Supt. Horne, Scottsdale district at odds over ‘woke’ flyer, declining enrollment

PHOENIX – State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne is blaming what he calls “woke ideology” in the Scottsdale Unified School District (SUSD) for declining enrollment, using a recent flyer as an example.

The district’s declining enrollment is the reason for a proposal to close two district schools next year.

The flyer distributed was promoting a “Girls in Gear” cycling event that invited girls, nonbinary and gender-expansive youth to participate.

It also had a disclaimer from SUSD at the bottom saying the district did not endorse or sponsor the message or organization.

Horne’s office released the statement claiming “woke ideology” like the flyer was the reason for the decrease in enrollment, saying that parents were “taking children out of Scottsdale schools and choosing education options that emphasize academics over the woke agenda”.

In the district’s statement, SUSD Superintendent Scott Menzel said Horne did not reach out the district before “incorrectly tying declining enrollment (a 15-year trend in Scottsdale) with a political agenda that has been misrepresented”.

Horne’s statement also blamed similar ideology for declining enrollment in the Kyrene School District, which currently has a proposal on the table to close seven district schools.

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

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