One of the Scottsdale Unified School District (SUSD) governing board members was busted by the cops for a party attended by teens.
SUSD governing board member Matt Pittinsky threw a “rave party” for his teenage son’s birthday earlier this month that ended with police and an ambulance responding to the scene, per sources cited by the advocacy group, Scottsdale Unites For Educational Integrity.
Pittinsky’s son attends Brophy College Preparatory School, a private high school, where Pittinsky sits on the board of regents.
🧵SUSD Board Member Matt Pittinsky, who also serves on the Board of Regents at private school Brophy, comes under fire for hosting a rave for private school students while he considers a vote to close public schools. https://t.co/h2fx1R3lwcpic.twitter.com/Pu23KEcfDc
— Scottsdale Unites for Educational Integrity (@ScottsdaleUnite) November 13, 2025
At a special meeting last week, one of Pittinsky’s neighbors addressed the board about the party. The neighbor said he witnessed a young girl taken to the hospital by first responders for alcohol poisoning. The neighbor questioned Pittinsky’s judgment, especially amid ongoing conversations about the potential closures of two schools: Echo Canyon School and Pima Elementary School.
“There was an underage girl hauled away in an ambulance for alcohol poisoning from a rave party at Mr. Pittinsky’s house,” said the neighbor. “Paradise Valley Police Department had to shut this mess down, and our neighborhood had a mess from it. It was quite the scene.”
During a public hearing on school closures, a neighbor of Board Member Matt Pittinsky took the opportunity to complain about a rave party Mr. Pittinsky hosted at his home for private school students. https://t.co/dI095qUIlGpic.twitter.com/wxmkX3rw0e
— Scottsdale Unites for Educational Integrity (@ScottsdaleUnite) November 16, 2025
Along with his SUSD seat, Pittinsky is an Arizona State University (ASU) visiting scholar for the Sanford School.
Pittinsky has also been CEO of Parchment, which manages and sends academic transcripts, and formerly CEO to Blackboard, a leading education software and learning management system company which he co-founded.
Blackboard received criticism over the years within the education and legal communities over alleged anticompetitive practices: lawsuits over alleged patent infractions and a steady acquisition of competitors that, essentially, forced educators to use them though Blackboard wasn’t their preferred vendor.
An invitation for the Pittinsky party posted by a since-deleted Instagram user, “nov.7.funcoverflow,” said the party would last from 8 pm to “GTFO” (an acronym for “get the f*ck out”), and told guests to “BYOE,” which stands for “bring your own everything.”
According to a letter from Pittinsky and his wife delivered to neighbors, the Pittinskys hired security to limit attendance to invited guests, and promised the party would last only until midnight.
However, eyewitness accounts said that police “shut down” the party several hours into the festivities. Eyewitnesses also reported at least one teenager was taken away from the party in an ambulance.
Scottsdale Unites For Educational Integrity urged parents and community members to address the Pittinsky party during the SUSD’s regular governing board meeting on Tuesday.
Much of the public comment on Tuesday’s meeting focused on voicing opposition to the proposed closures of Echo Canyon School and Pima Elementary School.
Those who did address the Pittinsky party questioned Pittinsky’s dedication to student health and safety.
Scottsdale resident Mike Bengert, a father and grandfather, asked for a complete, public investigation into the incident, as well as an apology and resignation from Pittinsky. Bengert’s remarks were met with applause.
“Hosting, permitting, or failing to prevent an environment in which underage drinking and medical emergencies could occur is deeply troubling,” said Bengert. “Why should the community trust your judgment on issues so critical to our public schools? Your actions suggest a disregard for the safety and wellbeing of the very students you are sworn to serve.”
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A Change.org petition calling for the removal of a Turning Point USA (TPUSA) “Club America” chapter at Saguaro High School in Scottsdale lists 429 verified signatures on its page as of November 7, 2025. The petition—titled “Stop Political Hate Clubs in Arizona Schools”—urges Scottsdale Unified School District (SUSD) Governing Board members Carine Werner, Amy Carney, and Maricopa County Superintendent Shelli Boggs to dissolve the club, alleging it promotes “hate, division, or discrimination under the guise of ‘religious’ or ‘political’ values.”
