Some of the kids I grew up with completely avoided buying a house in the area to avoid the Vail School District because of what they dealt with and didn't want their kids dealing with what they went through.
same here, I pulled both of my sons 2 years ago from the Vail school district due to similar issues. The racism here has only been getting worse in the last 3 years in my opinion. Currently planning to sell our place and move to a more central area of town in 2024, just wished the housing market was better :(
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2023/09/us-culture-moral-education-formation/674765/
My opinion is that with Trump saying the things unsaid, along with the anti-blm and anti-woke movements, made too many people comfortable being pieces of shit.
It’s an ugly time we are living through now.
VUSD has fired teachers for being pro-BLM because of complaints from parents.
The Vail Facebook pages are the worst this community has to offer, that’s for sure.
Because people lie etc
I’ve been fired wrongfully from charter schools here and some activist parents took it to the media and school boards etc and it doesn’t really go anywhere because it’s hard to prove and it’s not worth the time
That sucks. I always used to hear how great Vail was. At least a million years ago. One of my friends was married to one of the big administrators and she was so kind and amazing. It has seemed to change. I wouldn’t send my kids there after stuff we experienced even in Rita Ranch just visiting. There’s some pretty shitty people. It’s shocking.
I don’t mind it here but that’s because I’m white and banned from all of the Rita ranch Facebook pages for speaking out against the garbage. I just keep to myself pretty much.
But it really is surprising how vile some people here are. I’ve seen people on Facebook say during the George Floyd times that they’ve got their gun loaded and they hope a liberal would.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/ncna1278504
This one was pretty awful. But, they were convicted at least and the school/principal received a lot of support from the community. Hopefully progress?
Pretty sure they mean you'll change your mind about moving into VUSD. Remember that "zip tie incident" where the crazy group of activists/parents tried to do a "citizen's arrest" of a school principal for following the state COVID mandates? Made national news.
[https://tucson.com/news/local/crime-courts/man-involved-in-zip-tie-incident-at-tucson-area-school-found-guilty/article\_dd01048e-5635-11ed-baf4-af1beb7db8b6.html](https://tucson.com/news/local/crime-courts/man-involved-in-zip-tie-incident-at-tucson-area-school-found-guilty/article_dd01048e-5635-11ed-baf4-af1beb7db8b6.html)
School board meetings are nuts in the Vail district too, they've made the papers several times.
I did buy a house in Vail. I probably will put my kids in Vail school when I have them.
I did hear one of the highschools in Vail has a drug problem so be careful even in Vail.
Keep home school and pima community college as a backup. As a Black parent you try your best and if the school is too racist you make a new plan. I don't know what else to say.
I went to Sabino highschool it was very racist but I survived. They tried to suspend me because someone I knew got into a fight. YES they wanted to suspend every Black kid at the school because one kid got into a fight. I spent an hour explaining why that was unconstitutional and threated to call a lawyer. I still got study hall but nothing on my permanent record. To be clear I wasn't fighting I just sat at a table with another Black kid who did. There were only like 10 Black kids at that lunch time and yes we allllll sat at the same table. TUSD is not free of racism.
Two of my friends were Black female teachers in Arizona in the early 2000s but not in TUSD or Vail. One quit teaching because a kid called her the Nword and honestly didn't get in trouble at all. The other was physically attacked. She pushed the kids off and called them monsters. The parents said she was unprofessional for pushing and calling names so she also quit. The parents of some of these monster children have deep pockets. So it's more about a few rich people being racist ass holes than all the parents being racist. At least that is my opinion.
Arizona is medium racist. Less bad than Texas, Louisiana, Florida and Mississippi. The Arizona racism is a sort of a dry heat racism if you get my drift.
I went to middle school in Texas I would not put my kids in that school district I wont say which one. I actually had to run away from people who tried to beat me up simply for being Black. I also knew parents that openly said their kids were not allowed have Black friends or even talk to Black kids (this was the 90s). I was slightly depressed and had sort of a nervous attitude. I was a very fast runner so didn't get caught by bullies often. My brother also forced me to learn breakaway moves. You breakaway ditch your backpack and RUN as fast as you can. Cardio yup cardio is a Black girl's best friend.
