Arizona School District May Violate State Law to Allow Planned Parenthood Sex-Ed Class

State   |   Alliance Defending Freedom   |   Mar 6, 2014   |   6:22PM   |   Phoenix, AZ

Alliance Defending Freedom issued two letters Thursday concerning Planned Parenthood’s involvement in sex education curricula that an Arizona school district has considered in recent weeks–curricula that, if adopted, would likely violate a state law that requires preference to be given to abstinence, childbirth, and adoption, not abortion.

One of the letters exposes falsehoods in a recent Planned Parenthood Arizona e-mail about the pro-abortion group’s involvement in the Tempe Union High School District’s sex education curriculum considerations. The other letter asks the school district to recuse one of its board members from any consideration of the district’s adoption of sex education curriculum because of his close ties to Planned Parenthood.

Close up of flag blowing in wind“Schoolchildren should be able to have a healthy education free from influence by Planned Parenthood’s abortion marketing campaign,” said Alliance Defending Freedom Litigation Counsel Natalie Decker. “Students and parents deserve better. They don’t need misstatements of the facts from Planned Parenthood, nor do they need a board member who has been public with his support for Planned Parenthood to be making decisions on sex education materials, especially since Planned Parenthood has promoted and endorsed his political aspirations.”

The letter directed to Planned Parenthood Arizona President and CEO Bryan Howard points out that, contrary to his organization’s claims, Planned Parenthood has participated in the development and/or promotion of the curricula it presented to TUHSD. The letter also presents other compelling facts about Planned Parenthood’s activities, including statistics that demonstrate that the abortion giant is responsible for one-third of the 1.2 million abortions committed annually in the U.S.

The letter directed to Tempe Union High School District’s legal counsel requests the recusal of TUHSD governing board member David Schapira, a former state senator, from any decisions related to sex education curricula. The letter explains that Schapira has exhibited public support for Planned Parenthood; has received campaign contributions from Howard; and has received endorsements from Planned Parenthood Arizona’s political arm, which praised him for voting consistently with Planned Parenthood’s positions.

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District policy requires that board members who have a “substantial interest in any decision of the District shall make known such interest in the official records of the District and shall refrain from participating in any manner as a Governing Board member” in the decision at issue. Arizona law defines “substantial interest” as “any pecuniary or proprietary interest, either direct or indirect, other than a remote interest.”

“Given Mr. Schapira’s direct relationship with Planned Parenthood and Planned Parenthood’s political contributions to Mr. Schapira, there clearly exists a pecuniary interest which makes it prudent and appropriate, consistent with District board policies, for Mr. Schapira to recuse himself or to otherwise be disqualified by the Board from any involvement in or consideration of sexuality education curriculum for District schools and students,” the Alliance Defending Freedom letter states. “We are not aware that Mr. Schapira has publicly disclosed or otherwise made known to the District’s Board his close relationship with Planned Parenthood.”