By Ronald Sampson
Carine Werner
In a world where inflation is crushing middle-class families, schools are struggling with chronic teacher shortages, and students are falling behind in basic reading and math skills, what has mobilized the activist parents of Scottsdale? A state legislator’s unfortunate hot-mic moment where she described a district employee as “morbidly obese.”
Yes, really. Over 1,500 people signed a petition demanding State Senator Carine Werner’s resignation from the school board because she made an insensitive comment she probably thought no one could hear. Protesters gathered with signs, parents delivered impassioned speeches, and the whole affair was treated with the gravity typically reserved for actual scandals.
Don’t get me wrong – Werner’s comment was inappropriate and unprofessional. Public officials should absolutely be held to higher standards, and basic human decency demands we treat all people with respect. But demanding a resignation over a single thoughtless remark? That seems like activist energy that could be better directed elsewhere.
What’s particularly telling is how quickly this morphed from outrage over the “morbidly obese” comment into grievances about Werner’s conservative positions on curriculum and educational materials. One parent complained about “book banning” and Werner’s support for PragerU. Another demanded freedom for children to “learn whatever.” Suddenly, this wasn’t really about workplace civility – it was about ideological differences dressed up as moral outrage.
The reality is that Werner chairs the state’s Health and Human Services Committee and serves on the Education Committee. Her policy positions reflect the views of the voters who elected her. If parents disagree with her stance on age-appropriate curriculum materials or supplemental educational content, that’s a legitimate political disagreement – not grounds for resignation over a hot-mic gaffe.
Meanwhile, Scottsdale Unified faces real challenges: ensuring academic excellence, managing budget constraints, and preparing students for an increasingly competitive world. Instead of focusing energy on these substantive issues, we’re staging protests over hurt feelings and policy disagreements.
Werner owes the employee and the community an apology – full stop. But perhaps the parents gathering with resignation demands might consider channeling their obvious passion for education toward solutions that actually improve student outcomes rather than settling political scores over verbal missteps.