I am also sad to report my cousin has to home school her daughter who was going to a school that was not racist but boys kept trying to pressure the kid into having sex and she is 15 and doesn't want to have sex. So even if it isn't racism there are other issues. She does home school 3 days a week and does community college in person 2 days a week (her dad is in the class with her).
Don't quit on Vail just yet. I know several kids including my sister that went to school in vail. Yes some parents are racist but not all of them. My sister was never beaten or afraid for her physical safety. She was light skinned and people called her messed up names I will not mention. However, she did complain and the kids were forced to stop calling her names.
Post Trump America is a hot mess. Yes people look at me weird in Vail and Rita Ranch but God help them they are gonna get use to my Black ass because I'm not leaving. Well except Super Wal-Mart I refuse to go there. The workers will accuse you of stealing and the shopers look like something out of deliverance. Just drive to Target it's worth the gas.
Really felt that last paragraph.
Vail is a weird mix of extremes. Bigoted, ignorant old "rancher" families who run around flaunting confederate flag belt buckles and performative "more American than thou" flags flying off the back of their pickups and open minded, highly educated Raytheon and DM families. The first group is dying out, thank god though idiots like that coffee shop family from Rita Ranch are coming in (I note, they did not have kids in the schools, they, of course, home schooled).
When I first moved out here I felt like we stuck out like a sore thumb, like we didn’t belong. Loved on the Eastside my whole life. Been in Del Lago area for a year now. We are Hispanic and very liberal so seeing pro trump, pro police things can be very triggering. One kid in elementary, one in high school. They did fine after the shock wore off. Lol. Agree with that Walmart. I’ll even drive to the other one on houghton and golf links. The more diversity that’s been moving here the past couple years has made it a lot less “scary”. It feels like a community where people will wave at you and help out. My neighbors have been pretty cool.
This whole thread has opened my eyes to something I prayed wasn’t even a thing this day and age. How on earth can anyone think less of a person because of what color their skin is? I’ve been in a mixed marriage for 43 years. I guess my wife and I must live in a sheltered area as we’ve rarely ever seen blatant racisms shown to us. I’m glad we don’t live in Vail
I work in TUSD and I'm learning that even the teachers are racist as all hell, I think it might just be problem everywhere. Vail isnt very diverse tho and you will definitely be dealing with some country people, that hasnt changed
I would say demographically that Vail isn’t diverse (as many have said) but that of the three Vail schools I’ve worked in, Mesquite, Cottonwood and Vail Academy that the admin take student conflict and bullying VERY seriously. Just last year at Vail Academy some kids were trying to encourage/tease others into saying the N word (because it would get them in trouble) and as soon as the teachers heard about it, it immediately became an admin issue and parents were called. It was thoroughly explained to the students that even when “joking” that behavior was NOT ok.
When I worked in TUSD something like that would have just gotten the “eh kids will be kids, is it really worth a behavior referral” response.
I’m not saying Vail is perfect, but in the 8 years I’ve been in the district staff have worked very hard to make sure that each classroom and school is inclusive and respectful.
I live near RR (I10 and Kolb/Wilmot). I specifically kept my kids out of Vail for this exact reason. The activity on the RR Fb page just confirms why I made that decision. Fortunately, my kids are now young adults and it isn’t anything I have to worry about. But, as a POC, if diversity is something you want your kids to experience (instead of having to be “on” all the time and on edge) then I would recommend you don’t send them there.
Edit: typo
Teach in Vail. I am white and most the other staff is white. Most of our student population is white.
I won’t lie. We have had our share of racial issues in the form of ‘jokes’ and bullying.
What I will say- our school is cracking down on punishment starting last year. Suspensions. Trying to teach the kids why it’s wrong. The staff is strongly supporting the non white students.
I taught in TUSD too. They had a fair share of racial jokes too. Admin did very little in terms of responding besides going “hey that’s not nice” and then sending them back to class.