The petition claims that TPUSA “has a documented history of targeting marginalized groups and spreading harmful rhetoric” and argues its presence “sends the message that intolerance is acceptable.” It adds, “While every student has the right to their own political beliefs, no club should be allowed to promote hate, division, or discrimination under the guise of ‘religious’ or ‘political’ values.” Funds raised through Change.org will support “awareness efforts, educational events, and promotional materials.”
Public comments on the petition echo those themes. Saguaro alumnus Seth wrote, “As a Saguaro alum, I am appalled that such a club would be allowed to exist… The very intention of Club America is to sew [sic] discord and position one side as morally right and the other as morally wrong.” Naleah of Peoria said, “This club is not freedom of speech; it is built on the premise and beliefs of a racist and sexist….” Ines of Scottsdale added, “Saguaro should be a community that nurtures its students into well-informed adults. Having a political group that is there to influence high school kids instead of properly educating them… is harming the fundamentals of education.”
TPUSA rebranded its high-school program as “Club America” in July 2025, but the petition refers to the Saguaro organization as a “Turning Point USA chapter.” The filing claims Saguaro recently approved the club under SUSD’s policy allowing student-led groups with staff sponsors, elected officers, and signed agreements. The district has not publicly confirmed the approval.
Scottsdale Unites for Educational Integrity, a parental-rights advocacy group, publicized the petition on X on Nov. 7, urging followers to email the SUSD board at GovBRD@SUSD.org to “uphold students’ rights to start a Turning Point club.” In the post, the group described the petition as “an effort to silence students at Saguaro High School who wish to launch a @TPUSA club,” quoting the petition’s claim that TPUSA clubs promote “discrimination under the guise of ‘religious’ … values.”
The advocacy group also alleged that Saguaro Principal Lisa Hirsch “previously allowed an antisemitic presentation to occur at Desert Mountain High School” when she was principal there—an allegation referencing a 2023 incident that drew statewide scrutiny. District communications at the time condemned hate speech and denied institutional antisemitism.
The event, also flagged by Scottsdale Unites for Education Integrity, involved a UNICEF club at Desert Mountain High School (DMHS) telling students that Israel has been illegally occupying, taking, and settling on land belonging to Palestinians; that Israel had engaged in ethnic cleansing and apartheid by forcibly displacing and discriminating against Palestinians; and that Israel unjustly tortured and imprisoned Palestinians, including 80 percent of Palestinian children.
🚨A petition has been created in effort to silence students at Saguaro High School who wish to launch a @TPUSA club. The petition asserts that TPUSA clubs promote "discrimination under the guise of “religious” … values."
— Scottsdale Unites for Educational Integrity (@ScottsdaleUnite) November 7, 2025
TPUSA, founded in 2012, has faced similar opposition in other Arizona districts. In October 2025, Snowflake High School denied a TPUSA club request citing a moratorium on new clubs dating to 2009, according to FOX 10 Phoenix.
SUSD did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A message sent through Change.org to petition starter Isabella Finley received no reply by press time.
An elementary school student testified that his former teacher harassed him over his family’s conservative beliefs.
The young boy brought his complaints to the attention of the Scottsdale Unified School District (SUSD) at their most recent board meeting.
The little boy accused SUSD teacher Donna Javinett (Anasazi Elementary School) of coordinating with one of his neighbors to target himself and his family for their “extremist” beliefs in recent years.
The boy referenced a court case that resulted in a restraining order against his neighbor; during a hearing, the neighbor disclosed email correspondence with Javinett documenting their collusion against the boy.
“This teacher created a hostile school environment for kids like me when she didn’t like their parents. She would yell at me in the hallway and hurry me along. I also caught her filming me one day. She claimed she was filming for field day but the event was over and her phone was pointing right at me. At the same time, a neighbor on my street was also filming me while I was outside my home. It was creepy and I felt unsafe. It became so bad that my family had to get a restraining order against my neighbor. At court is when the neighbor revealed a personal email from Mrs. Javinett to my teacher not to my neighbor thanking my neighbor for protecting teachers against extremists. This is when I found out that Mrs. Javinett and my neighbor were working together.”
Scottsdale Unites for Educational Integrity, an activist group of SUSD community members and parents, obtained the referenced email. Javinett wrote an email thanking the neighbor, a retired educator by the name of “Ellen,” to thank her for her actions.
