A Deer Valley USD (DVUSD) parent, referred to as “Amy,” contacted my organization to report that her children were questioned about their morning and bedtime routines. It turns out Stetson Hills School administrators had engaged students in an “Attendance Reflection Activity” during lunch on November 6, 2025. Parents weren’t notified about the event until the end of the school day.
“Our school utilizes a system called CUTS (Chronically Absent and Truant Students) to proactively identify students who are missing more than 10% of instructional days by the end of the quarter…During the session, students participated in fun discussions about:
Their current nighttime routines,
Their current morning routines [and]
Developing a goal or plan for one small, positive change they could make to improve their attendance moving forward.”
Walter ended the communication by thanking parents for their “partnership and support in encouraging consistent daily attendance.” In her zealousness to combat chronic absenteeism, I think Walter forgot that elementary students are not responsible for transporting themselves to school.
Stetson’s attendance survey can be viewed here. Note that in addition to answering questions about sleep schedules and household activities, students were required to sign the document as if it were a contract between them and the school district.
Amy said her kids were probed about their eating habits and family relationships, but those questions were not included on the survey. She also said her children described feeling anxious and “targeted” during the attendance reflection session.
According to Amy, her children haven’t missed more than a few days since the 2025 school year began, and every absence was excused due to illness or doctor’s appointments. Assistant Principal Walter confirmed that parents only need to notify the school, and doctors’ notes are not required in these instances.
Amy emailed her concerns about the district’s lack of transparency to DVUSD Superintendent Curtis Finch. Instead of responding to Amy, Finch forwarded her email to the School Operations and Safety Coordinator, Valerie Bullis. Bullis claimed the truancy probe was intended to be a “proactive approach in addressing student attendance patterns” and that school administrators were now “reviewing the process.” Meanwhile, Amy insisted that she and other parents she talked to were never informed about the student interrogation “process” to begin with. Amy also believes most parents are not aware of the CUTS program.
Screenshots from the Stetson Hills social media account show educators and other DVUSD schools engaging in attendance competitions. Amy said these activities promote unhealthy rivalry among students who are totally dependent on their parents for transportation and life decisions.
Deer Valley taxpayers are using their properties as collateral for failing schools. By passing the 15% override, constituents empowered government employees to keep pushing the boundaries of parental controls as they advance a State-sponsored agenda. “We got the override! We got your money!” was the overarching theme of the November 18 school board meeting.
The Glendale Star quoted Superintendent Finch, stating, “We’re pretty excited that we got the okay from the public to move forward.” When commenting on potential budget cuts, he said, “If it didn’t pass, I would be using a chainsaw, but now I can use the scalpel.” Finch also predicted “another explosion of enrollment in the next three to five years.” Wrapping up a discussion about DVUSD’s successful override campaign, he declared:
“The students are the winners when this happens. The community saw how far we’ve come and responded accordingly. It’s very gratifying for everyone involved.”
Cue the laugh track.
Finch’s million-dollar “scalpel” will never be used to dissect his compensation package, and most promises made during override campaigns are never kept. It’s no secret that Arizona public schools are losing students to the school choice movement. DVUSD’s decision to host intramural attendance games only proves that government education can’t compete with superior learning methods and institutions. Parents are waking up and moving on.
“The anti-public school movement is growing here in the state of Arizona, which is a crime against humanity. And it’s unfortunate that we’re caught in that web.”
— Superintendent Curtis Finch, ABC 15 News
For the record, there’s nothing inherently negative about finding creative and fun ways to encourage classroom attendance. The CUTS program mentioned in Assistant Principal Walter’s email may have attracted some families back to the district. Alas, the planning and execution were botched, and the interrogation activities left some parents feeling gaslighted.
I will never understand why school districts are so opposed to (or ignorant of) parental rights legislation. If you want students to enroll and attend, why wouldn’t you appeal to and listen to parents? If parents want a safe, academic-focused environment that’s free from politics, why not invest in that instead of engaging in a power struggle over their kids? In other industries, when a company loses business, board members and directors will research competitors and come up with ways to recapture the market by providing quality products and services.
