The Arizona-based Goldwater Institute (GI) announced Tuesday that it had joined in the legal battle between Arizona Christian University (ACU) and the Washington Elementary School District (WESD), arguing that ACU was discriminated against based on its religious beliefs.
“A private organization like ACU should be free to espouse its beliefs without fear of retaliation from the government. And K-12 students should not have to go without teachers simply because their school board refuses to hire qualified candidates based on those candidates’ perceived personal beliefs and convictions,” according to the GI.
The Arizona Sun Times contacted the GI for an additional comment but did not hear back before press time.
As reported by The Sun Times, the legal dispute between the two entities stemmed from a meeting the WESD board held in February. ACU previously had a contract with the district, which allowed students to work in WESD classrooms and gain real-world experience. The WESD benefited from this contract, as the district hired at least 17 ACU students as full-time teachers.
However, that ended when the board unanimously voted to terminate the agreement. One member, Tamaillia Valenzuela, stated she felt uncomfortable allowing ACU students into district classrooms. ACU’s mission statement says that the university pushes for Christian values in society, including traditional marriage views. Valenzuela stated that as a member of the LGBTQ community, she would feel “unsafe” with anyone holding these religious values coming into the classrooms. Additionally, Board President Nikkie Gomez-Whaley said that if board members “legitimately care about diversity, equity, and inclusion,” continuing a relationship with ACU would be unjustified.
In March, ACU filed a lawsuit, arguing that the WESD’s actions discriminated against the institute because of its religious beliefs, which violates the first amendment. The lawsuit requested the court enter an injunction to reinstate the contract.
The GI’s new amicus brief agreed with this stance. The institute pointed to the Arizona Constitution, Article XI, Section 7, which states that the state cannot impose a religious or political test when allowing “admission into any public educational institution of the state, as a teacher, student, or pupil[.]” The GI argued that WESD did precisely this by objecting to the Plaintiff’s religious beliefs and denying entry into its classrooms based on this objection.
“Defendants’ stereotypes about Christian teachers appear more in keeping with a broader—and troubling—trend unfolding across education: the increasing willingness to screen out teacher candidates who do not share a politically ‘Progressive’ worldview,” according to the brief.
Aside from the accusations of discrimination, the GI argued that the WESD board’s actions harmed the community. Arizona currently faces a teacher shortage, with a reported 2,890 vacancies across the state’s districts. According to the brief, as of last fall, WESD has 19 classroom and special ed teacher vacancies, but it has now cut itself off from a potential source of new teachers, which it had already benefited from in the past.
Additionally, the GI stated that the board’s statements send a “hostile message” to constituents. According to Pew Research Center, 67 percent of adults identify as Christian in Arizona. The WESD is one of the largest districts in the state; therefore, the GI argued that by “both common sense and statistical certainty,” there are at least some Christians in the district, and the board essentially told those constituents their belief is unwelcome if it matches ACU’s. These constituents are also the taxpayers who, in part, help fund the district’s schools.
Ultimately, the GI stated that the injunction requested by the Plaintiffs was justified and would not harm public interests. The institute argued that “public interest strongly favors” granting the injunction because of the harm that could be caused otherwise.
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Neil Jones is a reporter for The Arizona Sun Times and The Star News Network. Follow Neil on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Tamaillia Valenzuela” by Tamaillia Valenzuela.
