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September 8, 2023

State Superintendent of Public Instruction files lawsuit against Governor and Attorney General

Suit seeks to inforce English-language immerision teaching in Arizona public schools.
by Duncan Moon

tom horne spot Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction, and former Attorney General, Tom Horne.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne has filed a lawsuit against Governor Katie Hobbs and Attorney General Kris Mayes over what Horne says is a breach of a voter initiative on teaching English-language learners in Arizona Public Schools.

Superintendent Horne wants the court to mandate that all public schools obey a voter initiative to teach English language learners in English immersion rather than dual language classes.

A law passed by the legislature in 2019 has been interpreted by some as authorizing dual-language instruction, but Horne says the Arizona Constitution prohibits any change to a voter-protected initiative unless it furthers the purpose of what voters intended

The lawsuit also names as a defendant the Creighton school district, one of the districts still using the dual-language method.

MORE: Courts, Education, Katie Hobbs, News
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