Parents and staff urge board to rebuild Indian Bend and preserve science options at Horizon; facilities complaints raised

Several parents, teachers and residents addressed the Paradise Valley Unified School District governing board during the meeting's public-comment period, pressing for transparency on facility conditions and program continuity.

Speakers from Indian Bend Elementary urged the board to rebuild the school and keep the school community together during any temporary relocation. Teachers and parents said a proposed temporary move to the James P. Lee campus (or a nearby site) is important to preserve community ties and reduce travel burdens for families. Indian Bend staff and parents thanked the board for considering a rebuild and said they support a temporary relocation that remains within the neighborhood.

Other speakers described ongoing facilities problems at Indian Bend and James P. Lee and concerns about the district's facilities department response times. Resident Tiffany (last name Jay Tiffany in transcript) said contractors identified sewer gas entering wall cavities and that repeated maintenance actions sometimes reversed contractor repairs; she described long delays before hot water repairs and said district facilities staff drilled into new work, which reintroduced the odor until the problem was fixed. She asked the board to review facilities operations and vendor oversight.

Several parents and students also raised concerns about science offerings at Horizon High School. One parent said Anatomy & Physiology will not be offered next year at Horizon, and another parent warned that AP Biology may be at risk of being canceled next year if staffing or enrollment conditions persist. A parent and another speaker described a classroom incident in which a teacher allegedly told students epilepsy is a "curse," and they said the teacher's statements are unacceptable in a science classroom. Those speakers asked the board to preserve rigorous science pathways, advanced-placement options and qualified instructors.

Public commenters also raised questions about school closures and building conditions, noting that Indian Bend showed wiring and other problems. A resident said building inspection reports for closed schools had not been publicly shared and called for more transparency in the school-closure and relocation process.

Board members acknowledged the comments. Staff previously said some closed sites have been reclassified as administrative space after closure and that inspections and repair work are ongoing. Commenters requested follow-up; staff and the board indicated they would collect the concerns and respond, where allowed by open-meeting law.

The public-comment block included a mix of appeals for rebuilding, operational complaints and curriculum concerns; no board action was taken during the public-comment period, which the board said is for listening rather than deliberation under Arizona open-meeting rules.