NW Valley Times

West Valley Parents Uniting, a non-profit parents organization, labeled local school board member Tamillia Valenzuela “an embarrassment” after Valenzuela’s remarks about Arizona Christian University’s “biblically informed values.”

“I think her bio says it all,” West Valley Parents Uniting tweeted. “She is an embarrassment for the entire Washington Elementary School District. Hopefully she will be a wake up call for people to pay closer attention to school board elections.”

Valenzuela was elected in November 2022 as an at-large member of the Washington Elementary School District (WESD) governing board, receiving 34.9% of the vote. 

According to her bio on the school district Web site, Valenzuela “is a bilingual, disabled, neurodivergent Queer Black Latina” who “loves a good hot wing (but only with the right ranch) and things that sparkle.” 

She also wears fake “mouse ears” in her official photo, as well as at governing board meetings.

According to an earlier report in the PHX Reporter, Valenzuela recently made a successful motion for the WESD “to end a student teaching internship contract with Arizona Christian University (ACU).”

That contract had been in place since 2018, and the purpose of the agreement is to secure students of Arizona Christian University to participate in Student Teaching Internships at schools within the District," according to the school board's meeting agenda from February 23, 2022.

During that meeting, Valenzuela said she "has some very concerns (sic) regarding looking at this particular institution."

“When I go to Arizona Christian University's Web site…. you can go on their Web site, like the first page, ‘that above all else, it is to influence people to be biblically minded,” Valenzuela continued. “How does that hold space for people of other faiths? How does that hold space for our members of the LGBT community? How does that hold space for people who think differently and do not have the same beliefs?” 

“At some point, we need to get real with ourselves and take a look at who we're making legal contracts with and the message that that is sending to our community,” she added. “Because that makes me feel I could not be safe in this school district that makes other queer kids who are already facing attack from our lawmakers that they could not be safe in this community.” 

All five members of the governing board supported Valenzuela’s motion to end the contract with ACU.

Headquartered in Glendale, AZ, the Washington Elementary School District encompasses north central Phoenix and east Glendale. According to the district’s Web site, It is the largest elementary school district in Arizona, with 33 schools. The district’s mission is to “student achievement, preparing all students to become responsible, successful contributors to our diverse society.” 

Founded in 1960, Arizona Christian University is a four year, private, non-profit university located in Glendale, Arizona. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the university has been accredited by the Higher Learning Commission since 1992.