A group of Arizona legislators are calling on the Scottsdale School District Governing Board to consider taking action against Superintendent Scott Menzel for recently disclosed “hateful comments.”
State Senator John Kavanagh, along with Representatives Joseph Chaplik and Alexander Kolodin, who all represent Legislative District 3 that includes Scottsdale, penned an open letter to members of the Governing Board condemning Menzel for recently resurfaced “offensive and hateful comments he made in a 2019 interview.”
In that interview, Menzel claimed “white identity” is “problematic.”
“There’s a misperception that educational equity is really only for ethnically and racially diverse districts. But White people have racial identity as well, and in fact [it is a] problematic racial identity that we typically avoid,” Menzel told David Spitzley of the Torchlight.
Menzel made the comments, according to AZ Free News, “while he was a superintendent in Michigan,” and “remain in line with his current beliefs, based on local reporting on his performance in the district over the last two years.”
The legislators note in their letter that they are echoing the sentiments of community members and parents of children in the District, who believe Menzel should be relieved of his duties.
“We call on Scottsdale parents to contact their SUSD board members immediately and to ask for an end to this distraction. Menzel resigning is the only way to bring a quick resolution to this controversy. And if Menzel does not have the decency to resign, we are calling on the SUSD board to terminate his employment with cause for the district,” wrote the lawmakers.
“The tone of a school is set by its leadership and Superintendent Menzel cannot lead a district when he thinks white people and meritocracy are problems,” Sen, Kavanagh told the Arizona Daily Independent. “His race views are insulting and divisive and his disdain for merit will poison young minds.”
“His disdain for meritocracy is particularly ironic given that much of the funding for his school district comes from above-average income families who got that way due to their excelling in the meritocracy,” concluded Kavanagh.
“SUSD is made up of people of all races and backgrounds, and deserve to be thought of and treated with respect, and given an equal opportunity to succeed,” Governing Board member Carine Werner told the Arizona Daily Independent. “Each and every one of our students are valuable and our focus must be in the right places; providing our students with the tools and education that will enable them to thrive. Anything else is a distraction and failure in leadership.”
“I urge everyone who cares about kids – all kids – to contact the Board at govbrd@susd.org,” one concerned mother, who asked for anonymity due to the hostile environment overtaking the District, told the Arizona Daily Independent. “Let them know Menzel must go.”
The popular conservative organization, Arizona Women of Action, called on the public to attend the next Governing Board meeting:
🚨CALL TO ACTION🚨
Email Govbrd@susd.org & Smenzel@susd.org to support Menzel's resignation. He's lost the public's trust w/his divisiveness & by not upholding @ScottsdaleUSD's core values of inclusivity. Peacefully ATTEND 2/21 6PM meeting. Bring signs! https://t.co/gfc3uDujFY https://t.co/nSHEd99ivX pic.twitter.com/dllNzh0a0X— Arizona Women of Action (@azwomenofaction) February 2, 2023
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