This concept is simple when applied to education: If public schools don’t want parents to withdraw their children and go to private schools, then they should do what private schools do. Adopt their academic model and offer it at a lower cost. Stop waving rainbow flags and talking about gender and skin color. Stop asking intrusive questions and forming inappropriate bonds with other people’s kids. Give parents a reason to trust you. Or is that too much common sense for government folk?
School board elections are not magic. Ideally, we’d like to “get our guy in office,” trust that they have our best interests in mind, and carry on with our lives. This is not reality. More often than not, time reveals that “our guy” will say whatever needs to be said to gain our support and then turn on the dime of sleazy administrators, radical union leaders, and leftist community members. Unfortunately, this pattern emerges even in school districts that many consider as having a “conservative majority.”
Despite all the online drama that erupted over those attendance surveys, I was the only one who attended and spoke about it at the last Deer Valley school board meeting. Digital outrage accomplishes absolutely nothing in real time, and virtual group therapy has no power to shift this situation. DVUSD is corrupt. The school board is dysfunctional, the superintendent is shady, and educators are lacking real leadership. Now that they have your money, what’s their incentive to do right by your children? Who will hold them accountable, if not you?
Tiffany Benson is the Founder of Restore Parental Rights in Education. Her commentaries on education, politics, and Christian faith can be viewed at Parentspayattention.com and Bigviewsmallwindow.com. Follow her on socials @realtiffanyb.
“From the data on the class of 2025, college admissions officers and future employers can reasonably conclude that if the applicant is a graduate of Arizona schools, more likely than not, they cannot proficiently read, write, perform math, or understand science in comparison to their peers.”
A Legal Process also noted that a majority of Arizona’s 2025 graduates failed to meet one core academic benchmark. “55% of Arizona’s students can graduate high school and still not demonstrate college-ready level competency in a single core academic subject matter,” the publication said.
World Population Review published Public School Rankings by State 2025, which shows Arizona dead last overall in four categories: K-12 performance, school funding and resources, higher education quality, and safety. This is corroborated by Consumer Affairs, which rated Arizona number one on its list entitled, “Which states rank poorly for education?”
Arizona wastes between $10,000 and $14,000 per student, depending on the source. Meanwhile, the average ESA is estimated between $6,000 and $9,000 for students in 1st through 12th grade. Current trends also reveal that K-12 families are ditching government education at an impressive rate. Even if these calculations are off by 10 decimal points, my conclusion remains the same: The A-F School Letter Grade classification system is a complete joke, and school choice is the one good thing happening in Arizona education.
“Arizona school district superintendents receive high salaries. Yet, the true scale of that pay is often obscured by a triangle of complex contract provisions that school boards, and the superintendents themselves, deliberately design to mask the full measure of compensation from taxpayers…
These same school districts go to great lengths to block access to superintendent contracts—in some cases even from their own board members—shielding from the public how tax dollars enrich those who often are their community’s highest-paid public employees.”
Goldwater requested more than 40 superintendent contracts—official records that should be accessible to the general public—only to receive the documents after four months of repeated requests and warnings of potential litigation. The following information is also sourced from their report:
Not including health insurance or pension costs, Arizona superintendents’ base salaries average $215,000 a year, while taxpayers are charged up to $490,000 per superintendent after accounting for “lucrative perks.”
In addition to pension benefits, several school districts are double-charging taxpayers for superintendents’ retirement packages.
Taxpayers are funding superintendents’ personal and vacation leave to the tune of 15 weeks off, when combined with school holidays. When vacation days are unused, superintendents receive a payout in the form of additional compensation.
Goldwater rightly called attention to Tolleson Union High School District Superintendent Jeremy Calles, who makes off with roughly $500,000 a year. Although Tolleson ranks as the 16th largest district in the state, Calles earns at least $100,000 more than any other Arizona Superintendent. Not surprisingly, he was accused of financial misconduct and, according to ABC 15, the auditor general’s investigation into Calles is expected to be completed by January 2027.
