Deer Valley community calls for governing board member to step down after alleged Nazi salute

A Deer Valley Unified School District (DVUSD) Governing Board member is facing calls from the community to resign after she appeared to do a Nazi salute and say “heil” during a public meeting in May.

Kimberly Fisher was responding to a motion to adjourn a May 26 board meeting when she did the action.

During Tuesday’s meeting, Carrie Lenny Albuquerque, a former DVUSD student, called the action “abhorrent,” explaining the issue is about the students who witnessed the action.

“Kimberly Fisher, you do not deserve to call yourself a school board member. And to everyone else who stood idly by in the face of injustice, you do not deserve to call yourself a school board member either,” Albuquerque said. “That sort of hate you have culminated in Kimberly has no place anywhere. The community calls on you to resign immediately.”

Brian Zuckerberg, a Jewish man in the community, spoke about how Nazi symbols have harmed him in the past, referencing an incident where someone drew a swastika on his locker in high school.

“This symbol is a symbol much like the salute you threw up, Miss Fisher, that’s intended to silence people, that’s intended to intimidate people. I will tell you, it is unfortunate for you that it did the opposite with me,” Zuckerburg said. “It gave me my voice. It allowed me to share it, and I’m going to use it right now to tell you that no … child in DVUSD will feel safe until you resign.”

In response to the calls to step down, Fisher said herself and the Jewish community were being used for political points as a result of her action, calling the antisemitic accusations against her a “made up truth.”

“I apologized to them (the Jewish community) in my online statement, not because there was any intent of the accusation (that) has been made, but because I’m sorry if they felt hurt,” Fisher said.

Fisher added her action was the result of a “dictatorship” the governing board has been under for the past three years, referring to governing board president Paul Carver.

Deer Valley board member says only community can get Fisher removed

Deer Valley board member Stephanie Simacek called for the community to file a request for Fisher’s removal with Maricopa County, explaining the governing board cannot take action themselves.

“A member of this community interested with supporting education policy and the well-being of our children made the deliberate choice to invoke one of the most vile and destructive ideologies in human history inside a building that is responsible for learning, safety and belonging,” Simacek said. “That choice was not an accident. It was not a misstep. It was a failure of character and betrayal of every child who walks through our school district doors.”

The district released a statement condemning Fisher’s actions after the May meeting.

“The district does not condone, support or endorse gestures or language associated with hate, discrimination, intimidation or violence in any form. Such actions do not reflect the mission or vision of Deer Valley Unified School District,” the statement read.

Carver told KTAR News 92.3 FM Fisher has labeled him a dictator before.

“Regardless of the environment or what you’re mad about or how mad … you are or how you feel, that response is wholly and completely unacceptable at any level, especially from an elected official,” he said.

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

Subscribe to the KTAR Eyes on Education newsletter to get our top education stories, exclusive guest interviews and more to your email inbox.

Related

Valley school board member under fire after apparent Nazi salute during meetingArizona voters to choose Republican and Democratic nominees for top education positionFormer Mesa High School official claims that an inaccurate police report destroyed his careerFormer ASU President, who elevated university’s status, dies at 89Peoria Unified names new principal for school at center of teacher sex scandalASU students collaborate with Disney on secret project for Mickey Mouse’s 100th birthday