“I want to thank you for defending Scottsdale teachers against extremists who have nothing better to do than harass teachers, administrators, board members, and the superintendent on social media. We have been called groomers, rapists, and people who want nothing more than to indoctrinate children. You have defended us every step of the way. I know you are a retired educator who is still involved with many of our wonderful students in Scottsdale and I hope you know how much your support is appreciated.”
The parents of the student featured in the video shared an email sent by the SUSD 3rd-grade teacher to her neighbor. This email – obtained through a legal proceeding involving Ms. Javinett – appears to confirm that she referred to parents and families who raise concerns about… pic.twitter.com/iC1dJ7VgSD
— Scottsdale Unites for Educational Integrity (@ScottsdaleUnite) October 13, 2025
Javinett first came into the public eye for her Facebook comments responding to the assassination of Turning Point CEO and president Charlie Kirk.
Javinett argued with community members and parents on social media over whether Kirk was partially at fault for his assassination.
“Yes hate leads to violence and unfortunately Charlie Kirk in sided [sic] violence. He was nothing more than an ugly bigot,” said Javinett. “Kirk’s hatred of trans, LGBTQ, black people, and women is out there. I don’t have to defend the fact that I don’t respect hatred and bigotry.”
Javinett also accused Kirk of being a white nationalist.
“He was disgusting. He was in [sic] white nationalist. He disparaged marginalized communities. He thought that men should control women. You should be embarrassed that you support him,” said Javinett. “It makes me sad that you all try to indoctrinate kids with this right wing Christian bulls**t.”
The little boy asked the SUSD governing board why Javinett was allowed to continue teaching given her comments and past behavior.
“She’s the reason why we and others left Anasazi,” said the boy.
Javinett previously sustained criticisms for supporting an all-encompassing social and emotional learning approach to education.
Scottsdale Unified 3rd grade teacher Donna Javinett said the quiet part out loud and confirmed that class time across all subjects is spent on Social Emotional Learning, i.e. feelings/emotions, racial awareness, gendered identities and distributive justice. (CASEL is the… https://t.co/bPaLjoZCmvpic.twitter.com/6IzJv7dEXe
— Scottsdale Unites for Educational Integrity (@ScottsdaleUnite) October 23, 2024
Last fall, Javinett donated nearly $1,000 to the campaign of progressive SUSD board member Donna Lewis.
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Scottsdale Unified School District (SUSD) parents are attempting to reverse the relaxation of the district’s dress code.
SUSD surveyed Scottsdale Parent Council (SPC) members about the district’s dress code, which parents criticized for failure to indicate a requirement for students to cover their midriffs.
The survey, shared by Scottsdale Unites For Educational Integrity (SUFEI), only included “genitals, buttocks, chest, and nipples” in its description of “private body parts” in a question to parents about appropriate student clothing.
SUFEI urged parents to respond to the survey in opposition to the question of appropriate student clothing and to leave a comment explaining their support for qualifying the midriff as a private body part.
Current SUSD dress code does not require students to cover their midriffs. However, the dress code does prohibit students from wearing anything deemed “hate speech,” along with any clothing depicting profanity, nudity, or pornography.
In 2022 emails reported by the Arizona Daily Independent last fall, the governing board’s then-vice president Libby Hart-Wells reportedly pressured SUSD administration to override the district’s Code of Conduct to allow girls to wear clothing that exposed the midriff.
SUSD Residents- help 🛑 the sexualization of Scottsdale Unified students!
— Arizona Women of Action (@azwomenofaction) April 22, 2025
Hart-Wells, who presided over the board last year, no longer serves on the board.
Most other districts around the Valley do not allow midriffs and have maintained the traditional set of dress codes, but several have begun to loosen their dress codes as well.
In 2023, Higley Unified School District (HUSD) removed policy language prohibiting clothes which “immodestly exposes the chest, abdomen, midriff, genital area, or buttocks,” instead reducing the prohibition to clothing exposing “undergarments [or] undergarment areas.”
Last year, Tucson Unified School District revised its policy citing concerns of sexism and equity, effectively allowing students to expose most of their breasts along with their entire torsos and buttocks.
Scottsdale parents concerned with the relaxed dress code are also coming off of other, more significant concerns with the district. Last year, the governing board approved a bonus to Superintendent Scott Menzel despite lower test scores. Menzel earned the bonus based on meeting several nonacademic achievement goals over the course of a year, not any of the academic ones: increased attendance rate, increased student extracurricular and cocurricular activity participation, increased certified staff retention, an established baseline for work-based learning opportunities and hours, and the production of a decision making matrix and proposal.
