Nazi salute during Arizona school board meeting sparks condemnation

PHOENIX - Multiple organizations are demanding a Deer Valley Unified School District board member resign, after she performed a Nazi salute and said "heil" during a public meeting.

What we know:

The incident happened during a board meeting this week.

It was at the end of the meeting when frustrations over the time of a scheduled meeting boiled over.

"Is there a motion to adjourn or are we just going to do this for a while," an individual asked.

That’s when school board member Kimberly Fisher performed the gesture and said, "heil."

Local perspective:

Fellow school board member and state Representative Stephanie Simacek called for Fisher to step down.

"To salute and to do this, and knowing what it represents historically, is completely inappropriate," Simacek said. "I think that she needs to resign. We have had multiple issues with her in the past, so this is not new. This is something, though, that we cannot tolerate, and should not tolerate and be silent about."

The man she saluted at, board president Paul Carver, said it was unacceptable. Fisher has been trying to pin Carver as a dictator since he became the president a year and a half ago.

"So I imagine she was doing it, thinking that she was really sticking one to me, but I don’t care how upset you are at a person or organization. An idea there’s certain things you don’t do, and you don’t do that," Carver said.

There is more outrage coming from the teachers union and Deer Valley district kindergarten teacher Kelley Fisher, representing the Deer Valley Education Association.

"Those gestures and those words are there is no place for those in public school no place at all," Kelley said.

The other side:

Fisher did not respond to a request for an interview. She did, however, go on Facebook live after the meeting, and defended her actions.

"Dictator with some Napoleon complex or whatever -- what was it, Pol Pot. [He] was the most egregious dictator I’ve heard of. All I could think of tonight was Hitler, so I said ‘heil’ or whatever. I am so tired of this," Fisher said.

District responds to incident

We reached out to the Deer Valley Valley Unified School District for comment, and officials sent us the following statement:

The District does not condone, support, or endorse gestures or language associated with hate, discrimination, intimidation, or violence in any form. Such actions do not reflect the mission or vision of Deer Valley Unified School District (DVUSD).

DVUSD remains committed to fostering a safe, respectful, and inclusive environment for all students, staff, families, and community members. We recognize the concern this incident has caused within our community and remain focused on ensuring that our schools remain places where every individual feels valued and respected.

As an elected official, Mrs. Fisher speaks and acts independently. 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.