A Peoria Unified School Board member who sued the district after it asked her to stop quoting the Bible at public meetings has lost her case.
A district spokesperson says swift resolution by a federal judge lets officials stay focused on providing students with high-quality education.
Heather Rooks, who is now the board president, and another board member quoted the Bible during time for making general comments at public meetings.
This drew pushback from groups that advocate for the First Amendment’s separation of church and state.
The district’s lawyer advised board members to not recite scripture.
Rooks sued the district, alleging her First Amendment rights on religion and free speech were being violated.
Now a federal judge has sided with the district, writing that Rooks was given legal advice warning of liability that could come from her actions.
Attorneys for Rooks did not comment.
-
A former leader of a Northern Arizona University fraternity pleaded guilty Monday to hazing and causing a pledge’s death by making him drink excessively at an off-campus rush event. -
Our next guests this morning are out with a new investigation that gets at the heart of that question. Evan Wyloge and Katie Wilcox are with The Beam at Arizona State University’s Howard Center for Investigative Journalism. -
Athena Aktipis is a psychology professor who directs the Cooperative Futures Institute at Arizona State University. And she is the founder of potentially the most unusual academic conference out there: the Zombie Apocalypse Medicine Meeting. -
Mesa is awarding funds to youth ages 15 to 24 so they can develop their own climate conservation projects. The Mesa Youth Climate Action Fund gives young adults and teens $1,000 to $5,000 to help support the city’s environmental goals. -
Arizona State University is partnering with local school districts on a new fruit and vegetable study. They want to figure out how schools can work with grocery stores to encourage kids and families to eat more of those foods.
