Criticizing school curriculum could cost you your job if you’re a Mesa Public Schools (MPS) parent.
That’s the experience one mother shared recently after sending negative emails to outgoing MPS Superintendent Andi Fourlis. The MPS mother — who omitted her name — explained her interaction with Fourlis with the governing board during their meeting on Tuesday.
The mother recounted how she’d emailed Fourlis her opposition to proposed English curriculum, and in response Fourlis sent an email to her employers which read in part:
“I received lengthy, inaccurate, and inflammatory emails from one of your staff members using [your company’s] email address regarding school district matters. While I met with the employee as the parent of a student in our district, I’m wondering if the email messages are representative of your public relations firm, as they are coming from your firm’s email address?”
The mother petitioned the board for greater protections of parents, teachers, and staff from any other inappropriate pressures by Fourlis. She questioned whether Fourlis had other victims.
“My concern is, I’m just a parent. If Dr. Fourlis felt the need to look up my bosses and try to get me in trouble at work because I disagree with things and have spoken at a couple of board meetings, what type of unethical or intimidation tactics is she doing to your staff members and to your teachers? I encourage you as a board to look at the emails that Dr. Fourlis has been sending. And I’m concerned about the superintendent’s members that remain. Are they victims of the same intimidation tactics? Are they perpetuating the same unethical practices?”
Board member Rachel Walden publicly challenged Fourlis over her email. Walden promised she would work to establish policy to prevent MPS leadership from engaging in “cancel culture” behaviors against parents in the future.
“Superintendent Fourlis sent [an email] to her employer in what sounded like an attempt to make this woman face repercussions with her employer for her email to us. These were Superintendent Fourlis’ actions and not the board’s. I am vehemently opposed to cancel culture!” said Walden. “Please continue to email me questions or concerns and know that I would never contact your employer. Whatever email account you use is up to you, but note that communications to the board are still subject to public records requests. I will be asking the board President, who controls the agendas, that we address this as a board so that something like this never happens again.”
Tonight at the school board meeting in public comment we heard from a woman who had previously emailed the board and Superintendent using her work email address, which revealed her employer. She proceeded to then read an email that Superintendent Fourlis sent to her employer in…
— Rachel Walden (@waldenpatriot) May 14, 2025
Walden is involved in an ongoing lawsuit against Fourlis and the district for allegedly “encouraging and assisting students to identify as members of the opposite sex without notifying parents.” Per Walden’s legal team, MPS policy allows students’ gender transition plans to remain hidden from parents.
Administrators for at least one MPS school were discovered to have maintained a secretive spreadsheet documenting the students undergoing gender transitions whose parents were not to be told. Email evidence obtained by counsel also indicated staff were instructed to not disclose gender transitions to those not named on transgender support plans.