A Tucson school district says students must either use educators’ preferred pronouns or refrain from using gendered language, claiming their right to free speech doesn’t apply — even if it goes against their religious beliefs.
In an email to a father last week, Catalina Foothills School District (CFSD) Superintendent Denise Bartlett said that his son needed to censor his speech and restrain himself from exhibiting his true beliefs to avoid insulting a “nonbinary” substitute teacher. Bartlett indicated that “disrespect” to others didn’t constitute free speech.
“I agree that your children should not be compelled to use pronouns that conflict with their religious beliefs, but they also may not disrespect other people by intentionally using pronouns or titles […] that are not preferred by the person in question,” said Bartlett. “The best solution is for your student not to use any titles or pronouns when speaking to or about people under these circumstances.”
Bartlett offered Grossenbach some instruction for his son on conflict avoidance: the student ought to use general and vague terms to allude to the “nonbinary” teacher in question. Bartlett indicated that the students were responsible for mollifying educators by changing their approach to reality.
“Instead of saying ‘Ms. Jones’ for example, your children can say ‘Teacher Jones.’ Instead of saying, ‘I am going to his class’, your children can say ‘I am going to that teacher’s class,’” said Bartlett. “This will allow your children not to compromise their religious beliefs and avoid missing out on learning while also treating the teacher or person in question with respect.”
This is happening in Tucson, Arizona 👇👇 https://t.co/Xhq6wVKkQ5
— Scottsdale Unites for Educational Integrity (@ScottsdaleUnite) January 22, 2025
The father, Dan Grossenbach, submitted his complaint to Bartlett last week requesting “an equivalent alternative educational option” in “another classroom environment” after a substitute high school Spanish teacher allegedly required his son to adhere to transgender ideology by denying God’s creation of male and female, and directing his son to use “non-sex-based and grammatically incorrect” pronouns last November. Grossenbach alleged that these orders from a teacher constituted civil rights violations.
“We teach our son to respect authority and to love everyone regardless of disagreements or animosity. Much like the Josephson Institute’s Aristotelian virtue-based ethical system ‘The Six Pillars of Character’ taught to him at Canyon View elementary, we likewise teach him that ‘respect’ means to support others in their human capacity as they are designed to flourish,” wrote Grossenbach. “This can run contrary to some contemporary notions of love which instead prioritizes the pursuit of desire over virtue.”
Grossenbach advised Bartlett in his email that the federal court ruling in the case Tennessee v. Cardona rejected compelled speech and viewpoint discrimination in the classroom. The father also questioned whether the substitute teacher’s alleged misconduct violated CFSD’s nondiscrimination policy. The policy prohibits discrimination pertaining to sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, ethnicity, religion, creed, age, and disability.
Grossenbach further claimed that the Supreme Court’s decision in Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission protected the free exercise of religious beliefs, even where irrationality or offensiveness may be perceived.
Prior to contacting Bartlett, Grossenbach said he was unable to resolve their family’s problem with Catalina Foothills High School Principal Chris Lambert.
CFSD is contracted with the Arizona-based company, Educational Services Inc. for substitute teachers.
A substitute _Spanish_ teacher? Bwaaaaaaaahaha. How does someone who “identifies” as “non-binary” teach a gendered language? That’s like an armless man teaching knife throwing or a deaf-mute teaching vocals.
If it weren’t all so hilarious it’d be downright worrisome.
Just face it. Democrats hate the US. They are Marxists who lie, cheat, cheat, steal, and will even murder to achieve their goal. Disrespect them for being the treasonous enemy that they are. No more “inclusion” of satanic culture.
How long will parents allow their children to be abused and uneducated in government schooling?
PublicSchoolExit.com
We CC are in Tucson. Parents with kids in a TUSD school for the most part done care or tend to stay oblivious to what’s going on in the district
Concerned citizens contact 1776 Project PAC for assistance.
I find these words from the school’s administrator, Denise Bartlett, offensive: “but they also may not disrespect other people by intentionally using pronouns or titles […] that are not preferred by the person in question”. So, since I am offended by her words, and that is apparently the standard Ms. Bartlett proposed for censorship, shouldn’t she be prevented from saying (or writing) them to me? Is that how the 1st Amendment is supposed to work? Does that guarantee everyone the right to free speech?
Free speech is not necessarily civil, by everyone’s standard. I can’t find the right, anywhere in the Constitution, to censor speech so that everyone may remain un-offended.
It’s Tucson, Not Surprised.
Even in the Foothills… No Child is Safe.
Recall this devil.
You can’t. It’s not an elected position. Only the school board can fire her. And they won’t because they are art of the Grijalva machine.
There are only 2 genders, male and female, period! I was irritated yesterday when I was filling out a 4473 form. For sex it offered the option of male, female, and non-binary. We need to completely end catering to the mental illness of gender dysphoria.
I saw that. I thought that for someone to truly believe that there are anything but two sexes they must be clinically insane. While that’s not covered under ques. 21(g), doesn’t selling guns to the insane go against _everyone’s_ morality (to say nothing of interests)? Oh, that’s right, Democrats only want to penalize the normies and cater to the crazies, so as to tear down our civilization and rebuild a kindly gentler Soviet Union in its place.
The new Sheriff, President Trump, says there are only two sexes. God made them male and female. It is the teacher that needs to accept this, not the students that need to accept facts contrary to God and science.
Sounds like Catalina district needs a Charter School alternative to this schools fanatical DEI/Marxist administrators.
AMEN!!!!
Superintendent Denise Bartlett should be fired and made an example of for the rest of the staff. Her conduct is unacceptable.
Why am I not surprised that the LBGQRST+++ army is alive and well in the armpit of AZ. Yea, all the white liberals live in this area and its no wonder that the student is wrong and the mentally ill teacher is correct and that the administration chose the mentally ill teacher to be the winner. Don’t forget that this is the same school district that hired Rachel Dolezal after she changed her name to Nkechi Amare Diallo to be more African. She was fired because she had an Onlyfans account was was peddling nude pictures of herself. What a joke this once good school district has become when they hire mentally ill people like these to be around and instruct their kids. Maybe they are trying to be Scottsdale Unified.
Communists have fully infiltrated Tucson and Pima County institutions and are hell bent on indoctrinating your children while confiscating your property taxes to fill the seats with illegals.
I can see a first amendment lawsuit happening over this.
As an educator Bartlett should know that all mammals are created either male or female. There is no such thing as a nonbinary person. How the district has employed such a person who needs to force pupils to misuse the English language is what aught to be the issue.
Seems like she isn’t really an “educator.” Leftists need to get a life AND read a biology book.. and not one written by some loon.
all this WASTED ISSUE – what’s really important ‘when will they monitor the removal of mattress tags’!!!!! OH the HUMANITY!