Katie Kerekes, FISM News
The Arizona Department of Education has launched a hotline for parents to report “inappropriate course curriculum” within the classroom.
According to the department’s website, Tom Horne, Superintendent of Public Instruction for the state of Arizona, has followed through on his campaign promise to implement the “Empower Hotline,” a tip line for parents to report “inappropriate public school lessons that detract from teaching academic standards.”
Superintendent Horne believes in empowering parents, and that's why he launched the Empower Hotline. No educator should discuss politics, critical race theory, or social emotional learning with students. Every educational minute is precious for our students. #EducationForAll pic.twitter.com/aGHndxkmkJ
— Arizona Department of Education (@azedschools) March 10, 2023
“We’ve asked parents to call in when they become aware of inappropriate teaching,” Horne said in an interview with Fox & Friends First Wednesday. “..that would include lessons that focus on race or ethnicity rather than individuals and merit, gender ideology, social-emotional learning, or inappropriate sexual content.”
Horne expressed that educators who are guilty of teaching these leftist ideologies “rob students of precious minutes of instruction time in core academics,” and maintains that instruction of such materials only serve as a distraction to students who are “a captive audience” to their instructors, while test scores remain historically low.
Superintendent Horne will continue to empower parents and protect our students. You can learn more about the Empower Hotline here >>> https://t.co/BZ7zc0iypA pic.twitter.com/KqQXdW3eX5
— Arizona Department of Education (@azedschools) March 13, 2023
He credits the “parents’ revolt,” which swept the nation during remote learning in previous years, as the catalyst for this hotline, when parents and guardians crowded school board meetings expressing outrage at the content of classroom instruction exposed to their children.
The superintendent also presents the department’s awareness of the possibility of false accusations as the reason for a designated investigative team to check the validity of any allegations.
“As long as [educators] teach academics, they have absolutely nothing to worry about,” Horne said in an interview with Tucson-based NBC affiliate, KVOA News 4. “But when they start pushing a personal ideology, that’s a different story.”
The Arizona tip line mirrors the 2022 implementation of Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s own, in his push to make education void of “inherently divisive concepts.”
Those who wish to make a report can access the hotline via phone or email, and all pertinent information is listed on the department’s website.