by Matthew Holloway | Apr 15, 2025 | Education, News
By Matthew Holloway |
Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne issued a stern warning to Arizona school districts late last week. The warning came after Phoenix’s Kyrene School District voted to adopt a policy that further embeds Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) into the district’s day-to-day operations in defiance of policy guidance issued by President Donald Trump.
Horne warned, “Kyrene and any district or charter that is not taking the federal DEI guidance will lose their federal dollars. The U.S. Department of Education has been abundantly clear with its most recent guidance against the use of DEI language in schools. Federal law and the 14th amendment to the U.S. Constitution are clear that no person shall be discriminated because of race, skin color or ethnicity, and this guidance aligns completely with my philosophy. By contrast, the use of DEI programs does just the opposite and promotes racial discrimination. Schools ignore the federal guidance at their own peril. This is not an empty threat, and districts and charter schools need to treat it seriously.”
In its meeting on April 8th, the Kyrene School District voted unanimously to defy policy guidance from both the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) and the Arizona Department of Education (AZDOE). The move will cause the district to lose access to over $1.5 million in federal funding in favor of its “Staff Social Emotional Wellness Policy” in which it purports to “provide welcoming, inclusive learning environments in which every student is honored, valued, and feels a strong sense of belonging and purpose.”
Guidance from the DOE issued in February explicitly states that, “Institutions that fail to comply with federal civil rights law may, consistent with applicable law, face potential loss of federal funding.” It noted that “DEI programs, for example, frequently preference certain racial groups and teach students that certain racial groups bear unique moral burdens that others do not. Such programs stigmatize students who belong to particular racial groups based on crude racial stereotypes. Consequently, they deny students the ability to participate fully in the life of a school.”
The federal policy explains, “Although some programs may appear neutral on their face, a closer look reveals that they are, in fact, motivated by racial considerations. And race-based decision-making, no matter the form, remains impermissible.” The DOE also cited the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2023 decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, which ruled that “[c]lassifying and assigning students based on their race” is an unlawful practice unless it satisfies a firm legal standard of ‘strict scrutiny,’ under two narrowly tailored instances:
(1) remediating specific, identified instances of past discrimination that violated the Constitution or a statute;
(2) avoiding imminent and serious risks to human safety in prisons, such as a race riot.”
The high court added, “An individual’s race may never be used against him” and “may not operate as a stereotype,” used to justify government polices.
In his remarks, Horne concluded, “The most interesting philosophical divide in our country right now is between those like me who believe in individual merit, and those who want to substitute racial entitlement. DEI is all about racial entitlement. The problem with racial entitlement is that it does nothing to promote hard work, conscientiousness, or creativity. If those advocating for it succeed in having it replace individual merit, we will become a mediocre, third world country. China will become the dominant power.”
Earlier this month, Horne signed an attestation letter to the DOE stating that “Arizona will not have anything to do with race-based programs, DEI, etc.”
Horne shared a handwritten missive to Secretary McMahon from the margins of the letter that AZDOE called “uplifting” which stated, “Sec. McMahon- Thank you for fighting for our Constitution and laws!”
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 | Apr 8, 2025 | Education, News
By Matthew Holloway |
In October 2023, the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), under the Biden-Harris Administration, imposed a staggering $37 million fine against Grand Canyon University (GCU) in Phoenix, the largest privately owned Christian University in the nation. The fine came without revealing any serious complaint against the school. In February 2024, the Goldwater Institute announced that it advanced a lawsuit to determine why such a massive fine was levied. Now, a hearing has been scheduled in the case for April 18th.
Acoording to the Goldwater Institute, the DOE claimed that GCU “violated federal disclosure rules regarding continuing education courses for PhD students.” GCU leaders deny this outright. Further, in a press release regarding the fine, the DOE declined to include any complaints from students or members of the public to support its regulatory action.
When a federal judge in the U.S. District Court hears arguments in Goldwater Institute v. U.S. Department of Education, Goldwater hopes to compel the federal agency to disclose the alleged violation(s), which it believes are particularly suspicious. According to Goldwater, a public statement from Biden’s Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona vowed to “shut down” GCU.
Adding doubt to the DOE’s allegations, as Goldwater notes, GCU reportedly hasn’t raised tuition in over 15 years. The manner in which the fine was announced was also suspect with Goldwater noting, “The Department also announced its unprecedented fine with a widely reported press release that was heavy on rhetoric and bereft of any serious complaints from students or the public. It also appears that the fine was assessed in conjunction with suspicious coordination among various federal agencies.”
According to Goldwater, efforts through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to determine the motivation behind the fine have gone unanswered, leading up to the complaint.
“The request seeks emails between key individuals of the Department and other federal agencies that discuss the Department’s fine against GCU. The records may help inform the public about this extraordinary fine, as well as coordination between various federal agencies in what appears to be the intentionally targeting of a successful university based on extraordinarily thin allegations. However, the Department has refused to produce the records requested and has failed to otherwise comply with the FOIA.”
