On Tuesday, the Arizona Education Association (AEA) spearheaded a coalition of ten statewide labor unions and advocacy organizations to urge the Arizona Senate to reject House Bill 2867. The bill proposes changes that would remove professional liability standards for Arizona public school educators, potentially exposing them to lawsuits from outside groups. In response, over a thousand educators and their supporters have contacted legislators opposing the bill.
The letter was supported by several organizations, including the CWA Arizona State Council, AFSCME, UFCW 99, SEIU, LUCHA, Worker Power, ADRC Action, Mi Familia Vota, and Arizona List.
“Under the guise of protecting students,” the coalition stated in their letter, “House Bill 2867 establishes an unprecedented legal framework that strips Arizona public school educators of professional liability protections if they face accusations of antisemitism. The bill will make individual educators responsible for the full cost of their own legal defense, including in cases where they face false accusations. In a state where salaries are already too low, this bill will create a powerful disincentive to teach in Arizona.”
The coalition further noted that “the proposed framework is unique to antisemitism and does not extend to claims of racism, sexism, anti-LDS bias, Islamophobia or other forms of bigotry.” They highlighted concerns about transforming classroom misunderstandings into costly legal battles and discouraging educators from remaining in their roles.
“Every student in Arizona deserves to feel safe and welcome at school,” the organizations concluded. “We hope to work with you to broadly strengthen our state’s civil rights protections and make sure that children and educators have a bright future in our public schools.”
