Arizona educator and Liberty Elementary School District board president Bryan Parks has resigned following calls from parents and teachers for him to step down.
During a heated board meeting on February 3 discussing the elementary schools, community members expressed concerns over financial mismanagement, overcrowded classrooms, and what they described as a toxic culture of intimidation at the district level. Calls for resignation also extended to vice president Kris Kenyon and superintendent Dr. Cort Monroe.
A day after the meeting, Parks initially resisted demands to step down, telling FOX 10 he had no plans to resign. He pointed out that the district’s voters had elected three conservative board members and that controversy arose after efforts to remove political ideology from classrooms.
“I have dedicated the last three and a half years working tirelessly on improving student safety and proficiency. By all metrics, the Board with the leadership of Dr. Monroe, we have succeeded in improving student discipline, safety, proficiency and teacher experience,” the opening paragraph of his resignation letter read.
He says his dedication has always been to the students, and that if a time came when he himself was getting in the way of that, he’d know he’d need to step back and reevaluate his role.
“In addition, my priority must be to my family and my business, and due to the invasion of my personal privacy, including relentless attacks and threats against myself, family and business ventures, I must make a difficult decision to step down,” Parks’ letter said.
Under the board’s leadership, the district eliminated Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, gender ideology, and critical race theory, while implementing a more traditional discipline policy and rolling back restorative justice programs.
Despite his initial stance, Parks announced his resignation on February 7. The district will now move forward with selecting his replacement as discussions about its leadership and policies continue.
