by Staff Reporter | Feb 13, 2026 | Education, News
By Staff Reporter |
Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne believes the new federal guidance on prayer in schools serves as a pathway to further purge K-12 of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).
Horne said the administration’s characterization of speech compulsion made it clear that DEI presented an impermissible threat to religious freedoms.
“The new guidance issued by the U.S. Department of Education states that ‘No public school, teacher, or school official should ever coerce or press a student to engage in speech or affirm a viewpoint that would violate the student’s sincere religious beliefs,’” said Horne. “Numerous DEI precepts violate widespread religious beliefs, such as urging students to change genders, age-inappropriate sexual lessons, and other elements that may demean a student’s religious beliefs.”
Horne clarified that the new guidance doesn’t permit schools to coerce religious expression, either. Both the superintendent and the guidance cited the 2025 Supreme Court decision, Mahmoud v. Taylor, which found that public schools mandating curriculums endorsing homosexuality and transgenderism were violating religious freedom.
“No public school, teacher, or school official should ever coerce or pressure a student to engage in speech or affirm a viewpoint that would violate the student’s sincere religious beliefs,” stated the guidance. “[A] public school cannot require a student group to adopt a particular viewpoint in order to be recognized by the school if the viewpoint violates the student members’ religious beliefs. School officials also cannot express hostility toward religious student groups by demeaning their beliefs.”
The guidance, issued last week, addresses the issue of DEI elements in the context of requirements under federal law to advise on constitutionally protected prayer in public elementary and secondary schools. This updated version replaces the last guidance issued under the Biden administration in 2023.
Horne offered a marked copy of the guidance highlighting key new provisions across the four parts of the nine-page guidance.
In order to receive federal funding, local education agencies (LEAs) must certify in writing to the Arizona Department of Education (AZED) by Oct. 1 every year that none of their policies prevent or otherwise deny participation in constitutionally protected prayer in public K-12 schools.
AZED will establish processes by which the LEAs provide that certification and by which complaints may be filed against noncompliant LEAs. AZED must also send a list of noncompliant LEAs to the Department of Education by Nov. 1.
Presently, AZED requires LEAs to answer on Critical Race Theory and DEI as part of public reporting of school grades to assist with parental choice in schools.
“We will add this question to our list and report answers not only on our website, but also, as required, to the federal government,” said Horne. “Those with unsatisfactory answers to this question will then be deprived of federal funds.”
The guidance further clarified that the Trump administration’s perspective on religious freedom within schools was unlike the “wall of separation” view undertaken by previous administrations. It cited the most recent Supreme Court decision on prayer by school officials, Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, which found that a high school football coach had a right to engage in prayer on the field after games.
“This is not the familiar but legally unsound metaphor of a ‘wall of separation’ between religious faith and public schools,” stated the guidance. “It is rather a stance of neutrality among and accommodation toward all faiths, and hostility toward none, deeply rooted in our nation’s history, traditions, and constitutional law — a stance that upholds our Constitution’s ‘recognition of the important role that religion plays in the lives of many Americans.’”
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
by Staff Reporter | Feb 5, 2026 | Education, News
By Staff Reporter |
The Arizona State Board of Education (ASBE) released an improved grade for the state’s largest charter school operator.
Last month, ASBE awarded Primavera Online School a letter grade of “B” for the 2024-2025 school year.
The threat of closure of the state’s largest charter school operator attracted the attention of President Donald Trump allies and school choice advocates.
The corrected grading follows nearly a year of efforts by the charter school to overturn a charter revocation from the Arizona State Board of Charter Schools (ASBCS).
In a statement, Primavera Online School stated that ASBE’s latest determination validated their year-long defense of their performance.
“These findings confirm that Primavera’s academic performance has always been within the state’s definition of a performing school and is currently a highly performing school, consistent with its long-standing mission of serving at-risk and non-traditional students across Arizona,” said the school in a press release.
School choice proponents petitioned Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne to intervene in the threat against Primavera Online School.
However, Horne clarified last spring that he had no power or influence over charter school revocation decisions, even with having a seat on ASBCS.
“The legislature chose to divide jurisdiction regarding charter schools between the Arizona Department of Education and the Charter Board. The current issue is within the jurisdiction of the Charter Board. I have no power or influence over that. If I were to try to influence it, the Charter Board would resent the trespass on their turf, and it would do more harm than good,” said Horne at the time. “There is likely to be an appeal to an administrative law judge, and the school needs to marshal its evidence to present to the administrative law judge. If I am asked for any data or other information that the department has, I will of course immediately provide it regardless of which side requests it.”
Without intervention, ASBCS revoked Primavera Online School’s charter last summer.
