The Goldwater Institute is suing the Biden administration for fining Grand Canyon University for $37 million without explanation.
The U.S. Department of Education assessed a record fine of $37 million against the private, Christian university in October 2023. This marks the largest fine of its kind ever assessed by the department.
The Goldwater Institute, a Phoenix-based conservative think tank, is suing the administration to get answers about the fine and hold the government accountable.
Fines on universities who have improperly dealt with sexual assault pale in comparison to those levied against GCU. The Department of Education fined Penn State University only $2.4 million for failing to report the crimes of serial pedophile Jerry Sandusky. Michigan State University was fined a mere $4.5 million fine for refusing to address sexual assaults committed by athletic director Larry Nassar, who abused more than 500 students.
The Education Department claimed to fine GCU for insufficiently informing P.h.D students that they may have to take continuing courses while completing their doctoral dissertations. The federal government report did not cite any student’s complaints, and Education Department personnel did not visit GCU as part of its so-called investigation.
The Goldwater Institute submitted a Freedom of Information Act request to the department to gain clarity on the fine against GCU.
“The records may help inform the public about this extraordinary fine, as well as coordination between various federal agencies in what appears to be the intentionally targeting of a successful university—one that’s no stranger to run-ins with the feds—based on extraordinarily thin allegations,” a Goldwater news release says.
The Department of Education refused to turn over these public records, the think tank said, so it is suing the agency in federal court to get them anyway.
“With its motto of ‘private, Christian, affordable’ and its track record of graduating students into high-demand and high-paying jobs, GCU is a success story by any metric,” Goldwater Institute staff attorney Stacy Skankey said. “And it stands apart from universities across the country that are facing declining enrollment, that are indoctrinating students with radical politics, and that are under attack for failing to defend the First Amendment.”
Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that the Goldwater Institute was founded by Barry Goldwater. The story has been corrected.
Elizabeth Troutman is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send her news tips using this link.
The gender support plan, filled out by school staff, caregivers, and students, allows schools to hide students’ identification as transgender from their parents.
The purpose of the document is to “create shared understandings about the ways in which the student’s authentic gender will be accounted for and supported at school.”
The district’s plan to support a minor’s transgender status despite parent support or knowledge appears to be in direct violation of the Arizona Parents’ Bill of Rights, which states that parents have the “right to make all health care decisions for the minor child.”
The form asks for the name the student uses, the name on their birth certificate, their gender identity, and so-called assigned sex at birth.
The “Parent/Guardian Involvement” section on the form measures parent knowledge of their child’s “gender status.” The form asks if parents are aware of the child’s gender status, then offers a scale of 1 to 10 to denote the student’s parents’ level of support.
“If support level is low, what considerations must be accounted for in implementing this plan?” the form asks.
The “Student Safety” section of the form establishes a “go to adult” at the child’s school, and asks “if this person is not available, what should the student do?”
In the “Privacy: Names, Pronouns and Students Records” section, the plan asks, “How will instances be handled in which the incorrect name or pronoun are used by staff members?”
The document asks for the “name/gender marker” on the student’s identity documents and entered into the Student Information System, as well as the name and pronouns to be used when referring to the student.
The form asks about what adjustments need to be made to protect the student’s privacy and who will be the point person for ensuring the adjustments are made.
Scottsdale also uses the document to denote what bathroom the student will use and where they will change clothes, demonstrating that the district would allow biological male students to share rooms, bathrooms, and changing rooms with females.
“What are the expectations regarding rooming for any overnight trip?” the form asks.
The district, which educates 22,000 students, also suggests that biological male student athletes would be allowed to play in girls’ sports.
“In what extracurricular activities or programs will the student be participating (sports, theater, clubs, etc.)?” asks Scottsdale Unified School District.
Elizabeth Troutman is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send her news tips using this link.
The Arizona Free Enterprise Club (AFEC) is suing Democrat Secretary of State Adrian Fontes due to certain rules in the latest Elections Procedures Manual (EPM) from December 2023, which the group believes are unlawful. The pro-free market nonprofit filed the legal challenge in the Superior Court of the State of Arizona for the County of Maricopa late last week.
AFEC is asking the court to strike down the provisions challenged by the lawsuit which are believed to contradict or exceed statutory authority.
“Secretary Fontes has produced one of the most radical elections procedures manuals in our state’s history,” said Scot Mussi, president of AFEC. “If the illegal provisions of this manual are allowed to stand, the integrity and transparency of state elections would continue to dissipate at the hands of leftwing ideologues.”
The complaint alleges that the 2023 EPM improperly places protected political speech at risk of criminal prosecution and has an unconstitutional chilling effect on protected political speech.
The provisions of the EPM that AFEC contends are unconstitutional include rules that: restrict observation of drop boxes and polling places, ban photography at election sites, and regulate speaking to people at election sites.
“These activities — watching drop boxes, speaking to people at election sites, and photographing activity at election sites — all constitute forms of speech,’’ the lawsuit says.
In addition to these claims, the lawsuit is challenging the 2023 EPM’s rules requiring political parties to open their primaries to federal only voters.
