An Arizona school board not only formally cut ties with a local Christian university, but during its debate on the issue, one of its members claimed Christian teachers make students feel unsafe.
The outrageous proclamation came during a vote taken by the ultra-woke board of the Washington Elementary School District — which serves north central Phoenix and east Glendale — in which it decided to cut ties with Arizona Christian University.
Until last week, the district had a policy that allowed the university’s student teachers to gain experience by helping teach in the district’s public schools. The contract with the college also allowed graduates to apply for teaching positions in the district.
According to The Christian Post, the district and the Christian college worked together for 11 years “without incident.” Indeed, the district forced the student teachers from ACU to sign agreements not to proselytize in the classroom.
But when the partnership was discussed during a Feb. 23 meeting of the Washington Elementary School District board, members voted to end that relationship.
And during the debate, Tamillia Valenzuela, who was elected to the board just last year, blasted teachers who are professed Christians, saying they make students feel unsafe.
The radical school board member describes herself in her biography on the district’s website as “a bilingual, disabled, neurodivergent Queer Black Latina” who “loves a good hot wing (but only with the right ranch) and things that sparkle.”
Valenzuela, who attended the meeting wearing furry cat ears, said she was “disheartened” to find out that the board had any relationship at all with Arizona Christian University.
After piously proclaiming that she “full-heartedly” believes in religious freedom, she said, “I had some … concerns regarding looking at this particular institution. And I think it’s a really good time for us to take a moment and really pause about where our values lie.”
Should the school board members be fired for this decision?
Yes: 96% (1427 Votes)
No: 4% (64 Votes)
Valenzuela went on to indicate she has a real problem with Christians who embrace traditional biblical principles.
She said she had “concerns” after looking at Arizona Christian University’s website. She read aloud the first “core commitment” on ACU’s “Mission” page: “Before all else, be committed to Jesus Christ — accomplishing His will and advancing His kingdom on earth as in heaven.”
“Part of their values is ‘Influence, engage and 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,’” Valenzuela said.
“I want to know how bringing people from an institution that is ingrained in their values that will very directly … impact three of your board members who are a part of the LGBTQ community.”
Valenzuela made it clear that the board has pushed its own religious ideals when she noted it had added members’ “pronouns” to their dais ID cards to signal support for the LGBT agenda.
She said the board’s values are incompatible with those of ACU.
“Because if we’re bringing people in whose mission, who have been told with their institution of education that very, very plainly on their website … that above all else, it is to influence people to biblically minded,” she said, “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 hold space for people who think differently and do not have the same beliefs?”
The comment showed Valenzuela was blissfully ignorant that she was proposing setting up “spaces” where intolerance of Christians was acceptable.
“At some point, we need to get real with ourselves and take a look at who we’re making legal contracts with and the message that that is sending to our community. Because that makes me feel like I could not be safe in this school district,” she said accusingly.
“That makes other queer kids … [feel] that they could not be safe in this community,” Valenzuela said.
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Fellow board member Kyle Clayton, who is gay, agreed that she was onto something in looking to exclude Christians.
“I, too, echo what Ms. Valenzuela said when I went and looked into not only their core values but then the statement of faith that they ask their students to sign and live by,” he said.
“Proselytizing is embedded into how they teach,” he said, “and I just don’t believe that that belongs in schools.”
It appears Clayton is just fine with the “proselytizing” in which he and his fellow board members engage.
Board President Nikkie Gomez-Whaley, whose bio says she volunteers with “an LGBTQ+ Youth organization,” claimed that excluding Christians is somehow all about “inclusion.”
“We cannot continue to align ourselves with organizations that starkly contrast our values and say that we legitimately care about diversity, equity and inclusion and that we legitimately care about all of our families,” she said.
I bet these folks wouldn’t have a problem adding a chapter of the Satan Club to their district.
Obviously, these school board members so piously proclaiming their obeisance to “tolerance,” ‘inclusion” and “diversity” are just as strictly intolerant of anyone who might be a Christian.
The truth is, this is a textbook example of government discrimination against religion.
The Washington Elementary School District oversees public schools and does not legally have the right to exclude Christians from its policies based solely on their religious beliefs. It is a clear constitutional violation — not that members of the woke religion are ever much interested in the Constitution.
