On September 9, 2026, Chandler Unified School District (CUSD) voted 3-2 to invoke a land acknowledgement before every board meeting and graduation ceremony.

Board members ultimately decided on the issue after Board President Patti Serrano initially sought to advance the declaration without input from her colleagues at the August 19 meeting.

You can view the full land recognition statement here.

Board members Kurt Rohrs and Ryan Heap opposed the practice, citing social, cultural and political concerns that it may appear anti-American or exclusionary to nontribal members.

During his statements, Rohrs stressed that he’s not aware of other bodies of government—federal, state or local—that open official proceedings with a land acknowledgment. Pima County has opened Board of Supervisors meetings with a land acknowledgment since 2022, and Mesa has an official land acknowledgment intended for formal meetings and events. Rohrs also pointed out that the territory proclamation has existed as part of the district’s Indigenous Education Program since 2025.

Rohrs stated: “While local, indigenous, American tribes are free to make whatever representations they want, it is inappropriate for the [governing] board to show any bias or favoritism towards any one group. This opens the door for other groups to demand that their special concerns be met.”

Heap added: “Any time when we choose to highlight a group of students only based on their identity, nationality or heritage, we indirectly ignore other people…I don’t think that it’s appropriate for us to engage in that kind of activity because we are now wandering into areas—even if it’s right or wrong—that the statement ends up being of a political connotation. Anytime you do that, you’re going to show bias and drive away students.”

In an interview with Arizona Globe, mother of five and prominent CUSD education activist Jennifer Alvey said, “Land acknowledgments are as much spiritual as they are cultural. What the governing board showed us Wednesday night is that religious invocations on school grounds are now okay. That’s the precedent they’ve set.”

Alvey shared a list of objections with the Globe, acknowledging foremost that land acknowledgements have “no proven improvement to educational results.” Rather, she believes a highly politicized climate will drive families away from CUSD as enrollment declines across the district.

Alvey also pointed out that land acknowledgments may create unnecessary legal risks associated with promoting diversity, equity and inclusion. Furthermore, her grassroots advocacy revealed that not all indigenous people agree on this topic as some, she said, see it as performative and a violation of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.

Alvey, like Rohrs, believes land acknowledgments stem from leftist political ideologies—including the idea that “no human is illegal on stolen land.”

Rohrs opposed Serrano’s approach at the August 19 meeting by stepping off the dais to comment as a private citizen and taxpayer. He declared land acknowledgments to be “a progressive, socialist, political performance”. He argued that it violates Arizona Revised Statutes 15-112 and 41-494.

Serrano—who refuses to recite the Pledge of Allegiance at board meetings—used the final months of her term to advocate for a land acknowledgment. She dismissed the argument that this will elevate tribal members above other people groups since, according to her, “Native nations [and tribes] are not an ethnicity, nor are they a race.”

Serrano did not seek reelection to the CUSD governing board.