by Corinne Murdock | Dec 28, 2023 | Education, News
By Corinne Murdock |
Scottsdale Unified School District (SUSD) extended its application deadline for a sex ed curriculum committee serving grades 6-9 to about mid-January.
The district disclosed that it had received enough applicants to form the Sex Ed/Human Growth and Development (HGD) committee, but that not all of the desired learning communities were represented in the applicant pool.
SUSD divides its schools into five learning communities that comprise a school feeder pattern: Arcadia Learning Community, which includes Arcadia High School, Echo Canyon K-8, Ingleside Middle School, and the Hopi and Tavan elementary schools; Chaparral Learning Community, which includes Chaparral High School, Cocopah Middle School, Copper Ridge K-8, and the Cherokee, Cochise, and Sequoya elementary schools; Coronado Learning Community, which includes Coronado High School, Tonalea Middle School, and the Hohokam, Pima, and Yavapai elementary schools; Desert Mountain Learning Community, which includes Desert Mountain High School, Desert Canyon Middle School, Mountainside Middle School, Cheyenne K-8, and the Anasazi, Desert Canyon, Laguna, and Redfield elementary schools; and Saguaro Learning Community, which includes Saguaro High School, Mohave Middle School, and the Kiva, Navajo, and Pueblo elementary schools.
The committee will be tasked with learning Arizona laws establishing processes and guidelines for HGD/sex education materials; discussing and identifying criteria for evaluating resources beyond statutory criteria; reviewing, evaluating, and discussing vendor-submitted resources; reviewing teacher and parental feedback; and recommending resources to the SUSD Governing Board for formal approval and adoption.
Arizona law requires parental permission for any sexual education lessons in grades 6-12. Sexual education is prohibited before the fifth grade.
Even prior to seeking out parental permission, school districts and charter schools must make all sex ed curricula available for review online and in person, and notify parents where these materials may be reviewed at least two weeks prior to offering the instruction.
Development of the curriculum also requires public notification, review, and input for at least 60 days before the governing board votes on the curriculum.
Committee members serve as unpaid volunteers, though eligible certified employees could receive horizontal move hours for committee meetings that occur after the school day. Members are scheduled to meet twice in January, and once in February, March, and April, though SUSD noted that there will be the possibility that more meetings could occur to accomplish their work.
The original application deadline was scheduled for earlier this month, in mid-December, with an announcement of the committee members promised for Dec. 22. The new deadline is end of day Friday, Jan. 12, 2024.
The first meeting date is scheduled less than a week after the new deadline.
At least half of the committee members will be SUSD-certified teachers who possess content knowledge of sex ed/HGD curriculum.
Those deciding on committee membership are three individuals from the SUSD Cabinet, Ed Services Department, and/or the Teaching and Learning Department.
Parent and community member applicants are asked to provide experience and/or expertise relative to sex education, such as any training, prior employment, health care background, and education levels; examples of membership on past teams that were successful; and the main reason for interest in serving on the committee.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
by Corinne Murdock | Dec 23, 2023 | News
By Corinne Murdock |
Christmas cheer was shared in Glendale with over 5,000 children and their families last weekend, as part of an annual event to give gifts to those in need.
Glendale Mayor Jerry Weiers and Councilman Ian Hugh helped host the “Toy Joy” event, arranged by the nonprofits Alpha Nation and their partner AZ Goods at the Glendale Civic Center. The event took place over the course of four hours last Sunday.
Weiers expressed gratitude for the two organizations’ efforts in his weekly newsletter.
“The volunteers from Alpha Nation are truly remarkable. The motto of Glendale is ‘improving the lives of the people we serve every day,’” said Weiers. “The members of Alpha Nation and their partner organization, AZ Goods, embodied that principle.”
Goodwill was abundant this year: children were able to choose from tens of thousands of toys.
Among the Christmas toys were hundreds of bikes, board games, dolls, and the ever-popular Baby Yoda toy. In addition to the gifts, children were entertained with festivities like face painting and games.
