by Matthew Holloway | Aug 27, 2025 | Education, News
By Matthew Holloway |
Former University of Arizona (U of A) ethics professor Daniel Grossenbach is suing the school with the help of Liberty Counsel, after being fired for publicly advocating for his parental rights at Catalina Foothills School District (CFSD) meetings.
Grossenbach, a CFSD parent and resident, is the founding member of ‘Save CFSD,’ a “non-profit organization focused on educating parents about school board policies and issues and fundamental parental rights.” According to the lawsuit, he was “unceremoniously terminated” by U of A leaders, “at the demands of internet trolls’ intent on silencing his speech.”
In a press release issued Friday, Liberty Counsel announced the lawsuit on Grossenbach’s behalf. The Christian legal ministry explained, “In 2023, Grossenbach spoke several times at school board meetings, which [were] attended by hundreds of concerned parents, and delivered two-to-three-minute, pre-written speeches. He routinely included a disclaimer that he spoke for himself and not for his employer, and expressed without hate, slander, or violence how the district’s policies violated parental rights.
“The lawsuit then states that ‘anti-religious zealots turned digital critics’ coordinated over social media to silence Grossenbach and SaveCFSD by getting him fired from his job. Subsequently, numerous anonymous complaints were filed against him with the University of Arizona encouraging the university to discipline him for speaking out about his rights and beliefs.”
Liberty Counsel revealed, “In November 2023, the university informed him that it would not be renewing his part-time teaching contract for the following Spring ethics courses citing it had received funding for a full-time faculty member. However, the university never hired a full-time professor nor offered his ethics course the following Spring. In fact, the university posted advertisements soliciting resumes for additional part-time professors meeting Grossenbach’s exact skills and experience to teach similar courses he had been teaching for years.”
The attorneys argue that despite Grossenbach’s good performance and positive reputation, U of A terminated his employment “after discovering that he was an outspoken Christian advocating for change within his local school board to protect his family.” They claim the university subsequently stalled the disclosure of public records regarding his termination for 239 days in violation of Arizona law.
“[The University of Arizona’s] actions have inflicted irreparable damage to Professor Grossenbach’s professional career and reputation, ended his academic pursuit of a doctorate degree, decreased his earning potential, and reduced his income,” wrote Liberty Counsel. “Further, when Professor Grossenbach was terminated, he lost a potential textbook publishing deal, furthering his financial loss and reputational damage.”
According to the lawsuit, Grossenbach was terminated on November 30, 2024, after serving in his role for over three years “on the basis of complaints lodged by anonymous online censors targeting his constitutionally protected speech regarding his sincerely held religious beliefs, in his private capacity, separate and apart from the workplace.”
The professor filed a charge of discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and obtained a Notice of Right to Sue on May 25, 2025.
“Professors at public universities and colleges do not shed their constitutional rights to free speech and religious exercise when they work for a university,” said Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver. “Professor Daniel Grossenbach engaged in constitutionally protected speech, religious expression, and religious exercise and was speaking on matters of public concern regarding his faith, morality, and the community. The University of Arizona cannot fire a professor for his protected speech. Viewpoint discrimination is unlawful and violates the First Amendment and religious discrimination violates Title VII.”
Liberty Counsel is seeking a permanent injunction to declare the university’s Nondiscriminatory and Anti-Harassment Policy and Statement of Professional Conduct illegal and unlawful, along with compelling U of A “to reasonably accommodate the religious beliefs and practices of its employees.” The lawsuit also asks the court to reinstate Grossenbach to his former position, restore his benefits, and award damages.
Grossenbach’s efforts with ‘Save CFSD’ and exposure of controversial whistleblower audio released in May have been reported on by AZ Free News. The Professor also penned an op-ed on AZ Free News in October 2024 discussing his termination.
