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Black America Web
16-06-2025
- Politics
- Black America Web
Arizona School Board Under Fire For Updated Curriculum That Includes BLM
Source: Mario Tama / Getty As someone who's resided in Arizona for most of my life, I'll tell you that it is a deeply confusing place. You'll meet some of the most left-leaning folks you could ever know, and then turn around and see a house decked out in Trump flags. This conflict plays out in our state politics on all levels. Take, for instance, the Scottsdale Unified School District, which is currently under fire for a new social studies curriculum that acknowledges Black Lives Matter and protests against police. According to ABC 15, Arizona State Superintendent Tom Horne gave a press conference on Wednesday to challenge a social studies textbook that will be used in Scottsdale schools for the upcoming school year. Maricopa County Sheriff Jerry Sheridan, as well as Jim Hill, the president of the Maricopa County Colleges Police Association, were also in attendance as they felt the curriculum was anti-police. Horne called the curriculum a 'DEI-oriented textbook,' and labeled the school board as 'woke.' Why? Because the textbook acknowledges that over the last decade, we experienced events ranging from NFL players like Colin Kaepernick protesting police violence, to the racial uprisings in 2020 stemming from the murder of George Floyd. Apparently, simply talking about these things is seen as 'anti-police.' These are all events that have occurred in modern American history. History shouldn't be ignored because you don't like it or agree with it. As a millennial, my economic mobility has been stifled due to the long-lasting effects of Reaganomics. Do I like it? No. But thanks to history class, I know exactly who to blame for the socio-economic hellscape that is current-day America. The more you know, you know? Scottsdale Superintendent Scott Menzel pushed back against Horne's claims. 'To label them woke without having ever read what was the 1,250 pages in the textbook is a problem from my perspective,' Menzel told AZ Family. Source: Erik McGregor / Getty 'We would never adopt a curriculum that was anti-police,' said Menzel. 'We do have historically situations where some people argue that we should defund the police. Here in Arizona we had people who removed school resource officers. That's not something that we would ever contemplate, but from a historical perspective our students should be able to wrestle with why someone might have made that argument.' Wow, a curriculum designed to allow students to consider all the different viewpoints they coexist with on a daily basis? You know what? I take it back, that does sound like indoctrination to me. The curriculum had already been discussed by community members during the May board meeting where it was approved, and for the most part people seemed on board with it. 'Is it messy? Yes. Is it uncomfortable? Yes. You may not like the fact that George Floyd is brought up, but Derek Chauvin is serving time for murder. So, if you have a problem with that being discussed and that is somehow anti-police, then I don't know what to tell you,' one community member said during the meeting. Another community member read from a petition signed by 100 students, alumni, and parents in Scottsdale approving the new curriculum. 'Now more than ever, it's vital to provide students with a comprehensive education rooted in trust and fairness. The adoption in this curriculum is a critical step in ensuring all SUSD students receive the education they deserve,' she read. Not everyone is on board, though, as Scottsdale resident Karen Martinson stood beside Horne during the press conference. 'As a Black lady, I don't want my son learning about Black Lives Matter because it is too violent,' Martinson said. Man, wait till she finds out about what they were doing at Klan rallies. Horne has said he will report the curriculum to the federal government as he believes that the school is violating an agreement not to have DEI in K-12 classrooms. It really feels like I'm watching what likely happened in the '70s and '80s when schools began teaching about the Civil Rights Movement of the '60s in my own backyard. Arizona, what a strange place you are. SEE ALSO: Texas Is The Latest State To Censor Higher Education Over DEI Concerns UNC Asheville Dean Of Students Fired For Pro-DEI Comments SEE ALSO Arizona School Board Under Fire For Updated Curriculum That Includes BLM was originally published on Black America Web Featured Video CLOSE
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Arizona schools chief says history book (that he hasn't read) is too 'woke'
Just 40% of Arizona's public school students are proficient in English language arts, and a dismal 32% can pass a standardized math test. A consumer research company last fall analyzed data from all 50 states and Washington, D.C., in four key areas — K-12 performance, school funding, higher education quality and safety — and concluded that public education in Arizona is the worst in the nation. So, naturally, state Superintendent Tom Horne on June 11 blasted the Scottsdale Unified School District for being 'woke.' Horne and Maricopa County Sheriff Jerry Sheridan held a news conference to complain about the district's plot to teach a 'leftist' view of U.S. history to next year's high school students. Horne was particularly exercised by a passage that says some Black Lives Matter activists believe some deaths that led to the movement were 'the result of deeply embedded racism.' 'They present a one-sided presentation that's trying to get students, impressionable students, to believe that racism is deeply embedded in this country,' said Horne. Said Horne, who acknowledged he hasn't actually read the textbook in question. Said Horne, who is under fire from the hard right and now has Kimberly Yee and her handler Sen. Jake Hoffman nipping at his heels in next year's Republican primary election. Horne threatened to tell the Trump administration that Scottsdale is teaching 'diversity, equity and inclusion' in the hope that President Donald Trump will yank away all federal funding from the district. Better, I suppose, to penalize poor and disabled children who benefit from those funds than to allow high school students to be presented with a perspective that racism exists. The school board voted 3-2 on May 13 to adopt the U.S. History Interactive High School Curriculum by Savvas Learning Company. The curriculum was chosen in a public process and at the recommendation of a committee comprised of five teachers, one high school administrator and one community member. The school district says no parents applied to be on the committee. Some parents later objected at last month's school board meeting, however, saying the textbook contained anti-police 'propaganda.' That was enough for Sheridan, who at the June 11 press conference called it 'counterproductive for schools to push a misguided and inaccurate narrative that will make students fearful or suspicious of their local law enforcement officers.' Said Sheridan, who like Horne did not actually read the book. Superintendent Scott Menzel called Horne's and Sheridan's accusations 'simply untrue and unsupported by fact.' Opinion: Republicans can't define DEI in Arizona, much less stop it 'We would never adopt a curriculum that was anti-police,' he told a reporter. 'We do have, historically, situations where some people argue that we should defund the police. Here in Arizona, we had people who removed school resource officers. That's not something that we would ever contemplate, but from a historical perspective our students should be able to wrestle with why someone might have made that argument.' Ironically, Menzel didn't catch the livestreamed news conference. He was, at the time, attending a party honoring Scottsdale's retiring police chief. Having not read the 1,200-page textbook, I can't say whether the Scottsdale school board is engaged in a dastardly plot to turn out far left activists. My guess is the district is trying to grow young adults with critical thinking skills. My further guess is there are a plethora of school choice options open to any parent who objects to exposing their teens to the fact that some people believe racism is still a problem in this country. I get it. We don't like our history to be messy, even though our history is, you know, messy. Kind of like how rioters in 2021 can be 'patriots' as they attack police officers on the steps of the U.S. Capitol, even as rioters in 2025 can be 'vicious criminals' as they attack police officers on the streets of Los Angeles. Yeah, better if the kids don't get a chance to wonder about that. Reach Roberts at Follow her on X (formerly Twitter) at @LaurieRobertsaz, on Threads at @LaurieRobertsaz and on BlueSky at @ Subscribe to today. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Tom Horne blasts Scottsdale history book. But is it 'woke?' | Opinion
