Buckeye school district president resigns due to privacy, safety concerns

Buckeye parents, teachers call for more changes in school district

BUCKEYE, Ariz. - Following calls for his resignation, Liberty Elementary School District board president Bryan Parks has stepped down.

The backstory:

Parents and teachers at a Feb. 3 district board meeting voiced concerns over the direction the district is going, and called for Parks' resignation, as well as vice president Kris Kenyon's and superintendent Dr. Cort Monroe's.

During the meeting, teachers said they were tired of the toxic culture of intimidation at the district level. They said they're speaking out against financial mismanagement, overcrowded classrooms and the removal of education services.

"A teacher's responsibility is to teach our students. We do this best when we are able to focus all of our attention on them, the children. However, when necessary supports are removed, we can't do our jobs as well," said Vicki Johnson, a 23-year teacher at Rainbow Valley, during the Feb. 3 meeting.

What we know:

A day after the meeting, Parks spoke with FOX 10 one-on-one, saying he was not going to step down.

"Voters elected in three very conservative board members," Parks said in the interview with FOX 10 on Feb. 4 before resigning.

Although board elections are non-partisan races, Parks says that’s when the uproar started.

"We removed all political ideology out of the classrooms. Kids deserve a sanctuary away from politics," he said.

The district removed DEI, gender ideology, and critical race theory. They also implemented a traditional discipline policy, removed restorative justice and positive behavior intervention.

What's next:

Parks announced his resignation on Feb. 7.

"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.

His resignation was effective immediately.

Dig deeper:

The school district is home to seven schools in Buckeye, Goodyear and Rainbow Valley, serving 5,000 students.

A new political action group, 4LibertyKids.org, made up of Liberty parents and teachers, continues to collect signatures, saying Parks' resignation isn’t enough as they're trying to recall board vice president Kris Kenyon.

Peter Smith started the petition to recall Kenyon.

"We will never again let anyone drive our teachers out, force their ideology on us and a culture of fear, because our kids are too dang important," Smith said.

FOX 10 reached out to board vice president Kenyon for an interview. In a statement to FOX 10, Kenyon says, due to low English Language Arts and math proficiency scores, they are focusing on academics.

He went on to say, "I am a strong supporter of teachers, but the children must come first and that can be upsetting to some. Keeping the protection and education of children should always be the focus."

As of January, the school district has been flagged as a financial risk by the Arizona auditor general. In the last four years, the district has seen student enrollment increase by 24% while the district’s reserve budget has been drained by $2.5 million in the last year.

The board is able to make a recommendation for the vacant board seat, and it is ultimately up to the Maricopa County superintendent to decide who takes Parks' place.

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