As reported by AZ Free News in February 2024, Goldwater staff attorney Stacy Skankey explained, “With its motto of ‘private, Christian, affordable’ and its track record of graduating students into high-demand and high-paying jobs, GCU is a success story by any metric. And it stands apart from universities across the country that are facing declining enrollment, that are indoctrinating students with radical politics, and that are under attack for failing to defend the First Amendment.”
In an op-ed for the Washington Times in December, Jon Riches, Goldwater Institute Vice President for Litigation, wrote, “As the Trump administration prepares to tackle an ambitious education agenda, ending the shameful attack on GCU should be a top priority. This would not only correct the injustice done to GCU but also make clear the broader principle that higher education should be a domain of innovation and student achievement — not a fiefdom for ideological conformity and bureaucratic rule.”
The initial action was brought by the Goldwater Institute during the Biden Administration and saw little to no response from former Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. Though confirmed by neither party, the hearing had initially been delay and could be reflective of the whirlwind of changes at the DOE under Trump Administration.
The upcoming hearing could present a departure from the DOE’s previous position on the GCU fine, or at minimum provide transparency that was lacking under the previous administration.
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 | Mar 15, 2025 | News
By Staff Reporter |
Democratic Congressman Raúl Grijalva passed away from complications with cancer on Thursday morning.
Grijalva was 77 years old at the time of his passing. The representative took up his congressional seat in 2003. This term was promised to be Grijalva’s last, per the congressman.
It appears staff didn’t get the memo about Grijalva’s passing. Hours before Grijalva’s office issued an official statement on X about his passing, Grijalva’s staff published a post criticizing the Trump administration.
The last post on Grijalva’s account prior to the announcement of his passing concerned the mass layoffs essentially halving the Department of Education (ED) workforce. Grijalva’s staff criticized President Donald Trump’s ED cleanup as “reckless,” “selfish,” and “illegal,” claiming students’ aid programs, civil rights protections, and disability supports were jeopardized.
Grijalva’s staff claimed, specifically, the ED firings would deprive 26 million students of critical funding, 12 million students of career and technical education resources, 10 million low-income students of higher education assistance, and 7.5 million Individualized Education Plan (IEP) students of special education services.
These estimates were pulled directly from the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), the affiliated international union of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organization (AFL-CIO). The AFT consists of over 1.3 million members and 3,000 local affiliates nationwide. However, these estimates were not based on ED layoffs but rather a complete abolition of ED — something that has not yet taken place.
The posting raises concerns over who was representing Grijalva’s constituents during his last few years in office after his announced lung cancer diagnosis in 2023 — especially due to the fact Grijalva missed a vast majority of major votes since then.
Grijalva stepped down as ranking member of the Natural Resources Democrats in December.
Not only did Grijalva step down from key leadership positions — he remained absent from Congress for most of this last legislative session and was absent for this session with the exception of the first day (69 out of 71 roll call votes, or about 97 percent of votes). Grijalva didn’t cast a vote on legislation this session, save for his vote for Democratic Rep. Hakeem Jeffries for House Speaker at the start.
Grijalva previously defended his lack of voting in remarks to the press because “Republicans are in charge” and his vote wouldn’t matter anyway.
“They’re inconsequential because the Republicans are in charge and it’s the worst performing Congress in decades, if not a hundred years,” said Grijalva.
Although Grijalva’s health was in decline amid his ongoing cancer treatments last summer, Grijalva was among the early few Democratic leaders to call on former President Joe Biden to step down from his reelection bid last year. Grijalva said it was a duty for those unfit to serve to preserve the seat for their party by dropping out of the race.
“If he’s the candidate, I’m going to support him, but I think that this is an opportunity to look elsewhere,” said Grijalva to the press. “What he needs to do is shoulder the responsibility for keeping that seat — and part of that responsibility is to get out of the race.”
These remarks to the media were reported at the time to be a sharp and inexplicable departure from Grijalva’s messaging on social media supporting Biden and criticizing naysayers of Biden’s candidacy just the week prior.
In light of the fact that Grijalva’s staff posted on X under his name hours after he died on Thursday, it seems Grijalva’s staff may have been more in charge of the office for longer than most constituents were aware.
Following the passing of Grijalva, Governor Katie Hobbs issued a proclamation calling for a special primary election to fill the vacancy for Congressional District 7 on Tuesday, July 15, 2025, and a special general election on Tuesday, September 23, 2025.
Federal law (2 U.S.C. § 8) provides that special elections to fill vacancies in the U.S. House of Representatives are held under applicable state laws.
Under A.R.S. § 16-222(B), if the next regular general election is not to be held within six months from the date of the occurrence of the vacancy, the Governor shall call a special primary election to be held 120 to 133 days after the vacancy and a special general election to be held 70 to 80 days after the special primary election.
