A member of an Arizona school board lambasted Christianity and said this week during a meeting the district should reject any teachers who hold those values.
For five years, the Washington Elementary School District provided field experience opportunities to student teachers from Arizona Christian University, who could work in schools in the Phoenix and Glendale areas under an ongoing contract. The agreement not only allowed for practical experience but also served as a recruitment and hiring opportunity, Fox News Digital reported.
The board unanimously passed a motion to terminate the partnership with the Christian university on February 23. There has been no response to inquiries about whether the board has a bias against Christian beliefs.
In the meeting, board member Tamillia Valenzuela criticized the university’s Christian beliefs, expressing dismay that the partnership had been in place for five years. Valenzuela identifies as “a bilingual, disabled, neurodivergent Queer Black Latina… who loves a good hot wing (but only with the right ranch) and things that sparkle.”
“While I full-heartedly believe in the religious freedom and people being able to practice whatever faith that they have, I had some concerns regarding looking at this particular institution,” she said, according to the report. “And I think it’s a really good time for us to take a moment and really pause about where our values lie.”
“And while I understand we are currently in a situation across the nation that we have a teacher shortage and recruiting… is really difficult,” she said. “My concerns, [is] when I go to Arizona Christian University’s website, [ they are] ‘committed to Jesus Christ, accomplishing his will and advancements on earth as in Heaven.’
“Part of their values is… [to] ‘transform the culture with truth by promoting the Biblically-informed values that are foundational to Western civilization, including the centrality of family, traditional sexual morality, and lifelong marriage between one man and one woman,'” she added.
“I want to know how bringing [teachers] from an institution that is ingrained in their values so directly brings impact to three of your board members who are a part of the LGBT community,” she continued, apparently unaware that she was actually calling for support and tolerance for her community but not for Christian believers.
Valenzuela mentioned that the board had demonstrated their support for the LGBT community by adding their pronouns to the dias.
“Because if we’re bringing people in whose mission [has]… been with their institution’s education that very plainly on their website… that above all else, it was to influence people to Biblically-minded. How does that hold space for people of other faiths? How does that hold space for our members of the LGBT community? How does that space for people who think differently and do not have the same beliefs,” she said.
“At some point, we need get real with ourselves and take a look at who we’re making legal contracts with and the message that is sending to our community. Because that makes me feel like I could not be safe in this school district,” Valenzuela added.
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