A woman who identified herself as being from a conservative advocacy group hurled accusations against Higley Unified School District governing board members and invited people to ask for an investigation of the board.
Tiffany Benson, who said she was from Turning Point USA, called board members “pedophiles by proxy” during the public-comment period of a May 10 meeting. On her request to speak form, Benson indicated she does not live within the district.
Benson’s comments centered on the board’s April 5 approval of a payment of $1,565 to BrainPOP, a group of children's educational websites that host more than 1,000 short, animated movies for students in grades K–12. The site also has quizzes and related materials. The subjects covered include science, social studies, English, math, engineering and technology, health, arts and music.
The voucher was one of hundreds listed on an 83-page list of vouchers needing approval as part of the board’s consent agenda.
Benson said the materials from BrainPOP, as part of the district’s technology curriculum, expose district students as young as pre-Kindergarten to sexualized content and gender propaganda.
“As public servants under oath, we expect you to obey the law, respect the office of governing board member, and maintain decorum in public meetings,” Benson said. “We don't expect you to aid and abet the exploitation of minors.”
Benson said BrainPOP’s social media presents discussions on Black Lives Matter, social-emotional learning and social justice, and said it was critical race theory by another name. She also noted that “Arizona’s fake governor,” not using Gov. Katie Hobbs’ name, had vetoed an Arizona Senate bill that would have prohibited instruction on some race-related topics.
Benson also said “social justice and transgender ideologies” are secular humanist doctrines and that, because case law had established secular humanism as a religion, purchasing BrainPOP material violated the Arizona Constitution, which prohibits appropriating money or property for religious exercise or instruction.
“I encourage educators to use their liberty to teach real science, real ethics, and use Biblical principles to counter humanist doctrines,” she said. “They're free to do this under the First Amendment and under Article Six of the U.S. Constitution.”
She then said anyone who wants to “blow the whistle” on the district can submit a request for investigation the website schoolboardwatchlist.org, a website run by Turning Point USA.
Turning Point USA, which is headquartered in Phoenix, is a nonprofit organization that advocates for conservative politics on high school, college and university campuses.
“Lastly, the left likes to mock the word ‘grooming’ when we use it, but it's actually a nice word.” she said. “When it comes to board members and administrators like those in HUSD, I prefer the term ‘pedophiles by proxy’ because that's what you are.”
Board Member Anna Van Hoek later requested the district present information on BrainPOP at a future board meeting.
Benson also accused, but did not name, a board member of violating open meeting law April 5 by correcting a speaker during public comment about what the acronym GSA stands for as a club on the Higley High School campus.
That exchange happened when Board Member Kristina Reese clarified to speaker Roy Morales after his comments that GSA at Higley stood for “Gay Straight Alliance.” Morales had referred to it as the “Gay Sexual Alliance” group while thanking Superintendent Dawn Foley for having more club information put on the district website.
“The club is chartered as Gay Straight Alliance and run by students, but the parent company is Genders and Sexualities Alliance, and it's run by adult predators,” Benson said.
Morales, speaking again later at the May 10 meeting, also criticized Reese for correcting him at the previous meeting. He said GSA uses the names interchangeably.
“I just feel that when a board member who corrects somebody who has a request to speak and addressed afterward and they (the public speaker) have to sit down, they can’t engage in that conversation,” he said. “I think that’s an unfair practice.”
Tom Blodgett can be reached by email at tblodgett@iniusa.org or follow him @sp_blodgett on Twitter. 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 @sp_blodgett
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).
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