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Public commenters press board to add doctrine of discovery and call for ESA fixes; speakers urge more school social workers
Summary
During public comment, parents and civic representatives urged the board to revise Arizona history standards to include the doctrine of discovery, forced migration, and explicit language on Native American genocide; ESA parents also complained about denied reimbursements and asked for improved staff training, while several speakers urged continued funding for school social workers.
The board’s public-comment period included multiple speakers urging policy changes and raising complaints for administrative attention.
On standards, Beth Hatcher (retired educator, Council for Native American Ministry) and Alexandra Leonard (canon for justice, Episcopal Diocese of Arizona) requested specific changes to the Arizona History and Social Science Standards: explicitly name the doctrine of discovery, use the phrase 'Native American genocide' in relevant standards language, include 'forced migration' when describing Indigenous movement, and name Indigenous People's Day alongside federal holidays. Speakers cited national awareness days for missing and murdered Indigenous women and statistics on missing Indigenous persons to argue for fuller historical truth in classroom standards.
On ESA (Empowerment Scholarship Accounts), Simone Bell, speaking for ESA parents, said reimbursements for eligible tutoring were denied despite parents following written policy and attaching the ESA guidance. She called for AD to improve staff training and accountability for consistent decision-making.
Other commenters emphasized the importance of school social workers and counselors. Kathleen Leonard and district leaders argued that social workers are core to prevention and early intervention; they highlighted that 520 schools chose social workers or counselors as their first choice in grant applications and urged continued, consistent funding.
Board members heard the comments without taking action during the meeting but recorded them as requests to add agenda items and to continue advocacy around funding and staffing.
