Editor's note: This story as been updated with more information about the test not being brought home.
Peoria Unified School District governing board President Heather Rooks recently took to social media sharing her distaste for the Arizona Board of Education, as well as sharing part of the Arizona state standardized test, which district students had been taking at the time her video was posted.
In her March 30 video post, Rooks shares something her son told her after taking the Arizona Academic Standards Assessment earlier that day.
The AASA is the state standardized test for grades 3-8 that covers English language arts and mathematics.
Standarized tests are often regulated by security measures to protect exam integrity and ensure fairness.
A spokesperson for the Arizona Board of Education said their assessments staff is looking into the incident.
Rooks confirmed with the Independent that her son told her about the test and he did not bring it home with him.
“My fourth-grader came home today with his state writing portion and it wasn’t even an argumentative opinion piece for writing. It was ‘these are the facts and you can’t challenge them.’ And the content that was shared was green energy woke nonsense that greenhouse gases are bad for the environment and electrical cars are good for the environment, and so that is the type of woke indoctrination that is happening through our Arizona State Board of Education and these people were chosen by our Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs to sit on the state board of education,” she said.
The Environmental Protection Agency identifies greenhouse gases as pollutants from human activity that trap heat, drive climate change, as well as threaten public health and welfare.
The lead administrator of the EPA is former Republican U.S. Congressman Lee Zeldin, who was appointed by President Donald Trump and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on January 29, 2025.
Rooks is running for reelection to the PUSD governing board, as well as for a seat in the House of Representatives for Legislative District 28.
Rooks told Peoria Independent there are many other entities out there that claim global warming is a hoax, including Trump.
In the video, Rooks went on to say the board of education is pushing “woke indoctrination” through the state test, and called for a new state superintendent, as well as for Senate President Andy Biggs to be elected to the governor’s office so the current State Board of Education can be replaced.
Biggs is running for governor and will face off against three other candidates in the Republican primary July 21.
The Arizona governor appoints 10 of the 11 members of the Arizona State Board of Education, subject to state Senate confirmation. The board members serve four-year terms, and the board includes a mix of education professionals, lay members, and the superintendent of public instruction, an elected official.
“We need to get a new Arizona governor to remove these people from the Arizona State Board of Education, and we need to have a new superintendent of public instruction, which is why I will be supporting Kimberly Yee. It is time to get this woke liberal nonsense out of our children’s classrooms,” she said.
Senior News Editor Philip Haldiman can be reached at phaldiman@iniusa.org, or on X @philiphaldiman. Please submit comments at yourvalley.net/letters or email them to AzOpinions@inusua.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines.
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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