginning of an event regardless of how dangerous it was and then a caravan of parents shows up in the parking lot of what could be a dangerous situation.

And I get that all of this sucks, but until this country gets serious about regulating weapons like, AT ALL, this is what we’re stuck with.  

I did enjoy that President Proudfit made a point to speak about a small but impactful event in the district where a group of kids shaved their heads to support another student undergoing chemotherapy. Mrs. Proudfit strikes me as a genuinely kind person (despite her shocking support for Mrs. Rooks at the last meeting), and I hope she keeps up this kind of positivity. 

She then read the Public Comment disclaimer that states that bad behavior and political speeches would not be tolerated, and then she said “I’m sure none of that will happen.” Aw. Bless her heart. 

And we’re off. And at this point, I encourage all of you to actually watch the speakers of this meeting. When I say it was the worst I’ve ever witnessed, I mean it.

The first speaker was a woman named Mia. She referenced the words of Board Member Sorensen from the last meeting when he said that Mrs. Rooks let her old position as Clerk get to her head, and mentioned a figurative “crown” that she saw herself wearing as he voted against her second term in leadership. 

But Mia wanted everyone to know that Mrs. Rooks DOES have a crown on her head. She knows this because she had a revelation from the Lord, y’all!

She went on about how Rooks is the daughter of a king and that king is god. I’m not sure which god, however because she didn’t get into any details, but he sounds like a real narcissist, what with the “alpha and omega” the “beginning and the end.” I mean, seriously, he sounds like my ex. 

She then said a super creepy prayer where she wished that the blood of her abusive god’s son (but somehow still also the same god for some reason) would spill all over the district, and I was like, “I’ve seen this movie before!” 

Either way, spilling blood on school campuses sounds like a terrible idea, and likely has really bad outcomes for our students. She then continued praying, asking her god (you know, the one who demanded the murder of his son among others?) to cast out the demons in the district, and I was like, “Wait! Is J6 Insurrectionist, CD8 Congressional Hopeful, Fake Elector, Arizona’s Biggest Manbaby AND Mama Fratelli Look Alike, Senator Anthony Kern here??” 

He wasn’t, so I guess she must have been referring to the voices in her head? 

Because her god told her Heather is a queen, she gave her a queen chess piece, and I was dying to know if she gave her the black one or white one, but I'm pretty sure we all know. 

Next up was Laura, a regular speaker, and she continually surprises me. It’s been somewhat hard to figure out which side she’s on, but ultimately, she seems to be on the side of strong public schools. She admonished speakers like Mia for bringing up religion, and read the policy about religion in PUSD. Basically she encouraged the evangelical extremists to STFU already and focus on the business of the district or take a seat. 

Next up was the guy with two names who is running for PUSD school board. Every time he gets to the microphone, he uses his time to essentially read the copy from his campaign website. He’s technically not asking people to vote for him, but he’s totally using his time to try to get people to vote for him.

Unlike most of the others from the Rooks crew, he comes across as rational and normal, but he’s your standard Purple for Parents/Moms 4 Liberty type. That said, he seems to have MAD photoshop skills because his picture from his website looks NOTHING like he does in person. Good work, Jeff! 

Next, another regular who canNOT stop thinking about children’s genitalia was up to beat the drum of bigotry once again. Then Turning Point USA (TPUSA) operative, Tiffany Benson was up. She used her time to deny reality and to refer to the “Disposable Establishment Clause.” 👀 

Then she commended school board members who sue districts and applauded the fact that Rooks cost the district $300,000 in a lawsuit before she even got elected. Weird priorities, but mmmkay…

Then she called the Maricopa County School Superintendent Steve Watson and Board Clerk David Sandoval “cockroaches” and no one said a fucking thing. I truly believe this board has become numb to it.

For the last year, this board has done nothing to demand speakers adhere to the guidelines presented at every meeting. For the last year, this board has done nothing when mistruths and outright lies have been uttered by speakers. For the last year, this board has allowed the public to run this meeting, and has allowed them to break every rule of decorum.

And here is where I am going to propose something that I wouldn’t propose for any other school district in Arizona: get rid of public comments, PUSD. Remember, there is nothing in Arizona statute that mandates public comments at meetings, and since this board is either unable or unwilling to gavel at these business meetings, they need to stop them until they figure it out.

