We’re calling upon residents of the Peoria Unified School District to speak up before or at the PUSD Board meeting this Thursday.
PUSD is considering curriculum changes that deserve serious public scrutiny. Recently, the district instructed educators to remove several works from middle-school instruction, including Frederick Douglass’s Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun, and Guadalupe García McCall’s Summer of the Mariposas.
Now, as the district is considering the Land of Hope curriculum from Hillsdale College, we have to ask:
Why don’t members of the PUSD board want children to learn accurate US history?
The PUSD community deserves better.
Studies show that when students’ educational experiences are diverse and include multiple perspectives—both academic and interpersonal outcomes improve. The children of PUSD deserve rich, diverse curriculum that celebrates the American experience through many lenses. PUSD teachers need to be trusted, and had the board listened to them back in November when they approved the policy, they wouldn’t be in this position now.
Public schools should teach students how to think—not what to think.
A strong education doesn’t protect students from disagreement. It teaches them how to think through disagreement.
Please take action by attending this Thursday’s meeting and/or contacting the PUSD governing board, Interim Superintendent Visintainer, and board admin assistant. You can address any or all of the above points.
Meeting details:
Peoria Unified School District
6330 W. Thunderbird Road, Glendale, Arizona 85306
Doors open at 6:00 PM (get there early)
Jeff Tobey jtobey@pusd11.net
Janelle Bowles jbowles@pusd11.net
Melissa Ewing meewing@pusd11.net
Becky Proudfit rproudfit@pusd11.net
Heather Rooks hrooks@pusd11.net
Interim Superintendent Visintainer: tvisintainer@pusd11.net
Board Admin Asst: ndonner@pusd11.net
To view the agenda, click here, then click on the green “Agendas” button. Under “Meetings,” select “Regular Board Meeting with Executive Session August 13 2026” then “View the Agenda.” See “Items for Approval” 12.2.