The Washington Elementary School District in Phoenix, Arizona has cut its longstanding contract with Arizona Christian University (ACU) for student teachers over the university’s strong anti-LGBTQ stance. Despite participants in the program signing an agreement prohibiting them from proselytizing or discriminating against children, new board member Tamillia Valenzuela brought a motion to reconsider extending the contract after investigating ACU’s stance on LGBTQ+ issues. Part of the “four values” of the university is to promote “traditional sexual morality and lifelong marriage between one man and one woman.”
ACU responded in a statement saying that the ban was due to the university’s commitment to its Christian convictions, calling it unlawful and hurtful to the district’s students. Board president Nikki Gomez-Whaley pushed back against anti-Christian bias accusations, citing that “there are plenty of Christian denominations who are LGBTQ-friendly.” However, she questioned how a piece of paper could change someone’s underlying value system, even though they may not do anything illegal, and how teachers could shut off an essential part of their being and not be biased towards the individuals they were nurturing and supporting unconditionally.
The decision to end the contract has brought up important questions about religious freedom and the limits of religious influence in public schools, as well as the importance of creating a safe and inclusive environment for all students.
