IT’S OFFICIAL: Superintendent Scott Menzel ensures that teachers caught viewing lewd photos of women at work will not be fired. On the contrary, on March 7, 2023, Menzel used taxpayer-funded lawyers to fight to keep a porn-viewing PE teacher employed, regardless of child safety.
Arcadia High School teacher Michael Hudnutt was videotaped by students as he scrolled through pictures of scantily clad women in sexualized positions. Students reportedly took the video on November 30, 2022, in the boys’ locker room, as they viewed Mr. Hudnutt through a glass office window that displayed the Arcadia logo.
“A good leader would put the safety of Scottsdale students first. Menzel has failed our children and our community. We’re afraid to speak publicly, but we want Menzel gone.” said the parent of an Arcadia High School student.
An SUSD parent filed a complaint against Hudnutt with the district in January 2023. Despite an investigation and review of the incident, Hudnutt remained in his position on the Arcadia campus teaching freshmen girls’ physical education.
After the parents made two appeals of Menzel’s administration’s decision, the matter was escalated to a governing board meeting on March 7, 2023. During a private executive session, hidden from public view and without the parents present, Menzel defended his reasons for supporting a teacher who sought to become sexually aroused at school, near children.
Now that the SUSD complaint process has officially concluded and Hudnutt’s employment will continue, there is little hope that other parents would come forward with similar complaints, clearing the runway for other teachers to enjoy risqué photos and sexual excitement during work hours.
A parent whose child saw the video of Hudnutt commented, “The lesson being displayed by SUSD is that women are sexual objects. That’s just not right for the educational environment.”
Given Menzel’s apparent approval of Hudnutt’s behavior, some are questioning if Menzel has reported this incident to the Arizona Department of Education, pursuant to A.R.S 15-514, which states: “the superintendent of a school district … who …receives a reasonable allegation that an act of immoral or unprofessional conduct that would constitute grounds for dismissal … shall report the conduct to the state board of education.”
According to SUSD Governing Board Policy GBEB: “A person who violates the reporting requirements may be disciplined for violating the policies of the School District Governing Board pursuant to A.R.S. 15-341 and notwithstanding A.R.S. 15-341, may be subject to dismissal.”
It remains to be seen if Menzel will be held accountable, or if this issue, like many others, will be swept under the proverbial rug.
Since arriving at SUSD, controversy has not been far behind Menzel, with many directly questioning his leadership. He has overseen declining enrolment, poor academic achievement, and a suppression of transparency. However, Menzel has been successful in leveraging district unions and regional groups, such as the activist organization GLSEN, to astroturf a show of “support” for his leadership, while parents remain afraid to speak out due to fears of district retaliation. Some cite the on-going litigation in which the district is accused of supporting the cyber stalking of parents who were deemed problematic.
Menzel also came under fire for racist comments made during a 2019 interview with Torchlight Media in his former home state of Michigan, where he claimed among other things, that the white identity was, “very, very problematic” and that white people should be made to feel uncomfortable. While Menzel never addressed his statements, his union blackshirts came out in force in support at recent board meetings.
Although Menzel never addressed the issue, documents reviewed from public records requests revealed that the district had a policy of allowing boys to sleep in girls’ bedrooms during overnight events, if a boy claimed to be a girl. Despite parent concern and public outrage, Menzel led from behind and said nothing.
In another blow to community trust, Menzel instituted a change to the SUSD public records request process in July of 2022 and began publicly posting the names and document requests of those seeking SUSD documents. Some say Menzel’s policy change was intended to bully those seeking transparency. Immediately after this change, Menzel-aligned groups launched public threatening and shaming campaigns against anyone requesting records about district misdeeds.
Teachers watching pornographic material during school hours in full view of students is just the latest revelation about the leadership of Menzel. Now that it has been enshrined in SUSD unofficial/official policy that this is not a fire-able offense, the SUSD history of sexualization of children can continue at pace with Menzel at the helm.