Arizona homeschool parents say the state imposes burdensome regulations on families after Democratic Attorney General Chris Mays cracked down on the state's voucher program requirements this summer. He blames it.
Homeschooling mothers Belia Aguirre and Rosemary McAtee are the plaintiffs in the following lawsuit: new lawsuitfiled by the Goldwater Institute against the State of Arizona, the Arizona Department of Education, and Superintendent Thomas Horn. Aguirre and McAtee participate in school event Empowerment Scholarship Account “ESA”, The program gives homeschooling families 90 percent of state taxpayer dollars that would otherwise go to public school districts and charter schools to buy materials, including books and supplementary materials, for their children's schooling.
The complaint alleges that Mays issued “legal threats” to the Department of Education in July to ensure that every ESA purchase had a curriculum associated with it. Goldwater said the Department of Education currently limits refund requests from ESA families for the purchase of “basic educational materials” such as pencils and erasers to “the parents justifying the use of each specific book title. or materials for children unless clear 'curriculum' documentation can be provided. ”
“It's very difficult, because it takes a week to create a curriculum that I didn't have to create a curriculum for when I was a district employee and when I was in the program for four years,” Aguirre told Fox News Digital. It's because I'm spending hours on it.”
“So it's a hassle. It's really time consuming. It's a burden,” she added. “I feel like we have to present a false narrative of developing a curriculum of erasers and pencils and colored markers.”
Arizona homeschooling parents Belia Aguirre (left) and Rosemary McAtee (right) discuss burdensome regulations for parents over new requirements for the state's Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program. He is suing the state of Arizona and the Department of Education for imposing a (Goldwater Institute)
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“This is strange because the Attorney General seems to lack a lot of knowledge about the whole ESA program, which is being imposed on families already struggling to educate children with developmental delays. , it really causes tension and it feels intentional,” Aguirre said. Said.
Aguirre teaches her three sons with special needs at home, drawing on her experience as a former public school special education teacher to tailor lessons, activities, and goals to each child's specific needs. We are developing. But the complaint notes when she submitted receipts for several educational materials, including the classic novel “Where the Red Fern Grows.” Periodic table of elements. Math and spelling activity book. She delivered the pencil and eraser to the police station in August, but her request for a refund was denied.
Parents have already been asked to provide expense receipts for all items purchased with scholarship money, according to the complaint. The group said the new requirement imposes a burden on parents that “violates state law and state regulations,” while adding to “a backlog of tens of thousands of purchase orders awaiting review” and leaving parents with “no sense of meaninglessness.” It claims that it imposes a “substantial burden”.
The second plaintiff, Rosemary McAtee, has homeschooled seven of her nine children with funding from the ESA program since 2019. She also purchased four books, including the children's classic “Brown, Brown, Bear What,” which were later rejected by the state. Do You See?” and the Catholic Encyclopedia for Children.
Both mothers appealed these denials, but the school board denied them, saying they needed to provide a formal curriculum that included these books, according to the complaint.
Arizona homeschool parents suing claim the state is making their job even tougher with new regulations. (St. Petersburg)
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“To be honest, I'm kind of scared to buy anything right now, because if they can change the rules on a whim and break the law, that's certainly the law that Congress enacted in 2020. My question remains, “Will I be stuck with thousands of dollars waiting for a refund, and even if it's not my curriculum? Even if I meet the contract, are they going to reject me?'' McAtee told Fox News. digital.
According to Goldwater, Arizona lawmakers added clear language to the law in 2020 to ensure that supplemental materials that are not explicitly tied to the curriculum cannot be denied access to families in the ESA program. . Additionally, the State Board of Education “has approved program regulations that explicitly permit the purchase of these materials without additional documentation.”
A spokesperson for Attorney General Chris Mays' office told Fox News Digital. They say they are simply enforcing the law and that the requirement is intended to encourage transparency and accountability in how taxpayers' money is spent.
“The Attorney General was simply stating what the law requires. The law does not prevent parents from purchasing paper and pencils, but using educational materials purchased with ESA funds to educate their children. There have been instances where voucher dollars have been used.''For things like ski passes, luxury car driving lessons, and grand pianos, documentation of expenditures is essential to prevent misuse of taxpayer funds. One thing is clear: Arizonans deserve full transparency and accountability for how their tax dollars are spent. “We will continue to fight for accountability and oversight in voucher programs,” the spokesperson said.
The AG's July letter came after a local news investigation found that ESA funds were being used by some families for karate lessons, golf equipment and even passes to ski resorts.
Three of the five adults are former employees of the Arizona Department of Education. was also indicted In February, he was charged with using fraudulent documents to obtain funds from the ESA program.
Aguirre said these reports “fuel” negative stereotypes, which he said are incorrect about the vast majority of homeschool families enrolled in ESA.
When asked for comment, the Arizona Department of Education released the following statement from Superintendent Tom Horn:
“The Department of Education recognizes the Goldwater Institute's claims. When this issue first surfaced in July, I was concerned that If we do not comply with this interpretation, we may be forced to return the funds. This case will resolve this issue in court, and we sincerely hope that Goldwater will prevail.” said Horn.
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