Hobbs Vetoes Pingerelli’s Public School Cell Phone Ban Bill

Hobbs Vetoes Pingerelli’s Public School Cell Phone Ban Bill

By Daniel Stefanski |

A bill to increase governance on cell phones in public schools was vetoed by Arizona’s Democrat governor.

Last week, Governor Katie Hobbs vetoed HB 2793, which would have “require[d] each school district governing board and charter school governing body to prescribe and enforce policies and procedures that govern student access to the internet and limit student use of wireless communications devices during the school day.”

In a statement to House Speaker Ben Toma, Hobbs said, “This legislation establishes an unnecessary mandate for an issue schools are already addressing.”

The sponsor of the proposal, State House Education Committee Chairwoman Beverly Pingerelli, expressed her disappointment over the governor’s action, saying, “There is a growing body of research that clearly links the use of wireless devices like cell phones to increased negative social harms among our youth. Arizona middle and high schools today are flooded with students glued to screens. It’s an epidemic that is impacting everything from teen depression and anxiety, increased childhood obesity, and decreased academic achievement.”

Pingerelli added, “As a former school board member, I believe in local solutions. This is why my legislation called on school boards to develop policies and procedures to limit the use of devices for students. It called for sensible solutions and reasonable exceptions. The goal is to have personal devices ‘away for the day’ so students can engage and learn. Today, schools feel powerless to enforce even mild restrictions. The results are evident on campuses everywhere.”

The bill first passed the State House in February with a 31-28 vote (with one seat vacant). After being transmitted to the State Senate, it passed earlier this month with a 16-13 vote (with one member not voting).

On the Arizona Legislature’s Request to Speak system, representatives from the Arizona Association of County School Superintendents, Arizona School Administrators Association, and Arizona School Boards Association endorsed the legislation.

Chairwoman Pingerelli’s press release noted that legislative Democrats opposed her legislation “despite no formal opposition and not one person testifying against the bill.”

Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne also weighed in on the news. He said, “Anyone with a minimum of empathy would empathize with teachers who try to teach while students are scrolling on their cell phones. Every instructional method is precious. A teacher should not have to put up with that interference with instruction.”

Horne added, “Cell phones have also become the major way in which students are bullied. It is enough that they get bullied on their cell phones when they’re away from school. It should not be happening while they are in school trying to learn, so that the bullying occurs 24 hours a day. To permit that bullying to go on 24 hours a day shows a lack of empathy for the students.”

The Republican schools’ chief shared the results of a recent poll in the state showing that 62.75% of respondent parents supported the increased regulations on their children’s cell phones in schools.

Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.

Peoria Parents Urge District To Act After Basketball Coach Arrested For Child Sex Abuse

Peoria Parents Urge District To Act After Basketball Coach Arrested For Child Sex Abuse

By Staff Reporter |

Peoria Unified School District (PUSD) parents and community members urged greater action from their district during last week’s board meeting after the arrest of a prominent basketball coach for child sex abuse. 

The coach, 37-year-old Patrick Battillo, known by his superfan alias, “Mr. ORNG,” was arrested last week for soliciting minors for sexual content. The school where Battillo coached, Peoria High School, had run a background check on him prior to his coming on board. 

Parental concerns have been on the rise due to the constant news of other educators arrested for child sex abuse outside the district over the past year, as well as the steady stream of Arizona State Board of Education cases involving sexual misconduct.

Last month, 53-year-old Estevan Carreon with Glendale Union High School District’s Independence High School, was arrested after secretly recording students while they undressed. Over the course of seven months, three female educators in various Buckeye schools were arrested for inappropriate contact with minors: 23-year-old Alyssa Todd, 42-year-old Jessica Kramer, and 24-year-old Diana Pirvu. 

In January, 35-year-old Daniel Pineda with Dream City Christian School in Glendale was arrested for allegedly sexually abusing a student.

Last week’s extensive community participation with PUSD was due in part to a call to action by SMART Schools, a subsidiary of the conservative activist group Arizona Women of Action. In a press release, the organization urged involvement to increase student safety. 