Primavera Online School leadership publicly fought the revocation, accusing ASBCS of incorrectly redesignating their school as traditional rather than its historical designation as alternative.
The school did receive approval for alternative status for the 2025 fiscal year, and its application for the 2026 fiscal year was pending before the Arizona Department of Education at the time of the revocation.
Its founder and CEO, Damian Creamer, failed to convince ASBCS that they had improperly redesignated his school.
The board cited three years of low academic results as the basis for its decision.
However, a retrospective review by the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) recently conducted focusing on the online charter school’s academic standing over the three scrutinized school years (2022, 2023, and 2024) determined that the charter school would have warranted a passing grade of “at least C” under an alternative school status.
Primavera Online School was founded in 2001 to assist students with a high risk of not graduating from conventional schools. Since opening, the school has had over 250,000 students. Approximately 8,000 students attend the school annually.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
by Staff Reporter | Jan 30, 2026 | Education, News
By Staff Reporter |
The Arizona’s Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program grew to over 100,000 enrollments this week.
As of Monday, the Arizona Department of Education (AZED) reported the ESA program had nearly 100,500 enrollees.
Superintendent Tom Horne said in a statement on Tuesday that the milestone represented “a remarkable endorsement” of school choice by Arizona parents. Horne offered an example of a typical scenario in which a family enrolls in the ESA program.
“Consider a family with three children. Two of the children are doing just fine in district schools. The third child’s needs are not being met. Now, the parents can find another school that meets the child’s needs,” said Horne. “I do not understand how anyone can say parents do not have a right to find a school that meets their child’s needs, unless people are so immersed in ideology that they lose sight of what is best for students.”
When Horne took office in 2023, the ESA program had about 11,000 students. That represents an average annual growth of nearly 30,000 students in the program for the past three years.
The latest enrollment data from AZED (2024-2025) reported nearly 1.1 million students across K-12. That’s about nine percent of the total student population.
AZED also reported the recovery of nearly $1.2 million in unallowable expenses through collections, repayments, or legal authority referrals. The program requires parents to document all purchases made, and any impermissible purchases result in a freeze on their accounts.
Parents do have recourse if they believe a mistake was made in the rejection of their expenditures. Horne reminded parents in his Tuesday statement that they are free to appeal rulings; to date, AZED has not lost an appeal.
“Some people have questioned my authority to insist that expenditures only be for valid educational purposes. I am not the final word. Parents have a right to appeal denial to an administrative law judge,” said Horne. “There have been 20 such appeals, and my authority to deny the expenditure was involved in everyone. We have 20 wins and zero losses. Administrative law judges have held unanimously that I do have that authority.”
Horne’s fellow executive branch leaders have expressed dissatisfaction with the continued growth of the ESA program.
In her State of the State Address earlier this month, Gov. Katie Hobbs accused the program of widespread waste, fraud, and abuse — a money pit funding many things other than “true educational purposes.” Hobbs recently proposed an income cap on ESA enrollment: anyone making over $250,000 a year would not qualify.
Horne’s response was a defense of the ESA program as a clear desire of Arizona voters. The ESA program was universalized through legislation passed in 2022 under Hobbs’ Republican predecessor, Gov. Doug Ducey.
“Arizona parents have made it clear they believe in being able to choose the best education for their children, whether districts, charters or Empowerment Scholarship Accounts,” said Horne. “By their loud display today, Democrats proved they want to take that power away from mothers and fathers who know their children’s needs best and return education to a government monopoly that parents do not want.”
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
by Staff Reporter | Jan 21, 2026 | Education, News
By Staff Reporter |
Governor Katie Hobbs claimed the state’s school choice program lacks oversight.
The Arizona Department of Education (ADE) and experts dispute Hobbs’ claim.
The governor targeted the Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) Program during her state of the state speech last week. Hobbs advocated for the school choice program to be rolled back from universalization to its previous form that only accepted certain families with disability or military backgrounds.
“While other government entitlements have strict requirements and oversight, the ESA program continues to operate unchecked, squandering taxpayer dollars with no accountability,” said Hobbs. “It seems like every day, we learn about new shopping sprees happening at the expense of taxpayers…diamond jewelry, high-end clothing and furniture…who knows what taxpayers will be footing the bill for tomorrow?”
ADE publishes notice of its internal audits and has attempted to refer cases over to the attorney general’s office for prosecution — though Attorney General Kris Mayes has reportedly been unwilling to pursue prosecution of alleged fraud or abuse.
ADE bases its claims on existing requirements within the ESA Program: documenting all purchases made, and freezing accounts that make unauthorized expenditures. Parents must repay the program for unauthorized purchases.
