An Arizona school district is backpedaling as fast as possible after being slapped with a lawsuit.
The Daily Caller reports that the Washington Elementary School District (WESD) reversed an earlier decision to terminate a contract with Arizona Christian University. The WESD and Arizona Christian University relationship was long-standing, but they had previously worked to end it.
Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) filed a lawsuit in March 2023 on behalf of Arizona Christian University, alleging that the contract with the university was terminated because of their views on LGBTQ+ issues. The Daily Caller reports that part of the settlement will be that WESD will pay $25,000 to Arizona Christian University and let its students teach in the District.
Len Munsil, ACU President, spoke about this in a press statement and said:
This is a complete vindication of the rights of our students to be able to participate as student-teachers in a public school district without fear of religious discrimination,
He then went on to say the following: We obtained everything we wanted in this new agreement, without any sacrifice or compromise to our beliefs and our universitys religious purpose. We look forward to a continued beneficial partnership that serves ACU student-teachers and the students, faculty, and staff of the WESD. And we are so grateful for the team at Alliance Defending Freedom for their excellent advocacy for our religious freedoms.
In February, the WESD board voted unanimously to terminate their contract with ACU. That contract had existed between the two for the last 11 years. Three of the five board members are part of the LGBTQ+ community, and some felt they had a personal grudge against ACU.
The school board said the following in a press release after the vote: The board unanimously voted to discontinue its partnership with ACU, whose policies do not align with our commitment to create a safe place for our LGBTQ+ students, staff, and community,
They also stated: This is not a rejection of any particular faith as we remain open to partnering with faith-based organizations that share our commitment to equity & inclusion.
The agreement allowed 100 ACU students to teach in the District to gain experience and earn academic credits at the same time, according to Fox 10. However, that would have been terminated if the WESD board had not reversed its policies. They have changed and decided to continue allowing students to participate in this life-changing process.
Login