Tamra Farah, SMART Families Network Director, urged the board to find ways to heighten collective vigilance to safeguard the students. Farah reminded the board that another educator, Erin Quigley, had agreed to the suspension of his teaching certification amid allegations of grooming and possibly sexually abusing students. 

Rachel Barnett — Littleton Elementary School District board member, Arizona School Board Association (ASBA) Black Alliance Officer, secretary of the NAACP, and former PUSD employee and mother  — said that she wasn’t at all surprised by child sex abuse cases coming out of PUSD due to its standard for handling reporting of such cases. 

Barnett said that a female senior student at Peoria High School urged her to speak at last week’s meeting. She said that PUSD had a “startling history of covering up abuse,” citing a practice of barring teachers who contact the Department of Child Services (DCS) and law enforcement from testifying in court, let alone admitting they were the ones who reported the abuse to DCS.

“It troubles me to say that I am not at all surprised to hear what’s presently unfolding in this district,” said Barnett. 

Barnett further alleged that administrators weren’t notifying parents of the sexual abuse cases. PUSD Board President Becky Proudfit directed several members of the board to follow up with Barnett. 

Dr. Tara Armstead, former member of the Arizona Department of Education’s African American Advisory Council and former Litchfield Elementary School District board member, said that background checks weren’t enough to catch predators. Armstead encouraged the board to listen more to the students.

Seak Smith — founder and president of The Mom Army, a child advocacy organization —  urged the district to recognize the child sex abuse incidents as part of a greater pandemic. 

“We need to understand that predators and pedophiles go where they can have access to children, and we have to do better to safeguard children and protect them from predators,” said Smith. 

Mark Del Maestro, a Vietnam War veteran, said that pedophiles like those arrested recently were “Satan’s marionettes.” Del Maestro compared the rising rates of child sex abuse to the rampant molestation in war-torn Vietnam.

AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.

Scottsdale Schools Receive Parents’ Donation Of Pro-American Books

Scottsdale Schools Receive Parents’ Donation Of Pro-American Books

By Staff Reporter |

Scottsdale parents and community members were approved to donate pro-American books to district schools.

The Scottsdale Unified School DIstrict (SUSD) governing board approved the books unanimously during Wednesday’s meeting. The selections will be part of a new “American Pride Library” program spread across SUSD’s 29 libraries. Grassroots activists who have been pushing for a cleanup of school curriculum celebrated the win.

Scottsdale United for Educational Integrity, the parent group leading the initiative, announced the win shortly after the board’s approval. 

“We did it! Our American Pride Library donation of pro-American books has been approved 5-0 by the Scottsdale Unified governing board,” stated the group. 

Among the approved books donated were selections from the popular Tuttle Twins franchise, and “A is for American Dream” by the Phoenix-based libertarian think tank, The Goldwater Institute.

In addition to the Goldwater Institute picture book, SUSD elementary schools will receive the two “America’s History” volumes from the Tuttle Twins franchise, as well as the following “Tuttle Twins” series: “Law,” “The Miraculous Pencil,” “The Creature from Jekyll Island,” “The Food Truck Fiasco,” “The Road to Serfdom,” “The Golden Rule,” “The Search for Atlas,” “Their Spectacular Show Business,” “The Fate of the Future,” “The Education Vacation,” “The Messed Up Market,” “The Leviathan Crisis,” and “The 12 Rules Bootcamp.”

Middle schools will receive both volumes of “America’s History,” as well as the following Tuttle Twins’ “Guide” series: “Logical Fallacies,” “Beware Your Bias,” “Inspiring Entrepreneurs,” “Modern Villains,” “True Conspiracies,” and “Courageous Heroes.”

High schools will receive both volumes of “America’s History,” as well as the following Tuttle Twins’ series: “The Hyperinflation Devastation,” “The Little Pink House,” “The Case of the Broken Window,” “The Play for Power,” “Guide to Logical Fallacies,” “Guide to Beware Your Bias,” “Guide to Inspiring Entrepreneurs,” “Guide to Modern Villains,” “Guide to True Conspiracies,” and “Guide to Courageous Heroes.” 

The books were part of a pushback against the objected books available containing a variety of progressive, often explicit content addressing subjects like LGBTQ+ ideology and Critical Race Theory. These activist groups maintain a list of these objected books, which they characterize as “adult only.”

