AZ school board member faces backlash over posts

During a June 9 district board meeting, speakers said Janelle Bowles had shared posts on social media rejecting Islam as a religion, claimed Muslim families indoctrinate their children and suggested the religion would take over the country. Several district staff and parents asked for her resignation or the governing board to formally censure her.

Students told the board Bowles’ comments made Muslim students feel unsafe in their own schools and normalized prejudice against them. They also cited concerns of the rise in Islamophobia, as seen by a recent local attack on a Phoenix mosque during Ramadan.

Bowles responded by saying she was open to having a conversation with the community. But at the end of the meeting, she requested a future agenda item on the possibility of banning individuals or organizations from future board meetings that may threaten the safety of board members. She said the board meeting demonstrated very clearly that “political agendas are everywhere.”

Bowles did not respond to a request for comment from The Arizona Republic.

Ahead of the meeting, the Arizona chapter for the Council on American-Islamic Relations asked members of the public to “demand accountability and safe schools for all students.” The group highlighted past posts in which Bowles criticized New York City for electing a Muslim mayor after the Sept. 11 attacks, among other anti-Muslim remarks.

“To the students, I would like to have a conversation outside of here,” Bowles said during the June 9 meeting. “I respect you as a person, I respect you as a student, and I’ll have those conversations, but unfortunately this is not the setting we can do that in.”

Assa Abuseif, the executive director of the Arizona chapter for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said Bowles’ response to community feedback raised further concerns.

"It is deeply troubling that after hearing concerns from Muslim families and community members, Board Member Bowles responded by exploring whether certain individuals or organizations could be banned from future meetings,” he said.

Civil rights attorney for the organization, Martin Quezada, spoke to the board about a recent attack at a San Diego mosque that serves as a school.

“That attack didn’t happen in a vacuum,” Quezada said. “It happened in a climate where Islamophobia is being normalized, from social media, to Congress, to state legislators, and sadly, to school board seats.”

Quezada is a graduate of Peoria Unified’s Centennial High School.

He said Bowles had used her public platform to call Muslim participation “holy jihad” and that Muslim schools brainwash children.

“These are not harmless opinions, these are Islamophobia from someone who is supposed to be a trusted adult for every child in this district. If board member Bowles were to act on these beliefs in her official capacity, it would be an unlawful violation of the Civil Rights Act,” he said.

Danielle Airey, a spokesperson for the district, said Peoria Unified is committed to creating safe spaces for all students.

"We have a non-discrimination and anti-bullying policy, and we train our employees each year to ensure that our schools and departments adhere to the highest expectations outlined in our Employee Handbook. The district remains committed to ensuring our learning environments are spaces where every student feels safe," she said.

Governing board members, however, are not employed by the district. While board members are not required to attend these trainings, Airey said they may attend other trainings outside the district. She also said the employee handbook is in alignment with governing board policy.

This isn’t the first time the board member has come under scrutiny from the Peoria community. In 2025, a recall effort was issued for Bowles alleging she was “inconsistent with nonpartisan responsibilities of a school board member,” which undermined the diverse voices of the district. The vote failed to gather enough signatures to reach the ballot.