The event almost didn’t happen this year; it was up to Glendale leadership to help save Christmas. The previous location used for the festivities was unavailable. The city stepped up by securing a promotional spot, engaging in mass advertising, and securing a venue for the event.
In a promotional video, Alpha Nation CEO Veronica Barraza said that their aim is to bring joy to the children of Glendale.
“It feels good to do it; it’s bringing back happy faces to those kids that really need it,” said Barraza.
Also present were Glendale’s fire and police departments. Those first responders assisted in ensuring a healthy and safe event occurred. Additionally, the Arizona Rangers provided oversight of the toy delivery for distribution.
Weiers said that the Christmas festivity was just one manifestation of his duty to improve the lives of his constituents, especially in the present economic time.
“We all know families that are struggling with daily life right now. We know the expectations of children during the holiday season are high, making the stress level on parents and guardians even higher,” said Weiers. “Because I have dedicated my life to improving the lives of the people I serve, it only seemed natural to accept the challenge of making this event happen.”
The mayor encouraged Glendale residents and fellow Arizonans to get involved in the good doings of Alpha Nation and AZ Goods.
“The public private partnership we developed with AZ Goods and their nonprofit partner, Alpha Nation, through this event changed lives and I encourage each and every one of you to learn more about these organizations,” said Weiers. “I cannot thank everyone who was involved in this event enough. Each and every one of you exemplified the reason for the season. Thank you.”
AZ Goods was established in 2020 through a partnership between Sunshine Acres Children’s Home in Mesa and the national nonprofit organization Good360. AZ Goods distributes donated goods currently to over 100 nonprofits.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
by Corinne Murdock | Dec 23, 2023 | News
By Corinne Murdock |
Although former President Donald Trump will be on Arizona ballots come March, he may not be eligible to run.
In a historic and narrow ruling, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled 4-3 that former President Donald Trump isn’t eligible for office under Section Three of the 14th Amendment, which prohibits insurrectionists, rebels, or sympathizers from running for office.
The court issued a stay on its decision until either Jan. 4 or the U.S. Supreme Court rules on the case, whichever comes sooner.
Arizona’s Republican leaders decried the court ruling online, while Democratic leaders largely remained silent.
Arizona House Speaker and congressional candidate Ben Toma (R-LD08) called the ruling an “abomination to the rule of law,” noting that Trump was convicted of no crime.
“This is a gross politicization of the Justice System and the Supreme Court should intervene to reinstate him on the Colorado ballot,” said Toma.
In a series of tweets, Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ-02) called the ruling “election interference” and speculated that the ruling had suspicious timing, given the historic low approval rating awarded to President Joe Biden recently. Crane accused the Democratic Party of fearing a Trump-Biden faceoff.
“At the end of the day, the left fears a return of President Trump because it would be a return to peace through strength,” said Crane. “He threatens to end their forever wars abroad, their open borders at home, and their government control over YOU.”
Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-AZ-08) called the decision “insane” and “the ultimate attack on democracy.”
“Democrat-appointed Colorado judges rule in favor of group saying they want to protect democracy by throwing @realDonaldTrump off ballot when the act of throwing Trump off ballot is the ultimate attack on democracy!” said Lesko.
Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ-09) saud the court decision was based on political, not legal reasoning.
“The [Democrats] know they can’t beat Trump, so they remove him and disenfranchise the voters of CO,” said Gosar. “A new low for our country. SCOTUS must end this election interference madness.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
by Corinne Murdock | Dec 21, 2023 | News
By Corinne Murdock |
Holiday travel times and flights may be more difficult to handle this year, based on the flood of illegal immigrants at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport.
Reporters returning from Turning Point USA’s (TPUSA) America Fest conference publicized their observations at the airport in a flurry of social media postings on Tuesday.