The Tuttle Twins company’s Education Outreach Coordinator, Andrea Ford, expressed support for the Scottsdale grassroots’ mission to improve SUSD’s library selections.

“We appreciate the hard work and dedication of the teachers in SUSD and are excited to support them in building a freer society by providing materials to enhance critical thinking skills, knowledge of free market economy and entrepreneurship, and increasing proficiency in the history of our country,” said Ford. “Our goal at Tuttle Twins is to distribute our books to all schools in the nation and assist in bringing a new culture of liberty for our rising generation.”

“Conservative Circus” radio host James T. Harris also praised the grassroots for taking initiative in improving their schools’ libraries with “positive, wholesome books” that would build up the community and the nation as a whole.

“These parents, they came together, they took this issue into their own hands, and here they are presenting something positive,” said Harris.

AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.

Peoria Parents Urge District To Act After Basketball Coach Arrested For Child Sex Abuse

Popular Phoenix Suns ‘Superfan,’ High School Coach Arrested For Child Sex Crimes

By Staff Reporter |

A popular “superfan” of the Phoenix Suns and high school basketball coach, “Mr. ORNG,” was arrested on Wednesday on charges of soliciting minors for sexual content. 

The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office revealed that Mr. ORNG, 37-year-old Patrick Battillo, had been arrested following notification to the Peoria Police Department of a sexual offense investigation into Battillo at his alma mater, Peoria High School (PHS), where he served as head coach of the boys basketball team.

The investigation concerned reports that Battillo had solicited minors for sexually explicit photos and videos of themselves. In return, Battillo allegedly offered money to the minors.

Battillo was charged with luring a minor for sexual exploitation and child sex trafficking, both classified as felonies. Luring a minor for sexual exploitation qualifies as a class 3 felony, which carries a prison sentence ranging from two to eight years in prison. Child sex trafficking qualifies as a class 2 felony, which carries a prison sentence ranging from 13 to 27 years for first offenders. 

Battillo wasn’t the only one arrested on Wednesday in relation to his alleged crimes. A coworker, 46-year-old Holly Holgate, was arrested on charges of hindering prosecution and failure to report the neglect of a minor. According to a statement from Peoria Unified School District (PUSD), Holgate warned Battillo that police were coming for him so that Battillo could leave the school. Holgate had worked at Peoria High School for over 20 years. 

Battillo began coaching at PHS in 2016, starting out as an assistant coach for the varsity team. PUSD indicated that Batillo’s fingerprint and background check came back clear. Holgate’s fingerprint clearance was also up to date. 

Holgate was the club sponsor for Jobs For Arizona Graduates, a club helping sophomores and juniors make career transitions. In 2020, Holgate was awarded the “Pride of Peoria” by PUSD for being “a selfless server of students, always willing to go the extra mile, always looking out for all of the interests of the students.” 

In a 2022 interview with Cronkite News, Battillo described his players as his family and noted that the boys relied on him for “comfort and guidance.”

“The relationships I have made with current and former players, fans of the Suns and at the NBA level, transcending that and those experiences of my relationships with those people to the relationship I have with my athletes, all comes full circle,” said Battillo. 

Battillo said that he felt it was his duty as a coach to make men out of his players.

“Life is bigger than basketball, and all of it comes full circle,” said Battillo. “How you treat others, how you develop each other specifically at the high school level, how you develop these young men into men during this crucial transition in their life.”

As of this report, his verified X account, @PHXMRORNG, and Instagram account, @mrorng, were still active. 

Battillo gained a fan following over a decade ago for showing up to Suns games with his body and hair painted entirely orange and decked out in team merchandise. His popularity would afford him opportunities to lead on a number of fundraisers and charity events over the years.

In addition to coaching PHS basketball, Battillo co-hosted the Inferno podcast through Bleav Sports. Battillo received an educational doctorate from Grand Canyon University (GCU) in 2022. 

Battillo was regularly invited to speak at various schools around the Valley. His latest speaking engagement occurred last Thursday at Legacy Traditional Schools in Peoria for “ORNG Day.”

AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.

