Community members at Scottsdale, Arizona’s Saguaro High School are endeavoring to stop a newly formed Turning Point USA Club America chapter from being started at the school.
According to AZ Free News, a petition was filed through Change.org in early November to gain public support to help sway the board. Titled “Stop Political Hate Clubs in Arizona Schools,” the petition aims to remove Saguaro’s “Turning Point USA chapter and ensure that all student clubs uphold values of respect, equality, and safety for everyone.” It has nearly 500 signatures as of Monday.
“Saguaro High School in Scottsdale, Arizona, has allowed students to create clubs freely—as long as they have a staff sponsor, elected officers, and a signed club agreement outlining their rules,” the petition states. “This system has allowed for creative, inclusive, and student-led organizations that represent all voices on campus.”
“However, our school has recently approved the formation of a Turning Point USA chapter,” it further states, proceeding with several allegations against TPUSA. “While every student has the right to their own political beliefs, no club should be allowed to promote hate, division, or discrimination under the guise of ‘religious’ or ‘political’ values.”
“Turning Point USA has a documented history of targeting marginalized groups and spreading harmful rhetoric. Allowing a chapter within our school sends the message that intolerance is acceptable—something that goes against the inclusive and respectful community Saguaro stands for,” the petition states near its conclusion.
In a comment attached to the petition, one signer alleged the following of Club America and Charlie Kirk.
“This club is not freedom of speech[,] it is built on the premise and beliefs of a racist and sexist. I do not feel comfortable attending a school or district that endorses such principles. The club is a way for them to spread racist undertones through the word of God and facade of an American patron. A club CANNOT be built off of a man who had ignorant views and spewed hate to the youth of this world. This is not a way to come together rather a way to cause more separation.”
Neither Saguaro High School, Scottsdale Unified School District, nor the Maricopa County Superintendent Shelli Boggs have made comments about the petition.
