Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs Vetoes Bill Targeting Antisemitism in Education

The response to the veto of the new law by Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs was strong. As was expected, this aroused mixed reactions, both positive and negative. In the veto message, Hobbs addressed the real purpose of the bill, not as an effort against antisemitism but rather against educators. Additionally, Governor Hobbs called the statute an obscure yet blatant way to bully teachers in the name of Jewish students’ safety and likened it to a disaster for Arizona’s entire public education system.

“It’s not like this legislation is the guardian of students’ rights, it’s the scourge of teachers,” Hobbs pens down. “Very soon, it will give rise to a series of politically charged court cases that will in turn essentially weaken all the levels of public education.”
Hobbs’ resolution was commended by those who believe that the bill was very broad and could impede the discussion before it even started, while it was criticized by those who stood behind it.

Tom Horne, the Superintendent of Public Instruction, did not mince his words. He went on record labeling Hobbs’ veto as “a terrible error,” and maintained that the bill was vital for kids to be safe from the influence of hate and for schools to be environments free from any kind of threats.

The dispute is a manifestation of the critical national discord on the issue of how to address deeply sensitive and controversial issues such as anti-semitism in education without giving up academic freedom or causing the educators to be involved in legal disputes. Opponents of the law say that its inexactly defined language might drive to misunderstanding and court hearings on the lawful discussions of history and world affairs, particularly the ones that relate to The Holocaust, the Middle-Eastern conflict, or anti-Semitic statements in the current news.

Yet, Governor Hobbs, was very persistent to point out that the fight against antiSemitism is essential, only through the education path not via reproachful laws.

“We have to teach children about the implications of antisemitism and all hate issues,” Hobbs said. “That being the case we will not be able to accomplish if we are continuously putting teachers on trial for executing school duties.”

Therefore though House Bill 2867 is not up for discussion at the moment, the talk of how hate-racism such as antisemitism is handled in school is continuing.