Kathy Hoffman: Arizona School Superintendent Accused of ‘Sexualizing Children’

Kathy Hoffman is the Democratic Arizona school superintendent who is accused of “sexualizing children” in an accusation from political rivals.

On August 20, a tweet from the account “RealBasedMAGA” went viral. The tweet Hoffman “hates the Bible” because at the time of her swearing-in in January 2019, Hoffman was sworn in on the Dr. Seuss book, “Too Many Moose.” The tweet also alleged that Hoffman was “pushing sex education on kindergartners that includes teaching them masturbation and sexual positions.”

Hoffman Was at the Center of a 2019 Campaign to Make Arizona’s Sex Education ‘Medically Accurate’

Twitter/RealBasedMAGA

In June 2019, it was widely reported that Hoffman along with Democratic State Senator Martin Quezada and Hoffman were defeated in attempts to update the state’s sex education rules.

The proposal argued that sex education teaching should be “medically accurate” and removing rules that prohibit “teaching of abnormal, deviate, or unusual sexual acts and practices.” The proposal also advocated for the option that boys and girls could be taught together during sex education. In 1991, Arizona’s legislature passed a law that prohibited the teaching of AIDS and HIV education as it may promote “a homosexual lifestyle.” That law was repealed in April 2019.

Hoffman spoke out against a new bill that banned the discussion of homosexuality in classroom. Hoffman said that she was “appalled” by the bill and that its passing would “undo the progress” made by Arizona.

Hoffman was quoted by the Associated Press in June 2019 as saying, “I know that this topic is very sensitive and it really brings up a lot of emotion. We’re talking about our children In Arizona, and I don’t see this as a purple issue, or a red issue or a Democrat issue or a Republican issue. This is about our students and our public schools.”

The Allegations Against Hoffman Have Been Around Since 2019

Facebook/Kathy Hoffman

The allegations against Hoffman have been around since 2019 when Arizona Republican House Speaker Rusty Bowers told the Arizona Capitol Times:

They have created the business plan of hell, that we can sexualize millions of children who will investigate and ‘play’ together. What will be the results? Sexually transmitted diseases, which we treat for money. Abortion, which we do for money. Even the heinous selling of body parts, which we do for money. And the treatment of AIDS across the world, which we do for money.

The Arizona Republic’s Ed Montini said of Bowers’ allegations, “[He’s] trying to keep voters uninformed in order to retain their support. It’s not only a cynical approach to politics, but it is genuinely dangerous to the children they claim to protect.”

Hoffman Chose ‘Too Many Moose’ as Her Swearing Book Because it Was a Book That Helped Students ‘Develop Their Communication Skills’

With regard to the allegation that Hoffman, a former teacher, “hates” the Bible because she was sworn in on “Too Many Moose,” she wrote in a Facebook post in January 2019:

“Too Many Moose!” was one of my students’ favorite stories! It’s a fantastic book that helped develop their communication skills and was critical to their success.
As an educator, I’m proud to have taken my oath of office on this beloved storybook!

Hoffman Has Argued That Schools in Arizona Should Not Reopen Until the Data Shows That it Is Safe

Facebook/Kathy Hoffman

A a Change.org petition has been set up asking for Hoffman to recalled due to her opinion that schools in the state should reopen due to the coronavirus pandemic. Hoffman has argued that school reopening plans should be based on coronavirus data.

Upon her election in 2018, The Washington Post described Hoffman as being “one of the most unlikely stories” of election season. Hoffman defeated Republican incumbent Diane Douglas. According to the Arizona Republic, Hoffman is the first millennial to hold a statewide office in Arizona. When asked by the newspaper how she planned to work with the Republican-controlled legislature and a Republican governor in Doug Ducey, Hoffman said, “My plan is to be as cooperative as possible.” In the interview, Hoffman did not speak about any plans to amend the state’s sex education policies.

Hoffman told the Washington Post that she was inspired to run for office after watching Education Secretary Betsy DeVos “stumble over basic policy questions and suggest that guns should be allowed in schools at which a grizzly bear might appear.”

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