Notably, Calles also stands accused of inflating enrollment numbers, loaning $25 million to the Isaac School District, and allowing one teacher to resign with full benefits after complaints that the former employee had an inappropriate relationship with a student. Regardless, Calles appears to have an explanation for everything. And, despite the embarrassing controversy, he still finds half a million reasons to show up for work.
“There are so many good things happening [in] our district right now that it is difficult to put them all into one newsletter…Our letter grades continue to rise…Success is not without consequence. If we are going to be the best district in the state, then we cannot get there by trying to do what everyone else is doing; we have to innovate.”
He signed off by stating that how Tolleson residents respond to a bond and override this November will “reveal how the community feels about the direction of the district.” I know how I would vote if I lived in Tolleson—it’s the same way I’m voting in Peoria.
If you’re anything like me, you’re a fish out of water when it comes to district finance. Simple is the only way I know how to be. Thus, maintenance and overrides (M&O) allow school districts to exceed their budget for salaries and daily operations by 15% in most cases. M&Os are marketed to the public as a means to “enhance student safety and special education programs.” Districts sell educators on increased pay, so (radical) teachers’ unions generally support overrides as well.
Tax increases are presented to homeowners in fractions and decimals and crumbs, rather than the sum total. Consequently, landowners must research their property value before they can know the full size of their “fraction.” Note that since overrides have literally been in place for decades, district representatives automatically expect taxpayers to honor the tradition of compliance as they’ve done in previous elections.
“Despite a 5% drop in district school enrollment since 2019, Arizona’s public-school districts have continued to expand facilities, increase capital spending by 67% to $8.9 billion, and boost transportation costs by 11.3% to $561.2 million, even as eligible bus riders plummeted by 45%…The fastest-shrinking districts have increased capital spending the most, with 20% of districts (serving 73% of students) receiving 81% of capital funding.”
Let’s be real. Taxpayers are not investing in gifted programs or sponsoring all-day kindergarten. This, my fellow proletariats, is what you call a bailout.
Rather than telling Arizonans how to vote in this election, I will instead refer you back to the information covered in this post. I encourage parents, property owners, and slighted educators to use sound judgment at the ballot box. Remember, the most basic definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result.
Again, I’m no mathematician. But I’m willing to believe that at least a significant portion of the funds required to increase teacher salaries, enhance special needs programs, and implement cutting-edge safety plans can be found in the bank accounts of every district’s highest-paid employee.
Tiffany Benson is the Founder of Restore Parental Rights in Education. Her commentaries on education, politics, and Christian faith can be viewed at Parentspayattention.com and Bigviewsmallwindow.com. Follow her on socials @realtiffanyb.
After publishing this Substack, I came across this video of a young woman’s “detransition” story. I also learned that Texas Christian University canceled an event featuring Chloe Cole, another “detransitioner” who travels the nation sharing her testimony. The fight to protect the next generation from the evils of “transgenderism” is far from over.
This quote is from the young woman who lived as a “male” for eight years but now regrets having a double mastectomy, full hysterectomy, and genital reconstruction surgery:
“I’m so angry…and so sad. It’s like a virus, or something, that infected me. And it happened so quickly…I can’t have kids. I’ll never lose my virginity. It’s like I’m left to just accept the scraps of the life that I could have had…I don’t know how to be okay with that. I hate when people [say], ‘Everything happens for a reason.’ No, this didn’t happen for a reason. It’s just a tragedy. Call it what it is.”
In the video, you can see what appears to be mutilation scars on her left forearm. Skin grafts are typically taken from this area to construct “a penis, urethra, scrotum, and the obliteration of the vaginal cavity with closure,” an operation known as phalloplasty (or “bottom surgery”). While it is possible to correct genital deformities, the damage to her body is irreversible, and the trajectory of her future is permanently altered. She can recover some femininity, but her womanhood is gone forever.
