Arizona teachers say bills on antisemitism, sexually explicit content are too vague

PHOENIX – Arizona teachers and union advocates gathered at the state Capitol on Wednesday afternoon to speak out against legislative actions that could restrict classroom content.

HB 2575 and SB 1435 address antisemitism and sexually explicit content, respectively, being taught in the classroom and could ban teachers from bringing up any material that would fall into either category.

Marisol Garcia, president of the Arizona Education Association teachers union, said the bills’ terms of antisemitism and explicit content are defined differently across various legislation and laws, which blurs the lines of what is acceptable and what isn’t.

“Educators would more than likely stop teaching variety of books with the fear that they could be charged criminally with a felony if they did teach a book or share a book,” she told KTAR News 92.3 FM after the rally.

Individual Arizona teachers could face legal action under bill

HB 2575 also includes the possibility of legal action against an individual teacher if a lesson is found to include any antisemitic content, which Garcia said is new territory for teachers.

She said typically a lawsuit involves the school district, not the individual.

“Most educators who work with students know that there are multiple different ways to hear a statement, a conversation that could be misunderstood, could be construed. There could be a teaching style, or a student might mishear it. And instead of dealing with it at a local level, at a classroom level, with a principal, or even a school board, this goes and involves the police,” she explained.

Both bills have passed one chamber of the Legislature and are waiting for the other to vote.

The rally also focused on HCR 2040, a ballot measure that would limit how education unions like the Arizona Education Association could operate at schools.

Funding for this journalism is made possible by the Arizona Local News Foundation.

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