Arizona schools | The Arizona Sun Times

Arizona Department of Education Requests Changes for Lawsuit Against Arizona’s Law Separating Boys’ and Girls’ Sports

May 7, 2023May 6, 2023 Neil Jones

The Arizona Department of Education (ADE) announced Thursday it had filed a motion in court to have the venue of a lawsuit against the enforcement of an Arizona law changed from Tucson to Phoenix.

“Crucially, counsel for the parties are located in Phoenix. Even Plaintiffs are represented by local counsel in Phoenix, as is counsel for Superintendent [Tom] Horne. The result is that all of the Arizona lawyers are located in Phoenix, none are located in Tucson. That makes an overwhelming difference in the expense to the parties in litigating this case,” according to the motion, emailed to reporters.

Arizona’s Graduating Class Average ACT Scores Declined in 2022, Missing College-Readiness Benchmarks

October 18, 2022October 17, 2022 Neil Jones

The national average American College Testing (ACT) score for 2022 high school graduates fell to 19. 8 out of 36 in 2022, the lowest average score recorded in over 30 years, and Arizona did not escape this decline either. Arizona’s average score was 18.4 in 2022, over a point worse than last year, and ACT CEO Janet Godwin called the downward movement alarming.

“The magnitude of the declines this year is particularly alarming, as we see rapidly growing numbers of seniors leaving high school without meeting the college-readiness benchmark in any of the subjects we measure,” said ACT CEO Janet Godwin.

Debbie Lesko Demands Answers on Biden Administration Gender Ideology Training for Schools

August 31, 2022August 30, 2022 Neil Jones

Arizona Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-AZ-08) recently sent a letter to the U.S. Secretary of Education, Miguel Cardona, requesting information regarding gender ideology training for schools.

“The Biden Administration will stop at nothing to impose the gender ideology of the radical left in our nation’s schools,” Lesko said in a press release. “As the founder of the Protect Kids Caucus, I am requesting answers from the Department of Education [DOE] to ensure that schools are not forced to provide this training or promote gender ideology to young students without parental notice and consent.”

State Senator Kerr Aims to Help Alleviate Arizona’s School Bus Driver Shortage

June 27, 2022June 26, 2022 Neil Jones

State Senator Sine Kerr’s (R-Buckeye) Senate Bill (SB) 1630, which aims to alleviate the current school bus driver shortage Arizona faces, was recently signed into law by Arizona Governor Doug Ducey (R).

“Arizona is a prime example of just how grossly understaffed school districts and charter schools across the nation are when it comes to bus drivers,” Kerr said in a press release. “Drivers with a CDL [Commercial Drivers License] are in high demand, and we’re losing them to big companies like Amazon and Fed Ex. A mixture of outdated federal and state laws are only exacerbating the problem. The end result is children are experiencing big delays in their pick-ups, field trips and athletic events are being cancelled, parents are forced to drive inordinate distances to get their children to class, drivers are working sometimes 15-hour days to combat the shortage, and administrators are being forced to pick up some of the workload themselves.”

Brnovich Files Lawsuit Against the Scottsdale Unified School District for Violating the Open Meeting Law

June 22, 2022June 22, 2022 Neil Jones

Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich filed a lawsuit on Monday against the entire Scottsdale Unified School District (SUSD) and current school board member, former board president Jann-Michael Greenburg.

“SUSD manipulated public input and silenced the voices of parents in order to advance its own agenda,” Brnovich said. “This type of bad school behavior demands expulsion.”

State Reps. Share Support for the Victims of the Texas Shooting, Urge Action on Bills Enhancing School Safety in Arizona

May 30, 2022May 29, 2022 Neil Jones

Arizona State Representatives Shawnna Bolick (R-Phoenix) and Kevin Payne (R-Sun City) shared a statement of support for the victims of the recent Texas school shooting.

“Like all Americans, we stand with the victims, survivors, and grieving families of the horrific tragedy at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. We are grateful for the heroic members of law enforcement whose actions helped prevent any greater loss of life,” said Bolick and Payne said in a joint statement Thursday.

The two also highlighted current legislative efforts to boost school safety across Arizona.

Arizona Supreme Court: Schools Not Responsible for Students Off-Campus

August 13, 2021August 12, 2021 The Center Square

The Arizona Supreme Court has ruled that schools cannot be held accountable for off-campus incidents of violence between students.

Diannah Dinsmoor, the mother of high school student Ana G., who was shot and killed by her classmate in 2014, brought claims for wrongful death, negligence, and gross negligence against the Deer Valley Unified School District and the City of Phoenix in Dinsmoor v. City of Phoenix. Dinsmoor argued that school officials knew that Ana and her classmate, identified by court records as Matthew B., were dating and that Matthew had a history of violence with an ex-girlfriend, known on court records as Raven. Ana met Matthew at a friend’s house after school where he shot and killed her and then himself.

The superior court ruled on Friday that the defendant did not owe Ana or Dinsmoor a duty as necessary to support Dinsmoor’s claims.

Tag: Arizona schools