Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs dealt a blow to Jewish students and families after vetoing legislation that would have protected them from antisemitic indoctrination in public schools and universities across the state.
Under House Bill 2867, teachers and administrators would have been prohibited from requiring students to advocate for antisemitic viewpoints or using public money to support antisemitic teaching. Students over 18 and parents of younger children would be empowered to seek legal recourse when faced with discriminatory treatment. Universities would also have faced additional restrictions, losing the ability to recognize student organizations that invite speakers promoting antisemitism or calling for genocide.
The bill had demonstrated broad appeal, passing the House 33-20 with several Democrats crossing party lines to support protecting Jewish students. However, Hobbs said Tuesday that the bill was not about antisemitism but rather about attacking teachers.
“It puts an unacceptable level of personal liability in place for our public school, community college, and university educators and staff, opening them up to threats of personally costly lawsuits,” Hobbs said in a statement. “Additionally, it sets a dangerous precedent that unfairly targets public school teachers while shielding private school staff.”
The bill’s chief sponsor, Republican Representative Michael Way of Queen Creek, called Hobbs’s veto “disgraceful,” writing on social media that to suggest that it threatened the speech of most Arizona teachers is “disingenuous at best.” After the veto, Way vowed to “continue to stand with the Jewish community in Arizona and in my district to ensure taxpayer dollars are never used to fund violent political indoctrination.”
Opposition came primarily from teachers’ unions and liberal groups concerned about accountability. The Arizona Education Association claimed the bill “weaponizes legitimate concerns about antisemitism to attack public education,” while the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona argued it would “chill the First Amendment rights of students, teachers, speakers and administrators.”
Even some Jewish organizations expressed reservations, though their concerns centered on technical implementation rather than the bill’s core mission. The Anti-Defamation League supported the “spirit and intent of HB 2867” while suggesting refinements to the language.
Hobbs attempted to soften her rejection by claiming continued support for fighting antisemitism, noting that existing reporting mechanisms through the State Board of Education remain available. But critics question whether these toothless procedures provide meaningful protection for Arizona’s Jewish students facing classroom indoctrination.
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