VAIL, Ariz. (KGUN) — Concerns surrounding the separation of church and state is the focus of a cease-and-desist letter written to Vail Unified School District after the school board unanimously approved building an LDS Seminary at Cienega High School. A church in Utah would donate the building and lease it for ten years, according to the contract.
A flood of concerns on social media started the conversation about these plans, which are set to be completed by January 2026. The contractwith the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints was voted on at the most recent school board meeting.
"The school is not where religion is supposed to be taught,” said Dianne Post, the legal director for Secular AZ, a non-profit organization that works to protect the constitutional separation of church and state.
“You may not have a public school favoring a particular religion,” Post said, citing the reasons as to why her organization has taken action against the Vail Unified School District. This action, she added, was initiated after five different people reached out with concerns.
Last week, KGUN 9 spoke with students and parents in support of these plans. In place of an elective, students take religious courses through the LDS Seminary. One student shared his experience, stating his commute to the nearest seminary is thirty minutes away.
VUSD Superintendent John Carruth responded to the concerns, and explained that it wouldn't impact anyone who wouldn't use the space.
“We serve 15,000 students, we have 23 different schools. We have 2 million square feet of space in our school district, and we're talking about adding a classroom and some storage space that's being donated," Carruth said.
Still, Dianne Post argued this is about the laws in place, and referenced the federal and state constitutions, along with state statutes.
“That is the gift clause, you cannot give state property away to a private corporation without giving corresponding value back,” Post said.
Superintendent Carruth stated the district is following the law and defended the decision they say will not come at any cost to taxpayers.
“It is simply intended to serve those children who are in our schools already and do so in a way that doesn't impact anyone else that there's appropriate separation.”
KGUN 9 received several statements in opposition and emails with concerns, including concerns over if the school board had any conflicts of interest involved in the decision to approve the plans.
“The decisions that have been made fit a pattern of decisions that we have made historically. We have several churches that utilize our facilities, this is simply another one of them," said Carruth.
The school district plans to move forward with the plans.
——-
Reyna Preciado is a reporter for KGUN 9, she joined the KGUN 9 team in July of 2022 after graduating Arizona State University. Share your story ideas with Reyna by emailing reyna.preciado@kgun9.com or by connecting on Instagram, or Twitter.