One independent political commentator and journalist, “Nuance Bro” (Omeed Afsarifard), encountered large groups of illegal immigrants awaiting their flights, with papers indicating that they received services from Catholic Community Services of Southern Arizona (CCSA).
One woman asked why Afsarifard was filming their group without their consent, to which he informed her that filming in public areas was legal.
Afsarifard observed that the illegal immigrants had white tags on their luggage and, often, their processing paperwork from border enforcement.
From last August to this August, CCSA reported taking in over 80,000 illegal immigrants to Casa Alitas, the organization’s shelter service for illegal immigrants claiming refugee status. From August 2021 to August 2022, CCSA reported taking in about 47,800 illegal immigrants to their shelter service.
Tenet Media reporter Tayler Hansen reported that illegal immigrants received priority boarding and expedited security checks.
Hansen, along with several other reporters and political commentators, claimed to observe multiple incidents of illegal immigrants being escorted by security out of women’s restrooms.
Babylon Bee commentator Ashley St. Clair filmed her experience at Phoenix Sky Harbor: wading through crowds of illegal immigrants, and waiting behind them for boarding. St. Clair noted that taxpayers were funding the premium transportation of the illegal immigrants.
The border crisis surge is only likely to worsen in the coming weeks. Reporters along the border shared videos of thousands of illegal immigrants waiting to be let into the country. Last week, the Tucson Border Sector reported another record number of illegal immigrants breaching the border.
In response to the massive uptick in the border crisis, Gov. Katie Hobbs tapped the National Guard to provide assistance at the border.
The illegal immigrants are being flown or bussed to “sanctuary cities” in other states. Yet, those cities may be less of a sanctuary than anticipated, due to overcrowding and increasingly limited resources.
One Chicago shelter for illegal immigrants made headlines this week after reportedly poor living conditions have caused mass illnesses and the recent death of at least one: a five-year-old boy.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
by Corinne Murdock | Dec 21, 2023 | News
By Corinne Murdock |
Arizona finalized its Presidential Preference Election (PPE) list of candidates on Monday.
There will be seven Democratic candidates and nine Republican candidates on the PPE ballots.
The seven Democratic candidates are Minnesota businessman Frankie Lozada, Nevada businessman Gabriel Cornejo, author Marianne Williamson, Maryland venture capitalist Jason Palmer, Oklahoma resident Stephen Lyons, President Joe Biden, and Minnesota Congressman Dean Phillips.
The nine Republican candidates are former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Ohio entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, Florida businessman David Stuckenberg, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, former President Donald Trump, Texas businessman Ryan Binkley, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
The PPE allows certain voters to select their presidential candidate for the 2024 General Election. Each party will then finalize their winner at their national convention.
Only voters registered with participating parties — Democratic or Republican — may vote in the PPE. The deadline for registering with a party is Feb. 20, 2024. Independent voters who desire to vote in a party’s PPE may register with that party prior to the deadline, then revert to Independent after the deadline.
The Democratic National Committee will host its national convention in Chicago, Illinois from Aug. 19 to 22, 2024. The Republican National Committee will host its national convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin from July 15 to 18, 2024.
The latest cumulative polling data reflects Trump leading at 63 percent, with DeSantis at a far second of 12 percent, followed by Haley at 10 percent, Ramaswamy at four percent, Christie at three percent, and Hutchinson at less than one percent.
The latest polls from last month and this month focused in Arizona reflected Trump leading Biden anywhere from several points to 10 points. By comparison, Biden leads by eight points over Haley and seven points over DeSantis.
Averages of polling data reflect Trump leading Arizona by about five percent, and the nation by over two percent.
Biden currently has a cumulative approval rating of about 39 percent, and an over 55 percent disapproval rating. Trump has a cumulative approval rating of 42 percent, and an over 53 percent disapproval rating.
For more information on the PPE, please visit Arizona Clean Elections. The PPE is scheduled for March 19, 2024.
The general election will take place on Nov. 5, 2024.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