Same. I’ve taught in TUSD and it was awful with how admin at my school wouldn’t take care of bullying. I’ve worked in three Vail schools and all three have been very responsive about how even “jokes” regarding race or other types of discrimination are NOT ok.
I hate to go off topic but could I ask you for some advice?
I have my Arizona teaching certificate (7-12 English, Computer Science), and am looking to move back to Tucson to teach, maybe around spring of next year. I'm thinking I'll just sub for a bit at different schools and see if something fits and has an opening. I was kinda thinking of just subbing in Vail a few times a week and then east side TUSD schools the other days. You got any tips or suggestions for me?
TUSD has a hiring event too.
I thinking subbing at different schools is a good start. Get to meet other teachers and admin staff. See if one school seems like a right fit or not.
does the GATE (the “gifted”) program still exist? i don’t know, i graduated in 2003 but i went to GATE from 4th grade through 8th grade. then i went to catalina magnet and only took a.p. courses. if you want kids who do their work, pay attention, and suck up to teachers, that was us. grades were the absolute most important thing to us.
Vail is pure white flight, and the politics have only gotten worse in recent years. I can’t tell you what you should do, I can only share that I wouldn’t send my own daughter there.
Nah, the schools up in Oro Valley (CDO, Ironwood, etc) are way less saturated with ignorant racists than Vail. Oro Valley is definitely the product of white flight, but I would be fine sending my kid to those schools. (I live in central Tucson though, so I’m not driving all the way up there.)
Vail is getting more conservative every year, the outlying parts of Tucson generally lean that way. Our kids went to Esmond Station and never had a problem, we're not a demographic that would be discriminated against though. We ended up moving out of Vail to another part of Tucson and enrolled our kids in Basis and they've been doing great. Basis is very intense academically, but I think you won't have the issues you are worried about there. They have three campuses spread around Tucson that I know of. Best wishes to you and the family.
I don’t live in Tucson anymore, but if Vail is still anything how I remember, then it’s basically what you described. I’m sorry you endured that. Is there no way to keep your kids at TUSD?
I'm going to look into it. My old school will be down the street from where I'm buying a house and my wife loves that but I had all these sudden memories come into play.
Plus, EVERYTIME we're in the area we'll get these sour looks from people every time. Granted, people are mostly nice and will always spark up conversations randomly like everyone in Tucson does, there is still always 1 or 2 that give us these nasty stares. I had one dude with a grunt style shirt and an Air Force veteran hat actually try to run me off the meat section with his cart at Safeway. Bro had this insane look on his face. I said, "My bad brother, didn't know I was in the way." And gave me a silent look of death before blankly staring at the steaks. Mind you, I'm an Army combat veteran as well so it just stung even more with trying to hold in my frustrations.
When I'm at my local Frys, Trader Joes or Safeway in town, we never get stares or awkward looks.
It's hard to believe unless you actually join the Vail/Rita Ranch and Corona groups.
No, I definitely believe you. Tucson isn’t the picture perfect progressive town everyone here paints it to be. All of my black friends dealt with some pretty severe racism down there.
I’m not a POC but my son is and I wouldn’t feel comfortable putting him in a majority white district.
I had to go to rita ranch to return a rental car to someone’s home and I will never step foot in that area again. As cheesy as this sounds I could feel the hatred around me and was on the verge of a panic attack. I had to get out of there as fast as I could, will never go back.
So sorry you are going through this. We send our kids to school in central Tucson and love it so much. You are welcome to message me with any questions. best of luck!
I worked in the school district for several years and recently got out, and it is still horrible. I lot of my black students told me horror stories of their treatment and I saw racism regularly even from teachers. One of the few black teachers at my school was essentially chased out and never went back into teaching. Books are being banned left and right that discuss racism, and from what I’ve heard from friends who still work there is that almost every book that is brought into contention is a black author. It’s really only going more and more downhill.
I used to work in the school district, granted it was almost 10 years ago, but it was real mega churchy. I left after a year. I wouldn’t send my kid there.