This is the expected end of social “transitioning,” cross-dressing, and using alternative names and pronouns—all of which can be concealed by false interpretations of student privacy laws. Also, when K-12 district representatives and employees implement DEI policies, host rainbow celebrations, and defend “gender identity,” they are advocating for all of the above. No one is born in the wrong body, and anyone who supports sterilizing and castrating minors should not be trusted around children.
I always bring the “transgender” agenda back to government education because it’s an area where many parents are still asleep at the wheel. Public schools (and increasingly some private schools) are the battlefield as board members, administrators, teachers, and counselors position themselves as the enemy of parental rights. Thankfully, parents are winning in the courts, and thousands of children will never undergo “transgender” medical malpractice. Still, parents must remain vigilant in the ongoing war to assert moral authority over their children.
It’s also important to bring attention to another group that’s not doing enough to tackle the “transgender” problem. Sadly, many Christians are aiding and abetting the spread of LGBTQ ideologies and practices. Keep in mind that “Christian” is a relative term associated with thousands of denominations and cults, and can be interpreted to mean a “good person.”
On February 25, 2025, Pew Research published survey results showing that “57% [up from 54% in 2014] of U.S. Christians say homosexuality should be accepted by society; 55% [up from 44% in 2014] say same-sex marriage should be legal.” The report also reveals 29% of Christians believe greater acceptance of “transgender” individuals is “a change for the better.” The latter is a baseline number, as researchers did not ask this question in previous case studies.
Oddly enough, Barna’s 2025 study shows Millennials and Gen Z have increased their church attendance. The report says, “The typical Gen Z churchgoer now attends 1.9 weekends per month, while Millennial churchgoers average 1.8 times—a steady upward shift since the lows seen during the pandemic. These are easily the highest rates of church attendance among young Christians since they first hit Barna’s tracking.”
Before we celebrate, let’s consider that in 2004, 51% of American pastors held a biblical worldview. By 2022, just 37% of pastors had sustained a biblical worldview, while 62% held syncretistic beliefs (that is, blending Christianity with other religions). In 2023, only 36% of pastors were “very effective” in helping Christians grow their faith over time. A mere 10% were “very effective” in “growing new converts into mature Christians,” while 12% encouraged believers to share their faith, and a measly 6% reached out to non-Christians.
These are sobering statistics, and, according to Barna, the increase among Gen Z still equates to attending church “less than half the time” of older generations. So, while young people are seeking truth, many will join ministries led by compromised leaders. Gen Z’s faith might grow over time, but they won’t share it outside the church, and what they learn may not have a lasting effect. In short, the American Church produces converts without conviction and consumers without consecration, who master religious transactions without transformation.
My fellow believers, none of this is a sign of “revival.”
I have lost count of how many times we canceled Netflix, rebooked Disney vacations, and chose Walmart over Target. Jumping on a trend is not good enough. We can’t be so preoccupied with our regularly scheduled programming that we fail to address the spirit of the age that’s consuming present generations.
Are we too holy to associate with LGBTQ people because their sin looks different than ours? Are we so loving that we can’t confront sin at all? Have we settled for inviting the lost to hear watered-down preaching because we’re too biblically illiterate to usher them into the Kingdom directly? If we’re honest, most Christians wouldn’t know how to minister to that broken woman in the video. We would say, “Jesus loves you,” and hand her a flyer for the next church event.
I agreed when the woman said destroying her body didn’t happen for a reason, and she called it a tragedy. The expression, “Everything happens for a reason,” is typically what believers (and nonbelievers) say when they lack the capacity to produce genuine empathy. It’s on par with “God works in mysterious ways,” a favorite among those who cannot discern the difference between coincidence and divine appointment. Neither of these phrases is found in Scripture.
The truth is, everything does not happen for a reason. Some things—and I would argue, living in a fallen world, that most things—happen as a consequence. Our beliefs influence our actions, and actions dictate outcomes. We can only help the next generation by imitating the Berean Christians (Acts 17:11), speaking the truth in love (Eph. 4:15), and investing time in young people beyond religious activities. Some sinners will never darken the doorway of your church, but they shouldn’t have to wait until Sunday to hear the gospel.
