PHOENIX — Today, the Arizona Education Association and the National Council of Jewish Women Arizona led a coalition of thirteen statewide labor and advocacy organizations in a letter asking Governor Katie Hobbs to veto HB 2867 — a dangerous state bill that weaponizes legitimate concerns about antisemitism to weaken professional liability protections for public school educators.
Organizations joining the letter include the Tucson Jewish Museum & Holocaust Center, the Rabbi Joseph H. Gumbiner Community Action Project, AFSCME Arizona, UFCW Local 99, Arizona List, Worker Power, Communications Workers of America Arizona State Council, LUCHA, Mi Familia Vota, Arizona Center for Women’s Advancement, and the League of Women Voters of Arizona.
“Under the pretense of protecting students, HB 2867 establishes an unprecedented legal framework that strips Arizona educators of basic professional liability protections if they face accusations of antisemitism. The bill will incentivize bad-faith litigation by outside groups with unlimited resources, leaving Arizona educators (who already earn some of the lowest salaries in the nation) with few avenues to defend themselves. If signed into law, HB 2867 will create strong incentives to leave the teaching profession and Arizona students will pay the price. This bill also opens the door to weaken liability protections for other public-sector workers and raises serious questions about the Legislature’s willingness to protect public safety officers and others who perform other vital functions across Arizona,” the organizations wrote.
“During debate over HB 2867, Senator Mitzi Epstein offered amendments that would have expanded the bill’s scope to other forms of discrimination, protected the rights of individual educators, and covered antisemitism in private schools that accept taxpayer-funded vouchers. These amendments failed, demonstrating that HB 2867 is little more than a vehicle to advance attacks on Arizona public schools. Sadly, this bill is not about protecting Arizona’s Jewish community and never was,” the organizations continued.
“Arizona school districts maintain robust disciplinary procedures for educators accused of bigotry and other wrongdoing. Advocates for HB 2867 have not demonstrated that existing procedures are insufficient to address their concerns. We are deeply concerned that the framework established in HB 2867 will transform classroom lessons into costly legal battles and push politically-motivated disputes further into Arizona schools,” the organizations concluded.
Over the last three months, nearly 2,000 Arizona educators and allies have written to Governor Katie Hobbs and Arizona legislators in opposition to HB 2867.
Read the full letter HERE.