Seriously. The things that have been said at these meetings bring absolutely nothing to this district except for ridicule and the potential for harm. 

I’m not the only one who thinks the public comments have gotten out of hand, because the next speaker, teacher, and local union leader, Trina Berg, asked the board to move the public comments to the end. 

Angry Homemade T-shirt Granny was next, and she provided several many more reasons why public comments should be shut down. She started by quoting the bible, then she brought up Abraham Lincoln, and then she denied the results of the board election that took place live and in a public setting at the last meeting where she was present. 

Then she spouted off about board “shenanigans” and accused any board member who didn’t vote for Mrs. Rooks in a leadership position “evil. ” And this is where someone, ANYONE, should have called a point of order. But they didn’t so she just kept going.

She then referred to Mrs. Proudfit as “snake slime” (this should have been another point of order). She then mocked President Proudfit’s kind disposition at the last meeting, and accused President Proudfit of being theatrical (this should have been yet another point of order). 

This hateful woman then prayed to the same, abusive, narcissistic god that Mia did and instead of praying for a brain or a heart like I thought she would, she prayed that god would crush everyone that disagrees with her “in Jesus’ name, amen.” She then likened any vote that she didn’t agree with to a natural disaster that would kill the dissenters or something? And then she started campaigning for the 45th president (you know the one who was found to be guilty of rape and is currently facing a bunch of felony charges?),

and FINALLY Board Member Melissa Ewing called a point of order as she was finishing. Then, Mrs. Proudfit reminded the audience that political speech is not OK during public comments.

This whole diatribe was entirely unacceptable, and the fact that nothing was said to any of these speakers was just all-around bad boardsmanship, and the inaction of the board only further emboldens these people to yammer on. 

Once again, I feel compelled to give an example of how this SHOULD have gone down: 

MAGAGranny: yOu bOaRd MeMbErS aRe EVIL!!

[MAGApplause]

Board President [gaveling the MAGA outburst]: As I stated at the beginning of this meeting, any outbursts will not be tolerated. If I hear it again, you will be removed. Also, point of order, ma’am, you may not disparage board members, and if you do it again, you’ll be removed. 

MAGAmom: aBrAhAm LiNcOlN sAiD yOu’Re eViL!!

Board President: Ma’am, you’ve been warned. Your time is over. Officers, would you please escort this woman to the parking lot so she can find her car safely? Thank you…next item on the agenda is…

And, scene. 

After this nonsense, President Proudfit seemed a bit rattled. She has Heather Rooks (and David Sandoval, for that matter) to thank for the tone and lack of decorum at these meetings. Mrs. Rooks frequently uses her social media to get people to show up and spout their hate speech, and for an entire year, no one demanded that the audience adhere to the rules for public comment. 

Really, y’all, I felt bad for her. I meant it when I said she seems to be a decent person. I feel like the buck got passed to the newest member of the board, and that was shitty, in my humble opinion. I’m still rooting for her, and I hope she (probably with the help of Mrs. Ewing) can get these meetings under control. But also, Mrs. Ewing owes her colleagues nothing. 

One of the men on this board blocked Mrs. Ewing from being elected into a leadership position. Then he didn’t even show up to this board meeting. Then the other man on the board sat in silence while he and others were threatened and called names during public comment.

The woman who they essentially shut out from being either President or Clerk of the board stepped up to finally call a point of order. Are the rest too scared to anger the MAGAts? I can’t help but feel like the two men on this board want the women to clean up their mess from last year, but I’m also jaded AF.

And there you have it, folks. Just when I think people can’t get any lower than they already are, another PUSD meeting comes up on my calendar.

BUT! It doesn’t have to be like this. Please, for the love of the kids in Peoria, PLEASE, email this board and ask them to either get rid of or move their public comments to the end of the meeting. For that matter, they could take a lesson from Deer Valley (DVUSD) and move their board member and superintendent updates to the end of the meeting as well. 

Remember, these meetings are the board’s business meeting. It’s open to the public, but it is not the public’s meeting. Public comments are optional, and while I’m a big fan of hearing from the public, most of the folks in PUSD have proven they’re incapable of following the rules. 

As always, support the work that we do here at Secular AZ, and if you’re interested in getting more involved, we have many ways for you to do so.