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Former Arizona Schools Superintendent Accuses Successor, Secretary Of State Of Promoting Pedophilia

Arizona’s former head of public schools has accused her successor, Kathy Hoffman, and Secretary of State Katie Hobbs of promoting pedophilia.

In a Facebook post Wednesday, former chief Diane Douglas wrote, “Don't doubt for one second that part of the "medically & scientifically accurate comprehensive sex ed being pushed by Hoffman and her ilk is to get kids to be accepting of sex with adults.”
The changes considered did not reference comprehensive sex education. The policy set by the Arizona State Board of Education is a framework for schools that adopt their own curriculum for sex education if they offer the instruction at all.

“I was appalled,” Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman said. “I found the comments to be abhorrent and deeply offensive. … It’s incredibly damaging to the LGBTQ community and anyone who is a victim of sexual abuse.”

The changes Hoffman asked the board to consider included the requirement that instruction be medically and scientifically accurate.

“To me it’s a practical policy change that removed outdated language and modernizes it so that all students in Arizona have the comprehensive information they need to make these types of decisions as they become young adults,” Hoffman said.

Douglas also confused the transgender flag Hobbs hung briefly at the Capitol last week as a promotion of pedophilia. She corrected that mistake in a later post.

The Arizona Republic reported the so-called "Minor Attracted Persons" flag is actually a social media hoax. 

KJZZ messaged Douglas for a comment Thursday. 

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Mariana Dale was an assistant digital editor and senior field corrsepondent at KJZZ from 2016 to 2019.