Who is Tom Horne? Arizona's Superintendent of Public Instruction denounces pro-Palestine high school event
PHOENIX, ARIZONA: Tom Horne, Arizona's Superintendent of Public Instruction, has denounced an event supporting Palestine conducted by UNICEF and Amnesty International at a Scottsdale high school last week, citing concerns about its "antisemitic" nature, reported KTAR NEWS.
Horne, 78, a Harvard College and Harvard Law School graduate, served as Arizona's Superintendent of Public Instruction from 2003 to 2011 before being re-elected to the position this year.
The event, which was previously held at Desert Mountain High School on November 2, apparently created unsafe feelings among Jewish students, leading Horne to denounce it in a press conference on Wednesday, November 8.
In a letter to the parents, the principal of Desert Mountain, Lisa Hirsch, said that some felt the students' presentation "contained content perceived as offensive and troubling by some."
Tom Horne stands against 'ethnic studies'
Tom Horne has 24 years of experience on the school board in Arizona. He previously chaired the Academic Accountability Committee and served as vice-chair of the Education Committee during his period in the Arizona House of Representatives from 1997 until 2001.
During his 2023 superintendent of public instruction campaign, he firmly announced his demand to put an end to "ethnic studies."
According to his campaign website, TOM HORNE FOR SUPERINTENDENT, "Ethnic Studies in Tucson divided students by race: African American students to Classroom 1, Mexican American students to Classroom 2, etc., just like in the old South."
Tom Horne warns Arizona schools to avoid UNICEF and Amnesty International events
According to Tom Horne, the materials presented to the students during the event were apparently "profoundly antisemitic in particular and anti-American in general."
"Jewish students reported feeling unsafe because of the antisemitism among other students generated by these presentations. It's not my purpose to criticize the school but to alert other schools," said the Superintendent of Public Instruction in a press conference.
Horne explicitly targeted UNICEF and Amnesty International and urged district superintendents to ensure that such organizations stayed away from school grounds.
"I just want to make clear my target is Amnesty International and UNICEF, which I think are desperate cabals for what they put out. That's my target. And, I want to urge all schools to keep them off of their schools," expressed Horne.
He added, "We all belong to a minority group of one kind or another. If Jewish people – and Americans in general — can be targeted by UNICEF and Amnesty International, who is next?"