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by Matthew Holloway | Mar 14, 2025 | Education, News
By Matthew Holloway |
Earlier this month, Congressman Andy Biggs (R-AZ5) introduced the Guarding Religious And Career Education (GRACE) Act. If enacted, it would direct Secretary of Education Linda McMahon to outright eliminate the DOE’s Office of Enforcement within the Office of Federal Student Aid. The office, according to a report from the American Principles Project (APP), overwhelmingly enforced actions against faith-based and career-centered schools.
According to the APP report, the vast majority of all enforcement actions, at almost 70%, were directed toward institutions of these varieties despite their accounting for less than ten percent of the total number of enrolled students in the nation.
In a press release from Rep. Biggs, the congressman cited the example of the egregious targeting of Grand Canyon University (GCU), the largest Christian university in America and the extremely questionable $37.7 million fine levied against the school as previously reported by AZ Free News.
In a letter to McMahon, Biggs urged the newly minted Secretary to launch an investigation into the Office of Enforcement’s targeting of Christian and technical schools amidst the mass reductions in workforce already underway.
He wrote in part, “It is imperative to determine the extent of any ideological targeting and to hold those responsible accountable for their actions. For example, in October 2023, ED’s Office of Enforcement fined Grand Canyon University, (GCU) $37.7 million for allegedly misrepresenting the cost of doctoral programs, an allegation GCU has categorically denied and is appealing. The claim has been refuted judicially and administratively: in federal court, by the Higher Learning Commission in its 2021 comprehensive review, and by the Arizona State Approving Agency of the Department of Veterans Affairs in an audit.”
McMahon told Fox News host Laura Ingraham that her termination of over half the Department’s staff is in fact part of a “total shutdown” of the agency. “Yes — actually, it is,” she said, adding, “That was the president’s mandate. His directive to me clearly is to shut down the Department of Education.”
In line with the actions McMahon is already taking, Biggs called upon her to shudder the Office of Enforcement altogether in the GRACE Act, writing, “The continued existence of the office appears to serve as a vehicle for weaponization rather than a tool for oversight. The targeting of Christian universities and career colleges must end.”
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 19, 2025 | Education, News
By Staff Reporter |
Parents within the Deer Valley Unified School District (DVUSD) raised concerns over compliance with the Trump administration’s directive to end Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).
Last Friday — Valentine’s Day — the U.S. Department of Education (ED) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) sent a letter to the Arizona Department of Education (AZED), along with the departments of education in the remaining 49 states, ordering an end to DEI in all public schools, from K-12 to higher education. The deadline for compliance is Feb. 28, 2025.
Additionally, ED opened an OCR complaint line to report unlawful discrimination within public schools based on its letter. ED characterized DEI as unlawful discrimination.
“Educational institutions have toxically indoctrinated students with the false premise that the United States is built upon ‘systemic and structural racism’ and advanced discriminatory policies and practices. Proponents of these discriminatory practices have attempted to further justify them—particularly during the last four years—under the banner of ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ (‘DEI’), smuggling racial stereotypes and explicit race-consciousness into everyday training, programming, and discipline,” stated ED. “But under any banner, discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin is, has been, and will continue to be illegal.”
Arizona Women of Action (AWA) expressed concerns over DVUSD’s Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) and Portrait of a Graduate.
“As good as they may sound, MTSS and Portrait of a Graduate are problematic and often incorporate DEI,” stated AWA.
In an X post over the weekend, DVUSD candidate Tiffany Hawkins said she had yet to hear from district leadership about their plan to address the DEI eradication directive. Their next board meeting is next Tuesday.
MTSS and Portrait of a Graduate are two subcomponents within the DVUSD Strategic Plan for 2023-2028’s “Excellence in Student Learning” component.
The MTSS component relies in part on a “campus equity flowchart,” which is no longer available.
Paradise Valley Unified School District (PVUSD) governing board member Sandra Christensen indicated parental concern over DEI eradication compliance in other districts as well.
“We all do [need to comply],” said Christensen. “Districts need to address this.”
DEI ideology hasn’t been stripped immediately from DVUSD’s website — the ideology remains.
The district’s Gifted Services parent portal page includes a section on “Culturally Fair and Inclusive Practices in Serving Gifted Populations” which illustrates its claims of DEI using the oft-employed “Reality-Equality-Equity-Justice” cartoon depicting fans attempting to watch a sports game from different vantage points over a fence.
“The identification and dismantling of barriers must be included as part of the definition of equity since the road to identification for gifted services contains several barriers for [Culturally, Linguistically, and Economically Diverse,] CLED students,” stated the webpage. “Gifted characteristics manifest themselves differently in CLED students — some may even appear as negative characteristics[….] Various gaps (which include cultural perception, beliefs, opportunity, etc.) of CLED students and teacher perceptions or stereotypes of giftedness.”
The district claimed barriers included the exclusion of CLED parents due to their ignorance of the gifted services program, educators’ inability to recognize gifted characteristics in CLED students, CLED parents’ reticence to access gift services due to an inability to complete referral forms, and inherent bias against CLED students within assessments or use of national norms.
The Gifted Parent Portal also included Social and Emotional Learning resources.
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