Arizona’s Washington Elementary School District was sued for allegedly impugning on the religious rights of a Christian university after they terminated a partnership that had been ongoing for 11 years after multiple board members attacked them for their religious beliefs on Thursday.
“[N]ot only did the School District end its agreement with Arizona Christian and its students at the February 23, 2023, board meeting, it disparaged their religious beliefs, questioning how one could ‘be committed to Jesus Christ’ and yet respect LGBTQ students and board members,” the lawsuit, filed by Alliance Defending Freedom, said.
According to Fox News, The suit alleged the district terminated its relationship with Arizona Christian University and its students “strictly because of their religious status and beliefs—namely their beliefs on biblical marriage and sexuality—despite having zero evidence of any incident by an Arizona Christian student that violated any School District policy.”
“Washington Elementary School District officials are causing irreparable harm to ACU every day they force it to choose between its religious beliefs and partnering with the area’s public schools,” said ADF Senior Counsel David Cortman, vice president of U.S. litigation. The lawsuit demanded the reinstatement of a contract, which had previously opened up opportunities for recruitment and hiring.
“Arizona Christian students obtained necessary real-world experience in order to graduate, while the School District benefited by having additional (and free) teaching help. In fact, the School District has hired several Arizona Christian graduates who previously student taught in one of its schools.”
On Feb. 23, the board agreed on a motion to dissolve the partnership with the Christian university immediately after multiple board members attacked the institution over its “commit[ment] to Jesus Christ,” among other matters. The suit called out board member Tamillia Valenzuela’s and other board member’s comments at the February meeting.
