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Cantor: Context for Scottsdale school board candidate’s statements

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The article interviewing candidates for SUSD Governing Board had some very erroneous statements and assumptions from Ms. Digrazia.

Being a student of history and government for the better part of my 73 years, largely spent here in Arizona, and knowing the case history behind the establishment of ARS Title 12-115, I am in great concern as to the mindset that feels our schools would willingly participate in a real act of sedition.

Also having been a parent and now great grandparent of students in SUSD schools, I am keenly aware of parent involvement, past and present, at every level in our public schools.

Many SUSD parents spent hours at the Legislature starting in 1994, when Lisa Graham Keegan began the push for charter schools. They came away with the knowledge that charter schools were really proposed as business opportunities for those wanting to make an easy dollar dealing in land and property acquisitions. Parents had little impact on curriculum or its implementation.

The accusations that parents don’t have a say in decisions regarding academics and supporting programs in SUSD is just specious, at best. Very misleading.

Parents of SUSD students are welcome, as are grandparents.

There are curriculum committees, textbook committees and committees to address support programs and extra curricular activities. Volunteer opportunities are there. Show up at meetings. Introduce yourself to those involved, including the union reps. None of them are preprogrammed to attack and destroy because someone has an opposing idea.

As the daughter of a union negotiator let me say that I have never heard a union position on curriculum promoted in committee discussions. Teachers’ knowledge and expertise per subject is valuable and welcome.

Anyone who thinks any school district would undertake to deal with the subject of sex education without the necessary disclosures and thorough vetting of the parent community does a disservice to the parent community and their sense of responsibility. Scottsdale is a somewhat conservative community, but parents are not afraid to speak out.

Then we come to four issues this candidate is concerned about found the in Arizona Revised Statute Title 12-115.

The first item under this heading prohibits the promotion of the overthrow of the U.S. government.

Seriously. Sedition. This is totally misleading.

Surely you recall the todo over the Mexican American Studies Program offered by the Tucson Unified School System. Former Arizona Attorney General, Tom Horne, and former state Superintendent of Public Instruction, John Huppenthal, brought the legislation forward following the appearance of Horne at an assembly in TUSD that he, Horne, felt was insulting to him.

Look it up, it is part of our state’s history and shines a bit of light on the subtleties of discrimination.

The issues of race, class, ethnicity, ethnic solidarity, etc. are taken up in the remainder of the ARS Title 12-115. It would be wonderful if we as a people valued diversity. But that is not reality, so when discrimination occurs, we must check ourselves and deal with eliminating it.

The Equity and Inclusion Initiative has been a long time in discussion at every level of SUSD and we have had such efforts for years with Dialogues in Diversity with the City of Scottsdale, the Erase the Hate campaign, also in partnership with the city, and Community Celebrating Diversity and the Diversity Champions program.

It is important, truly responsible, to check ourselves now and then to make sure we are providing the best learning opportunities for our kids and community.

Finally, Black Lives Matter, it is a non-profit advocacy group.

In some arenas it has been labeled as having connections to Marxism. (That “-ism” crops now and then, most often when the word “socialism” crops up. And God knows political -isms are being carelessly sloshed around this election season.)

As it turns out more than one group lays claim to the name “Black Lives Matter.” As soon as the courts rule who it belongs to and what it really is, and that will be a while, because of donations being erroneously given to one entity or the other, it may be best to hold fire.

Editor’s Note: Nancy Cantor is a longtime Scottsdale resident and community advocate.