I challenge Christians to befriend an LGBTQ person, learn their story, and, when their heart is ready, preach the full gospel to them. Don’t stop at “Jesus loves you” and a church invitation. Tell them why He was crucified. Explain that He is not only our Friend—He is also our Judge. He extends mercy to those who repent and wrath to those who reject Him. Jesus came as a lamb, but He will return as a lion. Faith in His work on the cross is the only way to life, both now and for eternity.
Never separate love from truth.
Tiffany Benson is the Founder of Restore Parental Rights in Education. Her commentaries on education, politics, and Christian faith can be viewed at Parentspayattention.com and Bigviewsmallwindow.com. Follow her on socials @realtiffanyb.
American Christians are not in danger of being martyred for their faith. Our interpretations of Scripture boil down to an elementary, seeker-friendly doctrine primarily preached through the lens of revival and prosperity.
We make our weekly trek to sit on comfy pews and listen to reaffirming messages about God’s love and plan for our lives. Ministries are thriving on “prophetic words,” multi-level marketing, and wealth amassed from the hardworking congregants guilt-tripped into exchanging 10% of their (gross) income for blessings. The lights are low, the music is loud, and emotions are high. These moments are more manufactured than the average churchgoer realizes. Soon, this will all conclude with an alleged secret “rapture” snatching believers off the earth before “things get really bad.”
With all due respect, Jesus Christ did not die for this powerless and ineffective “American Gospel.”
Words will never be enough to express the contribution that Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, made to present and future generations. He loved God, his wife, and family, and served our country well. CK also knew the risks of speaking truth and light into a world full of lies and darkness, yet he fearlessly stayed the course to the end. On one hand, he was brutally murdered and assassinated for holding conservative political opinions while exercising his First Amendment right to the fullest extent. On the other hand, CK was martyred for boldly proclaiming the name of Jesus Christ.
CK was a confrontational and polarizing figure—and that’s a good thing. Confrontation is absolutely necessary when lost souls are hanging in the balance of eternity. Polarization is a predictable human response when someone dares to say the quiet parts out loud. Whether we agree or disagree with his takes on controversial issues, CK was a brilliant mind, a forerunner who had the tenacity to go where most believers will never go. He gave his life on the frontlines of the culture war, pushing back against the diabolical, leftist dogma that’s destroying America’s youth.
Those who don’t believe CK was martyred for his religious beliefs should go back and listen to his debates. His understanding of both Testaments directly informed his political views. CK would say marriage is between one man and one woman. That’s not political, it’s biblical. God created male and female; that’s biblical. Abortion is murder; that’s biblical. Open borders, land theft, and excessive taxation are evil; that’s biblical. Jesus said the Truth—His Truth, not your truth or my truth—is what sets us free.
The Truth is worth dying for…when you sincerely believe.
My opinion is controversial and polarizing, yet I will say the quiet parts out loud: Record numbers of people going to church after a national tragedy is a good thing, but I wouldn’t call it a “revival.” This hackneyed term is used to describe literally every private and public religious event, activity, and gathering in the Western hemisphere. To me, the word is almost meaningless because it means everything. Twenty-four years ago, we witnessed a similar resurgence and response to tragedy on 9/11. After some time passed, society drifted back into a worse moral decline, and the church fell back into a routine coma.
Revival—if it is true revival—is not a respecter of denominations, and it should lead to reformation and transformation on a mass scale. Our repentance must be deep and sincere, and our obedience to God’s word should be in proportion to the number of people who claim to be Christians. Furthermore, church attendance is meant to be the start of a thing, not the end. Believers must come outside the buildings, exercise moral authority, bring light into dark places, and assert influence on every level of society—especially in government.