Under Menzel’s leadership for the past four years, SUSD enrollment dropped by over 1,500 students and science scores dropped 24 percent. Less than 50 percent of 8th grade SUSD students were proficient in math, despite 94 percent of students graduating.
Menzel has been a proponent of more progressive ideologies, such as those behind critical race theory and LGBTQ+ lifestyles. Menzel has defended the inclusion of sexualized discourses and subject matter on campuses as protected under Civil Rights law.
Menzel came to SUSD in July 2020 amid the racial reckoning sweeping the nation following George Floyd’s death in police custody. The year before, while still a superintendent in Michigan, Menzel gave an interview calling the white race “problematic” and meritocracy “a lie.”
“[White people] should feel really, really uncomfortable, because we perpetuate a system by ignoring the realities in front of us, and living in a mythological reality,” said Menzel. “In this country it’s about meritocracy. ‘Pull up yourself by your bootstraps, everybody has the same opportunity.’ And it’s a lie.”
The discovery of these past remarks prompted Scottsdale lawmakers to advocate for Menzel’s removal.
Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne also advocated against Menzel’s contract renewal last fall.
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It’s taken the better part of a year for vigilant Scottsdale parents, but the vulgar books they discovered will no longer be in their district’s libraries.
Last July, Scottsdale mom Jill Dunican wrote to the Scottsdale Unified School District (SUSD) governing board about 17 books allegedly containing “vulgar or educationally unsuitable content.” Dunican wrote on behalf of several advocacy organizations and individuals: Scottsdale Unites for Educational Integrity, Arizona Women of Action, Restore Parental Rights in Education, Protect Arizona Children Coalition, A Legal Process, Not In Our Schools, Shiry Sapir, Dan Kleinman (SafeLibraries), EZAZ, Save CFSD, Kids First, Mom Army, and Moms For Liberty.
The contested books were “A Stolen Life” by Jaycee Dugard; “Doomed” and “Haunted” by Chuck Palahniuk; “Lucky” by Alice Sebold; “PUSH” by Sapphire; “Sold” by Patrick McCormick; “Tricks,” “Perfect,” “People Kill People,” “Identical,” and “Smoke” by Ellen Hopkins; “Icebreaker” by Hannah Grace; “A Court of Frost and Starlight” by Sara J. Maas; “Anatomy of a Boyfriend” and “Anatomy of a Single Girl” by Daria Snadowsky; “Breathless” by Jennifer Niven; “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” by Jesse Andrews; and “Lawn Boy” by Jonathan Evison.
Most of these books were only available at the various high schools within the district. One contested title — “Sold” — was available at the Desert Canyon K-8 school.
In her letter to the board, Dunican claimed these books violated Arizona’s laws on furnishing harmful items to minors and Arizona’s parental bill of rights.
“The negative impacts of vulgar material on children include: ‘greater acceptance of sexual harassment, sexual activity at an early age, acceptance of negative attitudes to women, unrealistic expectations, skewed attitudes of gender roles, greater levels of body dissatisfaction, rape myths, and sexual aggression,’ as well as sexual risk taking, mental health problems, decreased academic performance and detachment from family and friends,” wrote Dunican.
SUSD agreed. Following a temporary pull of the books and investigation by a review committee, SUSD found that nearly all of the contested books needed to be kept out of circulation permanently — meaning these texts violated Arizona laws on furnishing harmful materials to minors.
Last Friday, SUSD advised Dunican of the removal of 15 of the 17 contested books. The district determined the other two books — “Sold” and “Stolen Life” — may remain in circulation under the condition of parental consent for checkouts.
In a response email to Dunican, SUSD director Kim Dodds Keran added that the 15 books to be removed from circulation had “very limited circulation,” meaning they were checked out five or fewer times over the past three years.
In an email shared with AZ Free News, Dunican asked SUSD to adopt a policy complementing Arizona law prohibiting public schools from referring students to or using sexually explicit material in any manner.
This law maintains exemptions for works that possess “serious educational value” or “artistic, literary, political, or scientific value.” In those cases, schools must obtain written parental consent on a per-material basis.
Dunican suggested the proposed SUSD policy could have librarians rely on rating services to review book ratings ahead of book purchases.
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