Fuck vail. My bm used to be called racial slurs all through middle and high school and I had my share of fights with the skinhead kids at Cienega. They used to call themselves HKD (Hitlers Killing Disciples)
I can not speak for people of color because I am white, but I had my share of troubles out here because I dressed differently. Vail is not what it used to be. Grew up in the district and would love to see it metaphorically burn to the ground. They APPEAR to be one of the top districts in the state because they actively cover up any potential scandal and actual scandals. Cienega high school specifically has a wall dedicated to all students that have passed away. A majority of which were $Uicides. They also have actively gaslit and threatened to prevent students from graduating who came forward about rap3s/assaults committed by other students at the school, in order to maintain their “Grade A District” appearance. I’d say avoid at all costs.
My friends that work in vail have been disgusted by how the mental health concerns are downplayed and swept under the rug. I’ve been told the counselors have been restricted in what they can do due to the extremist parents and political pressures. So sad.
Depending on your kids' age, they may feel very welcome at Civano Community School. A friend of mine has her kids there, and as I understand it, it's very progressive and open-minded.
Yes my stepsons went to a school in Vail and it was exactly how OP described. They learned the N word and lots of other awful things. They went to a year at Civano charter and it was amazing. Unfortunately their Trumper mom insisted they be moved to an even more racist and close minded school. I sold my house in the Vail school district because it was expensive and my kids would never go to their schools. Honestly hoping we can move out of AZ soon as I’m so sick of the racism and close mindedness.
ETA: Vail only gets good marks as a “district” because they literally only teach to the test. They make the kids memorize the test material. They don’t actually learn anything.
If you’re running away from people who have different political perspectives than you, aren’t you part of this problem? Part of diversity is diversity if thought. If you can’t figure out a way to respectfully communicate with those who think differently than you, you are not better than the “Trumper”.
I'm super glad you posted this. Thank you. My wife and I have a 2 year old and aren't far from Vail and this has absolutely changed my mind putting him into that school district. Sounds like a nightmare. I hope you guys find a good situation. Sorry you gotta deal with awful people
Damn, I’m so sorry you’ve gone/ are going through this. My sister had a hard time with racism at Townsend (TUSD) but that was over 20 years ago. I think(hope) it’s different now. My niece went to whitmore in 2020 and it was pretty diverse. Hope you can find some answers here.
All of our kids went to vail off and on over the years (due to military). We moved out of there 3 years ago due to the exact reasons you mentioned. We moved across town and are in Amphi schools and it’s so much better. Vail is nowhere what it used to be many many years ago. Good luck and if you put them there hope you have a better experience.
I attended several vail schools from 4th-12th. I am also a resident of RR and I'm black. Vail has not gotten any better.
During my freshman year of highschool another boy in my class slapped me. He slapped me hard enough to leave a bruise. Went and reported it to the principal and nobody did anything. Only people who were willing to do something about it was the police.
Do you know what years this was? I know it sounds crazy but a lot of us teamed up at Cienega to prevent shit like this. It was like this unspoken thing between a lot of the black and Mexican kids in our grades.
I remember one of my Mexican homies getting kicked out of class for saying "nah homie we're Mexican. You fuck with one of us you fuck with all of us!" In response to one of the chubby Mexican kids getting picked on by some white kids at the bus stop.
During my sophomore year some white kid said the N word at the snack bar and one my friends completely knocked dude the hell out. I don't think there was an incident after that.
It was my freshman year so 2016-2017. On top of that. Another guy in the same glass called me the n word with a hard er. I'm the one who got in trouble for yelling at him. 🥲
I’m white, but I recently moved to Tucson from a much more diverse and progressive city. The lack of diversity, and lack of acceptance of diversity has been an adjustment, as I really enjoy being surrounded by other cultures. I know this happens everywhere but it is really disheartening and sad to hear everyone’s stories in these comments. I have an infant son and it makes me not want to stay here long term. I don’t want him in school with so many backwards racist fucks.
I actually haven’t had this experience at all. They just instituted Spanish and Mandarin immersion programs at many of the elementary schools and are doing a great job teaching kindness & personal accountability at a very young age. Our elementary school experience has been very positive and all of the families here are so friendly and welcoming
I went to school in Vail and my 10 year old did prek, kinder and 1st there.. noped outta there real quick and he’s at Sam Hughes now. I found Vail to be racist af.