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
by Matthew Holloway | Jul 31, 2025 | Education, News
By Matthew Holloway |
In the aftermath of the controversial whistleblower audio released in May, the Catalina Foothills School District (CFSD) has responded by banning students from recording “a classroom teacher or administrator” without permission, according to Save CFSD.
The audio released in May included an alleged teacher criticizing the religious texts of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism on LGBTQ issues in a 9th grade health classroom.
In addition to the new prohibitions, Dan Grossenbach, a CFSD parent, resident, and contributor to Save CFSD, shared an email with AZ Free News from the district indicating that the teacher involved has faced zero disciplinary action.
In his email, Grossenbach explained, “In public statements, CFSD administration implied to State48 and the AZ Daily Star editorial page that they fired the teacher, but the district has confirmed to me by email that there was no discipline.”
According to Grossenbach, the board launched its efforts to prevent students from creating any further classroom recordings in an unscheduled meeting on Tuesday.
“They held an unplanned/emergency meeting on Tuesday to pass a policy they claimed was based on a new law banning cell phones,” Grossenbach said. “However, they added a line about banning classroom recordings, electronic recorders, or posting any audio publicly. They added that teachers have the right to search and seize all personal items and threatened student expulsion.”
Grossenbach further said that the district has not made its sex-education curriculum publicly available as required under Arizona Revised Statutes § 15-711.
Save CFSD shared a lengthy thread to X, outlining the new policies enacted by the district.
According to screenshots provided by the group, the district made two major changes to its existing policies:
1. Restricting student access to social media platforms except as allowed by the student’s teacher for educational purposes; and
2. Limiting the use of wireless communication devices by students during the school day, exceptions include allowing student use of wireless communication devices for medical needs, educational purposes as directed by the student’s teacher, or during an emergency.
However, included in these policies are a few key points. The use of a “PD” or personal electronic device, including, but not limited to “cellular telephones, digital audio players, digital cameras, laptop computers, tablet computers, pagers, portable game players, smartwatches, smart glasses, and any new technology developed with similar capabilities,” now falls under the district’s policy for “Electronic Information Services” and under those terms:
“Each user of the District’s EIS, including a user of a PD shall:
- Obtain permission to record, transmit, or post photos or a video of a person with any electronic device.
- Obtain permission from a classroom teacher or administrator before making publicly available any images, video, or audio files recorded at school.”
Essentially, the new policy presents a de facto ban on any student recording a teacher or administrator without their permission, rendering future whistleblowing impossible without risking potential expulsion. Finally, the policy empowers school officials to “search and/or seize student property, if there are reasonable grounds that the search and seizure will reveal evidence that the student has violated or is violating the law or a District Policy procedure or school rule.”
The policy also states explicitly: “This authority extends to student-owned electronic/technology devices and electronic storage.”
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
by Matthew Holloway | May 30, 2025 | Education, News
By Matthew Holloway |
A stunning report of alleged whistleblower audio from inside a Catalina Foothills 9th grade health classroom in the Tucson area was released by the advocacy group ‘Save CFSD’ via X on Wednesday. In the audio recording, a voice alleged to be a Catalina Foothills School District (CFSD) teacher criticized the religious texts of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism, suggesting that “most parents aren’t understanding, aren’t accepting, or whatever.”
In the post to X revealing the audio, Save CFSD wrote, “We obtained this audio recording of a biased lecture in a 9th grade CFHS Health class on LGBTQ issues. You will hear the teacher encourage students to question what they’ve been told by their religious leaders and parents.”
The voice heard speaking began by saying, “Now, the topic that we’re dealing with today stems with sexuality as well as LGBTQ. It’s a lot of information that we get regarding this discussion comes from our faith. A lot of people have very strong feelings. This group right here has open executions on the streets in some parts of the world where if somebody who’s identified as gay and they find them, they catch them, they chop their heads off. That still happens today. So that’s telling you that it’s a very strong belief that something is wrong or immoral, and so it’s critical for us to do our own research rather than just listening to what people tell you.”