Trans Teacher Suspended For Sex Life Discussions, Storage Closet Excursions With Students

Trans Teacher Suspended For Sex Life Discussions, Storage Closet Excursions With Students

By Staff Reporter |

A transgender high school teacher received a three-year suspension of his teaching certificate for multiple alleged offenses, which included discussing his sex life and conducting private storage closet excursions with students.

Erin Quigley — a man who identifies as a woman — up until recently taught sports medicine for Amphitheater High School at Amphitheater Public Schools (APS) in Tucson. 

In response to an investigation launched last year by the Arizona State Board of Education (ASBE), Quigley agreed to a negotiated settlement in which Quigley’s teaching certificate would be suspended for three years. Quigley also agreed to take the National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification Prevention and Correction course.

ASBE’s case file on Quigley noted that he gave a student a gold necklace under the pretext of being a “secret admirer” and texted that student to discuss his personal life. According to ASBE, Quigley regularly gave out his personal phone number to students. On at least one occasion, Quigley was reported to have given his home address as well when he invited the entire class to his house for a Thanksgiving dinner.

The student gifted the necklace also reported that Quigley publicly discussed his sex life with students, offering details about how he had sex with many women in the past. Quigley also reportedly encouraged his students to share their sex lives — such as whether they were sexually active or if they needed Quigley to buy condoms for them — and other private information with him. 

Another student in Quigley’s class reported that Quigley would periodically leave his classroom to take several other students into a storage closet for up to 20 minutes at a time, leaving the other students unattended. 

Quigley also reportedly asked students to hook him up with their “hot aunts.”

In one reported instance, Quigley participated in a prank requested by another student in which Quigley told a female student that he heard two heartbeats through his stethoscope on her midsection, and offered to buy her a pregnancy test. 

Quigley also reportedly divulged details of the abuse he experienced from his father, as well as the gender transition processes he had yet to undertake. 

ASBE further reported that Quigley managed multiple school clubs granting him off-campus time and access to his students. 

ASBE began investigating Quigley after receiving a report of unprofessional conduct from the high school’s general counsel and associate to the superintendent last January. 

According to a feature by Northern Arizona University (NAU), Quigley received his Career and Technical Education (CTE) Bachelor of Science in Education (BSED) in 2015, followed by a CTE graduate certificate in 2016. 

However, neither of NAU’s commencement programs from 2015 (MayDecember) listed any CTE BSED candidates named “Erin Quigley,” nor do they list any individuals with the last name “Quigley.” NAU ceased digitizing its full commencement programs after 2015.

AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.

ASU To Host Former Democratic Speaker Of The House Nancy Pelosi

ASU To Host Former Democratic Speaker Of The House Nancy Pelosi

By Elizabeth Troutman |

Arizona State University plans to use taxpayer dollars to host a talk by former Democratic congresswoman Nancy Pelosi on Monday. 

Pelosi will have a conversation with Obama administration strategist David Axelrod as part of the ASU College of Liberal Arts and Sciences’ “Democracy at Work” series. The event is only open to ASU faculty, staff, and students. 

Pelosi served as speaker of the house from 2007 to 2011 and from 2019 to 2023. 

The talk comes as Pelosi has been actively campaigning for President Joe Biden’s reelection. In March, Biden, former President Barack Obama, and Pelosi held a virtual rally to celebrate the anniversary of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). They touted the ACA for lowering the cost of healthcare, and warned against former President Donald Trump’s efforts to repeal the ACA. 

Pelosi has a history of championing left-wing causes. Despite claiming to be Catholic, Pelosi has said it is a “sin” to restrict access to abortion. As a congresswoman, she supported abortion on demand up to the moment of birth. 

Other speakers in the “Democracy at Work” series include former Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, a Republican, journalist Karl Rove, Obama adviser David Plouff, former Republican New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, ASU President Michael Crow, and Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-Calif. 

Axelrod is professor of practice at Arizona State University and senior political commentator for CNN. He is the host of the “Axe Files” and is the founding director of the University of Chicago’s non-partisan Institute of Politics.

Patrick Kenney, the Dean of ASU’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, did not immediately respond to AZ Free News’ request for comment. 

Elizabeth Troutman is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send her news tips using this link.