Diaz responds to Horne’s second failed attempt to gut dual language programs

Arizona State Senate 

1700 W. Washington St. 

Phoenix, AZ 85007 

Press Release

PHOENIX – This past week, Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne's second attempt to take legal action against dual language programs since he was elected to lead the Arizona Department of Education in 2022 has failed. A Maricopa County Superior Court judge dismissed the lawsuit that alleged the dual language program run by the Creighton Elementary School District in Phoenix was unlawful. 

“Tom Horne has shown the public once again that he is not interested in the well being of Arizona’s public school students, especially our English language learners,” said Senator Eva Diaz (LD22), sponsor of the SCR 1026. “It is deeply disappointing, yet entirely unsurprising, that we are once again watching the Superintendent of Public Instruction and his wife attack our public schools. After the State Board of Education approved the use of dual language programs to teach English learners in 2020 due to data showing English learners were falling behind academically under a more restrictive English immersion model, it is time to move forward. Relitigating failed policies does not serve our students. We are calling on Horne and his Republican colleagues to recognize that our students are living in 2024 and the policies that dictate their educational outcomes must keep up with the times and with evidence-based models. We can and must do better.”  

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