There has been movement on a lawsuit filed by governing board member Heather Rooks alleging Peoria Unified School District infringed on her right to quote Biblical scripture during public meetings, but don’t expect to learn anything about it, as the information is private.
The governing board met in an executive session Nov. 16 regarding the case and convened publicly after, voting to proceed as instructed regarding what was discussed in the meeting.
The PUSD governing board also met Dec. 5 in executive session regarding the case.
However, those details are private under state law because they were discussed in executive sessions.
Rooks’ lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Arizona, was backed by Plano, Texas-based First Liberty Institute.
The firm said they “do not have any updates at this time.”
It is unclear how the lawsuit will proceed as executive sessions are private meetings and not open to the public.
The lawsuit came after Madison, Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation threatened to sue the district and Rooks if she did not stop quoting the Bible from the dais. The organization contended the quotes during Rooks’ official duties violate the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution.
The filing details all Rooks' quotes from the Bible through June.
At the time, both Rooks and then-board member Rebecca Hill were quoting the Bible during meetings. The foundation singled out Rooks for what it said was openly embracing Christian nationalism and inviting supporters to meetings where they sometimes disrupted proceedings.
Hill has since resigned from the board about a year before her term ended, citing the desire to spend time with her family.
Philip Haldiman can be reached at phaldiman@iniusa.org, or on Twitter @philiphaldiman. We’d like to invite our readers to submit their civil comments, pro or con, on this issue. Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org.
Meet Philip Haldiman is an award-winning journalist who most recently took first place for investigative reporting in 2023 from Arizona Newspapers Association. He joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2015, covering Sun City West his first year. Since 2016, he has covered the city of Peoria. Prior to coming to INI, he was a reporter with The Arizona Republic for seven years, covering numerous cities throughout the Valley. Before that, he was a freelance writer.
Community: Haldiman spearheads the Peoria Independent Hometown Heroes Awards program, honoring local individuals and businesses that give back to the community. He has hosted local candidate forums over the years and is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists. Haldiman also served as a member of the Journalism Program Community Advisory Board at Glendale Community College. Outside journalism, Haldiman served as a member of the city of Peoria Complete Count Committee for the Census, 2019-2020. Lastly, he has served as a member of his HOA governing board since 2021.
Education: Arizona State University with a BA in Journalism and Mass Communications and a BA in Theater.
Random Fact: Haldiman is a fourth-generation Arizonan as well as wrote and produced an autobiographical comic book about his time spent in Hollywood and his life as a cult film star.
Hobbies: He enjoys hiking Arizona’s mountainous landscapes and is currently working on a play for the stage.
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