The speaker zeroed in on religion almost immediately telling the students:
“The problem is when we go to houses of worship, when we hear people for over time, they can definitely influence us. And maybe we don’t realize it. Now, when we look at the different religions of the world, these are the different texts. The Bible and Christianity, the Koran. And then we got the Torah. And then we have other religious doctrines that many people trust and put their faith in. When we read these, okay, it’s important to understand that these originated thousands of years ago. What was the primary language that was spoken in those regions during that time? Was it English? No. So what are they: Hebrew, Aramaic, Latin, alright? So, when English was developed, do you think they had to translate certain words into something that they thought it represented? Yeah.
“Now today, think of something that only you as teenagers are very familiar with. If you were talking about something specific related to that thing. And if I read it, could I be misinformed simply because I have no clue what you’re talking about? That can happen with translations as well. Now and so when you think of homosexuality, the word, that word did not come into play until the 1900s, so it does not appear in the Hebrew Bible and so forth. Lesbianism is not mentioned at all, so the word homosexuality itself is a modern term. And so, they had to derive it from the Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. The meaning and application of these passages have been subject to different interpretations throughout history and continue to be debated today, so if you go to various places of worship and you talk to people that are there to lead their flocks, fifty percent will probably say it’s one way. Fifty percent will say it’s the other way. So, if people can’t even agree, how do we know which one is right?…One of the students mentioned last year that their pastor and their church said that anyone who identifies as LGBTQ. Should be herded up, and they should be executed.
“Then there’s some of you that might hear that in your own church, your own congregation, your own house of worship. And then there’s others that are affirming and accepting and loving. I’m not trying to preach or anything like that, so just understand this is for educational purposes.”
The alleged teacher then pivoted to transgenderism and proceeded to guide the students through the process:
“So, what does the term cisgender mean? It’s a new word. So, then we have transgender. There’s different ways you can transition when it comes to your sexuality. So, could you just come out and tell people that you’re transgender and you haven’t done anything different? You’ve just expressed to people that, hey, I’m born male, but I identify as female. Would that be one way of doing it?
“Alright, so first is just letting people know. What would be the next step in the process? So, taking a more about feminine name, starting to dress female rather than male. OK, excellent. What would be the next progression then? So, then starting alterations physically.”
He then turned to how parents react suggesting, “Yeah, they’re probably going to resist it. So that becomes definitely a challenge. Who do you go to talk to if you’re one of those that are struggling? If you went to your parents, and you told them you were struggling, would your parents reject you?”
Finally, the speaker established a fearful response with the students. “You know, most parents aren’t understanding, aren’t accepting or whatever, and so many teenagers are potentially at risk of STDs and STIs that could potentially cause infertility, could lead to an earlier death, simply out of fear.”
The alleged teacher concluded, “One of the students last period mentioned how some of their friends today have been threatened to be kicked out of their homes because of their choices they’re making when it comes to sexuality. My encouragement for you is to make sure you do your research. Make decisions that you feel are good for you. Don’t just base your decisions simply because you’ve been told something.”
Sharing the post from Save CFSD, Arizona Women of Action (AZWOA) commented, “THIS kind of discussion is NOT part of Catalina Foothills curriculum, which is why AZWOA suggests NOT opting into any class that teaches sex-ed/Comprehensive Sexuality Education.”
The AZWOA added, “The 2011 National Sexuality Standards were developed by the Future of Sex Education Initiative (FoSE), which is Advocates for Youth, Answer, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and SIECUS. YES, PLANNED PARENTHOOD IS IN OUR SCHOOLS. @nopinkschool has been exposing this.”
The group further noted, “To make matters worse, the 2019 repeal of Arizona’s No Promo Homo law helped remove some of the barriers that were set in place, enabling AZ districts to align better with the FoSE standards which may enable discussions on sexual orientation and gender identity.”
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
by Staff Reporter | Feb 6, 2025 | Education, News
By Staff Reporter |
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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