Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne delivered a statement to the Phoenix Union High School District following a knife fight between two female students at Carl Hayden High School on Monday, calling the incident proof that the board made a “major mistake” in rejecting armed security officers.
Tom Horne emphasized his criticism, stating the violent altercation that left both students injured demonstrates “the utter lack of concern” by Phoenix Union board members who voted against state-funded armed officers earlier this year.
“The safety of students, teachers and staff members at schools is not negotiable and a knife fight on the Carl Hayden campus Monday shows the dangers are increasing,” Horne declared. “This needs to stop immediately.”
Rejected Request
The superintendent specifically targeted the Phoenix Union governing board’s decision to reject requests from both Carl Hayden and Betty Fairfax high schools for armed officers that the Arizona Department of Education would have funded…