Indeed, politics, in its simplest form, is nothing more than morality legislated and applied to a society. We elect representatives to adopt laws, policies, and regulations that uphold the nation’s moral fabric. Since very few Spirit-filled Christians are willing to serve their country in this capacity, our nation has been overrun by evildoers. Again, going to church is good, but on its own, it changes nothing. It costs almost nothing—maybe one hour…two or three, if you’re Pentecostal—to attend church. It’s time for Christians to prove their faith outside the four walls. Faith without works is dead faith (James 2:26).
The fallout from this current wave of “revival” should, in my opinion, result in:
Prayer and Bible reading returning to public schools
Ten Commandments displayed on all government properties
More Bible-believing Christians occupying key government and community leadership roles
Lower divorce rates (within and outside the church)
Lower crime, drug, and homelessness rates
Lower child abuse and trafficking statistics
Higher marriage, birth, and adoption rates
Full-gospel messages preached in every service (without asking attendees for money)
Increased cases of martyrdom
I won’t stop pushing back against darkness until I see a “revival” that leads to reformation in all of our institutions and the transformation of the hardest hearts in our society. I have determined that I would rather offend people to heaven than tolerate them to hell. I refuse to settle for anything less than sustained repentance, humility, and strength in the body of Christ. I implore Christians to go beyond a commitment to church attendance. Pray more. Read the Bible more. Fast more. Do the work of an evangelist. Husbands, love your wives and lead your families. Wives, respect your husbands. Single people, remain pure until marriage. Everyone, start considering others before yourselves.
What began in the Upper Room among the Eastern people will not die on the watch of Western people who sit in comfortable buildings. Thus, I’m calling on every church leader to abandon their plans to buy more real estate. Stop hoarding God’s people in corporate structures. Stop harboring offense, preaching revenge sermons, and worrying about who leaves and takes tithing members with them. This, too, is vanity and grasping at the wind. The Great Commission did not begin and will not end with your ministry. If you want to lead like Jesus, then start equipping your people and sending them out with your sincere blessing—and provide them with financial assistance.
Lastly, pastors, you must set the record straight on what it means to be blessed and chosen by God. I challenge every sermon maker to abandon traditional preaching on revival and prosperity and start teaching from passages such as these:
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven (Matt. 5:11-12).
If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and God rests upon you…Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name (1 Pet. 4:14-15).
If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated Me first…you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you also (John 15:18-20).
Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution (2 Tim. 3:12).
I’ll reiterate that CK wasn’t assassinated for his political preferences. He died because of his bold, unashamed, and sincerely held beliefs in Jesus Christ. He has joined the hall of faith with men like John the Baptist, who was imprisoned and beheaded for confronting a government leader’s sexual immorality! The Apostles Peter and John were imprisoned and flogged just for preaching the gospel! Paul, too, was imprisoned, beaten, stoned, and left for dead just for preaching Christ! And, lest we forget, Jesus was crucified for, among many things, daring to confront wicked leaders—even in the synagogues!
Do you discern the examples and patterns Christians should follow?
If you’re not willing to lay down your life (die to your flesh and let God interrupt your plans) for Jesus Christ, check yourself to know whether you truly believe in Him. And I admonish every Bible-believing minister to start preaching a gospel message that’s worth dying for.
Please continue to pray for the new CEO and Board President, Mrs. Erika Kirk, her family, and all of the good people still on mission at Turning Point USA.
If Peoria Unified residents were skeptical about students being brainwashed with diversity, equity, and inclusion ideologies, rewatching the August 28, 2025, school board meeting should remove all remaining doubts. Current students delivered a majority of the 63 public comments against the cancellation of DEI-infused performing arts programs. The only problem is that these programs were never slated to be eliminated. Listen to PUSD school board members’ comments here.
A passionately misinformed parent created a Change.org petition claiming that the PUSD school board planned to cut ties with the Educational Theatre Association (EdTA), the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), and the National Dance Education Organization (NDEO). Unfortunately, this parent took no initiative in contacting the board before circulating the petition. The parent also failed to direct activism efforts toward those organizations that practice discrimination against white students. It would have been great for the kids to bombard them with calls, emails, and demands to remove the racist policies from their websites.
