At Tuesday night’s meeting of the Tucson Unified School District Governing Board, President Adelita Grijalva blocked an education activist from addressing the Board during the Call to the Audience. Grijalva’s nemesis, David Morales, was escorted from the boardroom by security after Grijalva insisted that he provide his private address before being granted an opportunity to speak.
Arizona law does not require speakers at public meetings to give their addresses before addressing public bodies. However, Grijalva has stood on a TUSD policy that requires such disclosure in an effort to intimidate the public.
Watch a video of the incident here.
One witness familiar with Grijalva’s methods said the attack on Morales appeared to be planned. They reported that security was standing by as if they anticipated Grijalva’s demand and Morales’ refusal. Morales has challenged the address disclosure requirement before, and clearly Grijalva knew that her demand could not be met.
Dr. Mark Stegeman attempted to intervene, but Grijalva turned off the microphones and said she would not allow any discussion or dissent.
Board member Michael Hicks said the attack on Morales, with whom he has not always agreed, was unwarranted. “I want to hear from everyone,” said Hicks after the meeting. “This attack on a member of the public is unacceptable. Mr. Morales had a right to be heard.”
Morales has been active in TUSD since at least 2011, when he was a less-than-civil critic of Hicks during the debate over the District’s Mexican American Studies curriculum.
Since then, the District, under the leadership of Grijalva has deteriorated to a point when even former foes are united in their desire to wrestle leadership away from the divisive Grijalva.
Over the years, the District has come to serve the needs of Grijalva and her cronies rather than those of all students. As a result, the District is hemorrhaging students, and relying on substitute teachers.
The District has most recently made headlines for the deteriorating safety of students due to a failure in the administration to provide a sound disciplinary system.
Retired educator and education activist Rich Kronberg stated, “The disastrous policies adopted since HT Sanchez became the district’s superintendent, particularly those that have made many TUSD school unsafe for students and staff, have led to even more students and teachers abandoning TUSD. The students have gone to schools in other districts or to charter schools. The teachers have gone to other districts in Arizona, some have gone to other states, and some have been so scarred by their time in TUSD they left teaching. Throughout all of this, Grijalva and her two acolytes on the TUSD Governing Board, Kristel Foster and Cam Juarez, have provided knee-jerk support for Sanchez and his failed policies and practices. Voters have a chance to get rid of Sanchez in this year’s coming election for Governing Board. Neither Foster nor Juarez deserves re-election. They have both given allegiance to Grijalva, especially in their support for Sanchez despite the damage he has caused and continues to cause. Those voters who know that TUSD is failing its students and still plan to vote for Juarez and Foster can best be described by the following quote, generally attributed to Albert Einstein. “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” It is past time for a change at the top in TUSD. Voting out Foster and Juarez will be the best way to achieve that.”