Higley USD alerting traveling employees about state law on trainings

By Tom Blodgett
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The Higley Unified School District has developed an agreement for employees to sign before attending any conference that advises them on state law on impermissible training. 

That development came to light at the Oct. 11 HUSD Governing Board meeting as Board Member Anna Van Hoek continued to challenge overnight or out-of-state travel for employees attending professional development conferences. 

The board approved three such travel requests Wednesday on a 4-1 vote with Van Hoek dissenting. 

Van Hoek questioned whether it was legal under state law for the district to spend money sending employees to the conferences because some training sessions or speakers may present on topics that are not within state standards. 

Interim Superintendent Sherry Richards said that after the last time Van Hoek challenged such travel to conferences, the district developed the agreement with its legal counsel to make certain they were aware of Arizona Revised Statute 41-1494. 

That law prohibits any requirement or use public monies for training, orientation or therapy that presents any form of blame or judgment on the basis of race, ethnicity or sex.   

“In terms of the agreement, it's just so that our teachers are informed,” Richards said. “We trust them explicitly to attend the right sessions.” 

Richards used a math conference that Van Hoek objected to from the last board meeting as an example, noting that there were 638 different sessions at that math conference. A district teacher at such a conference could simply walk out of a session if they found it to run contrary to state standards. 

“There are plenty of sessions for them to select from that will improve their instructional practice and support our kids,” she said. 

Van Hoek’s objections have centered on topics that are about diversity, equity and inclusion practices, which she has said brings in anti-White teachings into the classroom. 

But Board Member Amanda Wade pushed back against that notion, saying there is a narrative about “DEI” that casts a false light on what it really is. 

“Diversity, equity and inclusion is what makes sure that teachers are serving the needs of their individual students,” she said. “It makes sure that teachers are being accountable and held responsible to the individual needs of their students. Because at the end of the day, if we do not do that, children get left behind. We know that for a fact.” 

Wade said DEI does not promote critical race theory nor create “some massive divisive demon.” 

“It is literally designed to ensure that we are giving every single student the opportunity to shine in equitable practices,” she said. “Equality is not the same thing. And for those who are believing the idea or the concept that equity means equality of outcome, I have years of grades to show you that I did not have equality of outcome regardless of circumstance, because that's not how this works.” 

Van Hoek retorted that while those things are to be expected in teaching, DEI is going beyond what Wade was explaining. 

“It's not just me making this up and this boogie word,” she said. “I'm aware of what is happening, and these are the type of practices that are impacting the education, every aspect, the military, all these. Employment. It makes certain all these people, OK, let's treat them equally. But then it also pushes a whole ‘nother group of people out.” 

The discussion was cut short at that point as Jennifer McClellan, legal counsel for the district, said she was concerned they were illegally going off the meeting’s agenda. That brought on the final vote. 

Tom Blodgett can be reached by email at tblodgett@iniusa.org or follow him @sp_blodgett on X. We would like to invite our readers to submit their civil comments, pro or con, on this issue. Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org. 

Tom Blodgett
Senior News Editor | Gilbert

tblodgett@iniusa.org

Meet Tom
Tom Blodgett joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2022, when the company acquired Community Impact Newspaper's Phoenix-area properties. Raised in Arizona, he has spent more than 35 years in journalism in the state.

Community: He has served as an instructional professional in the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication since 2005, and is editorial adviser to The State Press, the university's independent student media outlet. He also is director of operations for an 18U girls fastpitch softball team from Gilbert.

Education: Arizona State University with a BS in Journalism. 

Random Fact: He lived in Belgium during his freshman year of high school.  

Hobbies: Tweeting enthusiastically about ASU softball (season-ticket holder) and grumpily about other local sports (pessimistic fan).