A school board meeting in north Phoenix erupted after a member accused of making a Nazi salute refused calls to resign, sparking a heated confrontation with colleagues, teachers and a packed crowd.
The backlash centers on Deer Valley Unified board member Kim Fisher, who said “heil” and appeared to make the gesture during a May 26 meeting. Since then, the incident has drawn protests, condemnation from fellow board members and renewed scrutiny of her conduct, culminating in a tense meeting where nearly two dozen speakers demanded her resignation, and Fisher forcefully pushed back.
With board members unable to remove her and tensions escalating, opponents are now eyeing a recall.
Fisher posted an apology on Facebook after the May 26 meeting. But she pushed back after the district's teachers' union organized a rally calling for her resignation ahead of the June 9 meeting.
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She said her behavior at the May meeting was a reference to what she saw as the district being run like a dictatorship.
Community members rally Tuesday for Kim Fisher's resignation from the Deer Valley Unified School District governing board.
"It was not against any population. But why not get a little bit of political points at the expense of me or my family, or even the Jewish community, which you're using for this?" Fisher said to the crowd.
Fisher said she has apologized for anyone whose feelings were hurt.
"I'm sorry also that the union and Democrat party are trying to exploit them in this," Fisher said.
Fisher went on to criticize the union — which she said has a "black communist fist on a red background as their symbol"— for supporting what she characterized as hate speech.
"Of course, the media is ready to jump on and have a heyday with it. After all, I've supported Trump. I'm a Christian," Fisher said.
In addressing the crowd, Fisher said she was most criticized for her "faith in Jesus Christ." Throughout her speech, Fisher was frequently met with uproar from the crowd.
When Fisher's microphone was cut, she stormed off the stage.
Board members condemn Fisher's behavior
Board President Paul Carver said he was shocked by Fisher's actions.
"She thrives off your negative attention and hate, and it's sad. My heart breaks for her," Carver said.
Superintendent Curtis Finch said he wouldn't begin to speak ill of Fisher, even though he said she had been attacking him and his family for about 10 years.
"I choose the high road, and so I'm not going to go down that trail today," Finch said.
Board member Stephanie Simacek, who also serves in the Arizona House of Representatives, said Fisher has said "horrible, horrible things" to her and other members of the board and has been posting about them on social media for years.
Simacek called for Fisher to resign and urged the community to move forward with a recall effort since board members cannot vote out a fellow board member.
Karyleni Albuquerque, a former student of the district, said she wasn't surprised by Fisher's reaction.
"I'm no stranger to Ms. Fisher's behavior. As many people have said, this is not an isolated incident," Albuquerque said.
Albuquerque said she doesn't believe Fisher should continue serving as a board member, and agreed that Fisher feeds off of people talking about her.
After the meeting, Fisher took to Facebook to post the full statement she attempted to read at the board meeting.
"After seeing tonight do you think any Conservative Christian student feels safe knowing the Union teachers hate them this much," Fisher said in her post.
Fisher previously issued statement
Fisher said on Facebook on May 31 she understands the gesture was “extremely offensive” and that she does not and has never supported the Nazi Party.
“For the people of the Jewish community or anyone who took offense to it, I am sorry. I should have come up with another way to inform the community about the dictatorship that is hurting our employees, community, and staff,” Fisher’s statement said.
Fisher criticized Kelley Fisher with the Deer Valley Education Association, who she said was “doxxing” her. The Education Association organized the rally in favor of Fisher's resignation.
“All I could think of tonight was Hitler, so that’s why I said heil or whatever,” Fisher said in an eight-minute-long video posted to Facebook after the meeting.
Kelley Fisher posted a statement on the union’s Facebook page on June 1 saying she would call for Kim Fisher’s resignation.
“Public schools are no place for hate speech, our students, staff, families and community deserve better,” the statement read.