In August, ADE reported it marked over $600,000 for collections “due to possible fraud or misuse.”
That’s less than one-tenth of one percent of total ESA spending, as noted by the Heritage Foundation in a report last August.
Comparatively, the estimated total fraud within average federal government obligations ranges from three to seven percent, according to a 2024 report by the Government Accountability Office.
Other examples of improper payment rates within government programs in Arizona have been issued recently. (The latest data aligns with the 2024 fiscal year in most cases).
The Department of Labor announced an estimated seven percent improper payment rate from July 2021 to July 2024.
For the 2024 fiscal year, the USDA reported that Arizona had a payment error rate of nearly nine percent.
The federal government even factors in improper payment rates to mitigate losses.
The Center for Medicaid projected an improper payment rate of over six percent for Arizona in 2024.
This indicates that fraud is an inevitable occurrence within any government program.
Unlike the reporting efforts of ADE regarding the ESA Program, the Arizona Auditor General presently finds that nearly 30 school districts are noncompliant based on financially related internal control deficiencies.
This slate of presently noncompliant districts represents over $1 billion in state spending. The entire ESA program spent under $900 million in the 2025 fiscal year and costs about $1 billion for the 2026 fiscal year.
Arizona school districts have accumulated nearly $8 billion in cash reserves, per the Heritage Foundation’s assessment of Arizona Superintendent Tom Horne’s annual report covering the 2023-2024 fiscal year.
Horne responded to Hobbs’ state of the state address with criticism over the governor’s open opposition to a program supported by a majority of voters. Arizona voters approved universalization of school choice back in 2022.
“Arizona parents have made it clear they believe in being able to choose the best education for their children, whether districts, charters or Empowerment Scholarship Accounts,” said Horne. “By their loud display today, Democrats proved they want to take that power away from mothers and fathers who know their children’s needs best and return education to a government monopoly that parents do not want.”
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
by Matthew Holloway | Jan 14, 2026 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
Republican leaders across Arizona responded to the death of former Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich, remembering him as a dedicated public servant who left an imprint on the state’s legal and political landscape.
Brnovich’s family confirmed the 59-year-old’s passing on Tuesday, saying he will be “forever remembered and cherished by us as a beloved father, husband, son, and brother,” according to ABC15. The family asked for privacy as memorial arrangements are finalized.
Senate President Warren Petersen said Arizona lost “a devoted public servant” who defended state laws and the rule of law.
“His commitment to public service was matched by his love for this state and his pride in being an Arizonan,” Petersen said. He added that Brnovich “leaves behind a legacy of principled leadership and a record of service that will not be forgotten.”
In a post to X, Petersen added, “Mark was a devoted husband, father, and an outstanding public servant. Every time I saw him, he graciously thanked me for being one of the first to endorse his AG run. It was an easy decision—he was a strong conservative committed to keeping Arizona safe. Prayers for his wife Susan, their daughters, and the entire family during this incredibly difficult time.”
Senate Majority Leader John Kavanagh said Brnovich understood the attorney general’s job “was not about politics, but about defending the law,” while Senate President Pro Tempore T.J. Shope noted he was a “strong partner to the Legislature” who consistently defended Arizona’s sovereignty.
Senate Majority Whip Frank Carroll said Brnovich served the state “with conviction and courage” and carried out his duties “with integrity.”
The Arizona House Republicans released a statement posted to X, writing:
“The Arizona House Republican Majority mourns the passing of our friend and former Attorney General Mark Brnovich. Mark dedicated his career to defending the rule of law, protecting election integrity, and standing up for Arizona families. As Attorney General, he recovered millions for victims, protected small businesses, and worked tirelessly to make Arizona safer. Mark’s contributions as a public servant, veteran, and father will not be forgotten. We honor his life and extend our prayers and deepest condolences to his wife Susan, his children, and all who loved him.”
Former Arizona Governor Doug Ducey also released a statement praising Brnovich’s passion for the law, his advocacy for victims, and his upbeat, “happy warrior spirit,” which Ducey said were hallmarks of his career in a statement per AZ Family. He added, “It was an honor to campaign with and serve alongside Mark Brnovich. His passion for the law, justice, and victims were hallmarks of his career in public service.”
Brnovich’s predecessor in office, Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne, called him “an outstanding, dedicated public servant and a devoted family man,” noting that political differences did not prevent a lasting friendship in later years.
Brnovich served two terms as Arizona’s 26th Attorney General from 2015 to 2023. During his tenure, he was known for high-profile legal actions and outreach as a state and federal prosecutor.
Memorial service details were not immediately released.
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.
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