The Arizona Senate has passed a bill that would allow for teachers to be sued if they are found to teach or promote anti-semitism.
Students and parents could also report allegations to the highest ranking official of a school. The measure uses the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of anti-semitism, which has been adopted by the U.S. Department of State.
Some Democrats opposed the measure, as they wanted to broaden the scope to include discriminatory behavior against anyone. Democratic Sen. Mitzi Epstein also objected to the liability of individual teachers.
"It is ridiculous to ask a teacher to put up the money for a lawsuit to prove she is completely innocent. And that is what this bill would cause. We cannot allow that to happen," Epstein said.
The measure now goes back to the House.
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The Peoria Unified School District has approved a new policy that prohibits the adoption or promotion of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) frameworks. -
The Phoenix Union High School District will cut $20 million from its budget next school year. District officials say the reduction is necessary as it continues to see declines in enrollment. -
New research from ASU found that there are more mosquitoes in Arizona now, but climate change may have an impact on their population. -
In 2022, Arizona gained access to over $30 million to fund 164 summer learning camps. Most of the camps were successful, but in some cases the money was either misspent, or never spent at all. -
Pam Lach is a digital humanities librarian at San Diego State University. This week, she is coming to ASU to give a talk called “The Stories We Still Need: Podcasting For Urgent Times.”
