The state’s Dept. of Education has established an “Empower Hotline” for parents to report public school teachers who are instructing students in critical race theory, gender ideology, and other “inappropriate” lessons, Arizona Superintendent of Schools Tom Horne (R) announced last week, according to KPNX-TV.
In response to the announcement, Democratic Governor of Arizona Katie Hobbs insisted that CRT is not being taught in the state’s public schools.
“Empower Hotline is a resource that is unnecessary. It will only lead to more division,” according to Hobbs. “Sincerely, I believe the superintendent is unaware of the true situation in our classrooms.”
Hobbs urged the department to concentrate more on hiring and keeping teachers as well as funding for classrooms.
Horne claimed on Thursday that gender ideology and CRT lessons are now being taught in public schools and that teachers should instead focus on teaching the fundamental intellectual disciplines of reading, math, science, and history.
“According to some, CRT is a graduate-level subject and is not covered in K–12 education,” Horne said. “The evidence indicates the opposite. I have a list of 250 AZ educators who agreed to a frightening declaration that they would break the law if CRT were outlawed, which was supported by the national teachers union. If they weren’t teaching it already, they wouldn’t have signed. They are drawn from 25 districts, including the biggest. Instructors should not utilize their control of a captive audience to further their own ideologies; instead, they should teach academics. It is hardly professional behavior.”
“I think we should all be judged on what we know, what we’re able to do, our integrity, and our capacity for recognizing beauty,” Horne said. “I think we are all people, brothers, and sisters under the skin. “Race has no bearing on anything. Contrarily, race is primary, according to critical race theory. It is absurd that they categorize pupils as either “oppressors” or “oppressed” based on the race they were born into,” continued Horne.
In accordance with a press release from the Dept. of Education, the hotline will be manned during normal business hours. In order to report any “school lessons that hinder teaching academic requirements,” parents are asked to get in touch with the department.
The agency launches an investigation when a parent calls the hotline to report a teacher.
Horne acknowledged that “false accusations” or “misunderstandings” can be leveled. Nonetheless, the teacher will be urged to cease if the department determines that the instruction was unsuitable.
“The state board would have the authority to revoke their certification in exceptional circumstances. If that were the case, they would need to be fired,” Horne said.