Oh, well. Maybe next time…
Those who have actually followed the 2025 PUSD school board meetings understand that a majority of the board is working to eradicate DEI from school programs in compliance with President Trump’s Executive Order. Since the Department of Education prioritized the order, why wouldn’t school districts follow suit to protect federal resources? PUSD board members did their due diligence in contacting the Arizona Department of Education and consulting their lawyer in a closed session to ensure they weren’t jeopardizing Title II funding by renewing the agreements.
Not surprisingly, AZ State Superintendent Tom Horne and PUSD Superintendent K.C. Somers were in favor of keeping the programs despite these organizations’ defiance of federal mandates. The following screenshots are sourced directly from their websites. It only takes one or two clicks to find this information.
NDEO’s racial equity statements are currently parked behind information walls. Internet archives from 2020 reveal that the Advisory Board Director and CEO both met with equity consultants and agreed that NDEO should undergo a diversity audit to “help provide a roadmap for organizational and programmatic changes over the next few years, as NDEO embodies its commitment to becoming an anti-racist organization.” Their statement on social justice can be viewed below.
One leftist who instigated the PUSD protest was Washington Elementary School District (WESD) Board President Kyle Clayton. In 2023, Clayton was one of five board members who voted to terminate an 11-year relationship with Arizona Christian University due to the college’s stance on traditional marriage. At that time, Clayton—who identifies as an LGBT community member—said he was worried that Christian student-teachers would proselytize his children and make them feel bad about having two dads. It didn’t matter that ACU had never received a single complaint like this in 11 years.
Past board members in Clayton’s district signed anti-racism and LGBTQ+ affirming resolutions. The youngest WESD students are barely potty-trained. Let that sink in. Clayton willingly discriminates against people who believe in God and disagree with his lifestyle choices. This is the definition of bigotry. Clayton is not the kind of person who should be leading an elementary school district. WESD residents should be asking how and why radical, anti-Christian activists are sitting on their school board.
Ultimately, the PUSD school board protest made the adult activists look a bit foolish. Board Member Becky Proudfit—who historically supported DEI for students—clarified that the programs were “not in danger of being cut” but that the district endeavored to operate “in the bounds of legality.” She also reiterated that Title II funding is not a permanent solution and encouraged every speaker to contact the noncompliant organizations (as the petition starter should have done). Board Member Janelle Bowles—who is strongly against DEI— wholeheartedly agreed with Proudfit’s sentiments.
Although the students performed well during public comments, it was sad and exhausting to see so much misguided passion and wasted energy coming against leaders who are all working in their favor. Even conservative board members voted to keep programs with DEI components—albeit Board President Heather Rooks vehemently denounced EdTA’s racist ideologies, and another board member motioned to approve the programs with an attestation as part of their agreement with PUSD.
It’s a shame that the adults who gaslighted the children and influenced this demonstration lacked the foresight to protest the culprits causing the federal funding dilemma. If you’re going to encourage students to engage in activism, at least point them in the right direction. Of course, theatre, dance, music, and other artistic expressions provide students with an enriching experience and some lucrative post-secondary school opportunities.
Nevertheless, K-12 students don’t need to learn how to be “anti-racist” while playing a wind instrument. Gender identity is not a prerequisite for memorizing and delivering well-executed lines. And although the good Lord graced His black and brown people with more rhythm, white students shouldn’t be cut from recitals just because they’re born with melanin deficiency. Why any board member, superintendent, parent, or educator would advocate for DEI is beyond the comprehension of those who love all children the same, regardless of their ethnic background.
A final word to DEI champions: You would do best to listen to conservative black people instead of emotionally inserting yourselves into historical civil rights conflicts that don’t concern you. No one asked white liberals to fight battles or take on identity-based issues that didn’t affect their community 250 years ago. If leftists want to protest something, there is plenty of hatred directed at white, heterosexual, Christian conservatives today. People like me are doing just fine. We don’t need any handouts. The world would be a better, safer, more sane place if the adults on the self-righteous left took some time to study the true definition of diversity.
