Arizona school board member faces calls to resign after Nazi salute
Protestors demand resignation of Arizona school board member who gave Nazi salute
A rally for a resignation is being held after board member Kim Fisher gave a Nazi salute aimed at the school board president in May. FOX 10's Andrew Christiansen is at the protest at the Deer Valley Unified School District.
DEER VALLEY, Ariz. - Protestors rallied for the resignation of a Deer Valley Unified School District board member who flashed a Nazi salute and said "heil" at a public board meeting back in May.
The backstory:
The gesture happened at the end of the meeting back in May when the scheduled time boiled over, after someone asked, "Is there a motion to adjourn or are we just going to do this for a while."
Fisher later went on Facebook Live and reenacted the salute, saying she was mocking Board President Paul Carver, who acts like a dictator. "All I could think of tonight was Hitler, so I said ‘Heil’ or whatever," Fisher said during the stream.
Nazi salute during Arizona school board meeting sparks condemnation
There are calls for a Deer Valley school board member to resign after she performed a Nazi salute and said "heil" during a public meeting.
It stemmed from an issue she had with scheduling an executive session on district boundaries, but some educators in the district want Fisher to resign.
What we know:
Protestors said they want the board to vote at the June 9 meeting to remove Fisher from office.
Carver told FOX 10 that Fisher's behavior is completely unacceptable. The district is also distancing itself from Fisher's salute and comments, while the board president of the Deer Valley Education Association says this should disqualify her from office.
Fisher told FOX 10 she understands the symbol is extremely offensive, but does not support the Nazi party.
What they're saying:
"If one of my students issued an apology where they doubled down on their insult and defended themselves, I’d ask them to do better," Canyon Springs Stem Academy Band Teacher Chris Serbic said. "I’d ask them to try again, and I don’t think our standards should be lower for our school board."
"We have to be able to tame it down, lower the rhetoric think before you open your mouth, and it starts at the top with our leaders," said Birdie Goldsmith, who attended the rally.
The school district responded to the incident when it happened, saying in part, "The District does not condone, support, or endorse gestures or language associated with hate, discrimination, intimidation, or violence in any form…Her views and actions do not reflect and should not be attributed to other Board members, staff, other members of the school community or the District."
Dig deeper:
The board is not expected to vote on anything related to Fisher's salute at the meeting on June 9. Fisher did not respond to FOX 10's request for an interview.
The Source: FOX 10's Andrew Christiansen who attended the rally on June 9, and previous FOX 10 reports.