“The 2023 EPM also contradicts statutory requirements and exceeds statutory authority by opening the Presidential Preference Election to federal only voters, in essence, creating a new law out of whole cloth,” AFEC said in a news release.
The Free Enterprise Club details three counts for causes of action regarding the EPM, including speech, free association, and vagueness.
“We hope the court agrees with our arguments and forces the Secretary to adhere to state law,” Mussi said.
This isn’t the first lawsuit that’s been filed over the 2023 EPM. In January, Arizona’s leading legislative Republicans sued Fontes over the EPM. The Arizona Republican Party, Republican National Committee, and Yavapai County GOP filed their own lawsuit late last week.
Elizabeth Troutman is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send her news tips using this link.
Sarah Liguori will fill a vacancy in the Arizona House of Representatives in Legislative District 5, after the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors appointed her last week.
“Sarah Liguori’s previous legislative experience will allow her to hit the ground running. Since the legislature is currently in session, LD5 deserves a representative who can step right in,” District 3 Supervisor Bill Gates said. “I also appreciate her background in business and her openness to working across the aisle to get things done.”
The board appointed the Democrat by a unanimous vote. She fills the seat vacated last month by Rep. Jennifer Longdon.
The mother of two has a history of supporting left-wing bills. She sponsored a bill repealing Arizona statues making abortion a crime and another allowing terminally ill adults to choose to take medicine to end their lives.
In March 2022, two Arizona sisters traveled to Switzerland to take their lives by assisted suicide due to “medical frustrations” including back pain. Liguouri’s bill, which failed to pass, could have allowed such decisions in the Grand Canyon state.
Since 2016, doctors in Canada, where euthanasia is legal, have administered around 30,000 lethal injections, one-third of them in 2021 alone, at patients’ requests. The more than 10,000 cases of euthanasia in 2021 marks an increase of 34.7% from 7,446 in 2020, representing 3.3% of all deaths, according to the Washington Post.
Liguori previously worked as a financial advisor for an international bank and in commercial real estate. She represented Arizona’s former District 28 in the House of Representatives from 2021 to 2023.
The district Liguori will now represent comprises a large portion of Central and North Phoenix.
In accordance with Arizona law, board members selected Liguori from a list of three candidates submitted by the LD-5 precinct committeemen. All candidates were required to reside in the district and be a member of the same party as the person who vacated the office. In this case, a Democrat.
Liguori will serve until Nov. 5, when the position will be on the ballot.
Liguori sits on several community boards and volunteers with Local First Arizona, Phoenix Art Museum, Women’s Art Council, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and the Salvation Army Shelter. She received her bachelor’s degree in Economics with a minor in Business Administration from University of Arizona and studied International Studies in Business at Lorenzo de Medici University in Florence, Italy.
She has served as senior director of impact investing at the Arizona Community Foundation since October 2022.
Elizabeth Troutman is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send her news tips using this link.
Former Pennsylvania Senate Candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz spoke about health and wellness at a public elementary school on Monday.
Oz was joined by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne and former NFL Players Eric Swann and Darryl Clack at Kenilworth School near downtown Phoenix on Monday morning at 11 a.m.
The group discussed initiatives to improve school health and wellness.
Oz is a TV personality, physician, and professor emeritus of cardiothoracic surgery at Columbia University. The son of Turkish immigrants, Oz ran as the Republican candidate for one of Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate seats, losing to John Fetterman.
“This generation of teens is facing unprecedented challenges in their physical health, behavioral health, and social needs,” Oz said. “Left unaddressed, this leads to an increased risk for mental illness, substance abuse, chronic diseases like diabetes and cancer, and a lower life expectancy. Combating these stats, we provide teens with the tools to become more physically and mentally resilient.”
Oz is the founder of HealthCorps, a non-profit foundation dedicated to improving student wellness. The Arizona Education Department will make resources from HealthCorps available on its online platform for educators soon.
“HealthCorps is the glue between the private sector and public agencies like the Arizona Department of Education,” the television star said. “I am grateful to Superintendent Horne for joining me in this effort.”
Oz and Horne are both Harvard University graduates.
Horne has served in every branch of the Arizona government. He served in the legislature and was chairman of the academic accountability committee. He was State Superintendent of Schools from 2003 to 2011, and then was elected State Attorney General.
“Dr. Oz and I share a passion for having health and wellness; and we need to do as much as possible to teach and encourage healthy eating habits, exercise, and other lifestyle choices that promote the physical and mental well-being of students,” Horne said at the event. “Healthy students also perform better academically. HealthCorps shares my focus on that mission as well as the value of giving students opportunities to explore careers in the healthcare field, where workers are badly needed.”
Horne served 24 years in the state’s third-largest school district board, 10 years as president.
Eric Swann was a defensive tackle for the Arizona Cardinals and the Carolina Panthers. He played in the NFL from 1991-2000.
Darryl Clack played college football for Arizona State University before being drafted by the Dallas Cowboys as a running back. He also played in the Canadian Football League for the Toronto Argonauts. In 1992, he signed with the Orlando Thunder of the World League of American Football.
Clack is the president and co-founder of SportMetric which emphasizes youth education, community involvement, and athletics.
Elizabeth Troutman is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send her news tips using this link.
