Speaker calls out Higley board vice president for critical comments

By Tom Blodgett
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In an echo from the previous Higley Unified School District Governing Board meeting, a public speaker Sept. 17 sharply rebuked Vice President Anna Van Hoek’s criticism of teen who defended their teacher. 

Jessica D’Ambrosio accused Van Hoek of attempting to minimize the concerns and thoughts of the students, though she only referred to Van Hoek as “a board member.” 

D’Ambrosio and three students, including D’Ambrosio’s son, had been among the speakers Aug. 27 who defended Williams Field High School literature teacher Brittany O’Neill from accusations of a parent who accused her of taking his parental rights in the matter of a book assignment — “Homegoing” by Ghanian-American author Yaa Giyasi — with sensitive material in it. 

After public comment at that meeting, Van Hoek responded by saying they were teenagers, not adults, being given adult content to read and then accusing them of being inappropriately coached by O’Neill in their comments. 

D’Ambrosio struck back Sept. 17. 

“These very students are the same students who she should be advocating for and thanking for their insights,” she said. “When this board member called them teenagers, not adults, was she trying to minimize their value? When she went on to say, ‘coaching is having students show up to a board meeting to act like activists on behalf of the teacher and I find it inappropriate,’ was she trying to imply that our students don't have their own thoughts about the world around them?” 

D’Ambrosio thanked board members who took the time to listen to the students and encouraged candidates for the board in the November election — four were in the audience — to do so if they win a seat. 

Van Hoek attempted to interrupt at the point where D’Ambrosio addressed the candidates with a point of order, apparently tied to a prohibition on electioneering in public comment, but D’Ambrosio finished her comments. 

Van Hoek’s response at the Aug. 27 meeting was unusual in that elected officials usually do not respond and in fact are limited by state law in addressing anything not on the agenda to only directing staff to study a matter, responding to direct criticism or scheduling a matter for future consideration. 

Reminded of that by the district’s attorney, Jennifer MacLennan, Van Hoek said she was responding to criticism, though no one had named her. 

However, at the Sept. 17 meeting, Van Hoek did not respond. 

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

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).