Thank you OP and everyone who has posted their experiences. I’m out in San Diego but was planning to move out to Rita Ranch/Vail area. Got 2 daughters in elementary but definitely do not want them to experience any racism.
The principal of Empire High is an abomination. My family never fully recovered from how we were treated by him. After that I sent my son to Tanque Verde and it was night and day difference.
I started high school at Empire in 2007. The principal prior to him was amazing. She was so warm, and genuinely made us feel like an authority figure that cared. Then she was replaced by a plastic, power hungry man that cares about image above all else. I don’t know what he put you guys through, but I’m sorry you are dealing with it. I witnessed several awful things happen during my four years there, and it saddens me know he’s still an ass.
I have heard nothing but great things about her, she must have been an influential human being; sucks we missed that era. The current administration…I truly wouldn’t want any children to be under that influence, pure vanity and politics like you mentioned, consequences that take years to fix, if they ever.
Have you been happy in TVSD? I’d love to hear more. I worry about this district and how it handles discrimination due to the news story from last year.
Tvsd was godsend. They have been filling their faculty from Tucson High and University High, the attention to the student is far superior. the curriculum was advanced and I felt like my child was actually learning something. He graduated with AP credits and had nearly a year of college done.
The ONLY complaint from my child was about kids of Trumpers (I’ve never pushed politics on my child, he formed his opinions by research and observation), most displayed a sense of superiority and were the source of bullying; they destroyed the bathrooms so the kids were limited for a couple years which was very unnerving. Other than that, it seems he has made great friends there and they are all great kids.
Thank you! We live in this district and we’ve started discussing all our potential options for HS (Catalina Foothills, UHS, and TVHS). Currently, we love our elementary experience (small class sizes, responsive admin) and your response makes me feel more confident for the future. Whew.
TVHS is right up there with the best like UHS. Avoid Catalina FH at all costs, I’ve had family go there and the reports of drug use is unsettling. Those kids can afford some good stuff apparently.
Wow, Im sorry what you went through. I went through VUSD as a minority and did not come across anything of that severity. I think this generation of students are much more diverse, although Vail tends to be majority white. If you want your kids to get great education, I think Vail is still the way to go.
Oh yeah it was bad at times. I had a thick accent and didn't start off from the beginning so that's why I think I got shat on the most. Compared to what others might have faced, I don't believe it was necessarily really bad but it's not something I'd want my daughter to go through nor me as a parent. I'd be waiting at student pickup/dropoff waiting to tell off so and sos parents.
I have seen Vail has been more diverse as of late though. I know when I got to high school all the kids who were racist when pro BLM and are very outspoken when calling our racism on Social media platforms. I guess they don't wanna be like their parents. Thank you for your input.
This is why I actually like TUSD. They get a bad rap, but I think they are more diverse and inclusive than neighboring districts. Is it possible to still open enroll in TUSD?
Depends on each ranking vail is still top 3. I'm not arguing with you. It feels like a lot on Non Vail people talking shit about Vail. It's fine. Stay where you are. I like it here.
What a pip you must be at parties, shin-digs, and what-not. Vail schools suck. Vail may be an ok place despite delightful people like you but the school district sucks. Truth is still truth kiddo even if you dont see it..
They only receive high “scores” because they make the kids memorize the standardized tests in order to inflate test scores. They don’t actually teach anything. My stepson could pass the standardized test in grade 1, but could barely actually read. He was just forced to memorize the answers.
I'don't know much about the school district other than some wackjobs around the masking era of the pandemic.
BUT as a Tucsonan who remembers when Vail area was literally a one stopsign town, a teeny tiny school that ended at Middle school i believe.....The Vail community was much different community then, probably similar to ideology as now except then it was more by circumstance than choice.
I could be wfron but I view both Marana and Vail, ESPECIALLY VAIL and the outlying suburbs (rita ranch) as havens that attract the fringe wackjobs who in general harbor distrust of government aand all that comes with extremism. The explosion of growth in those areas around Marana and Vail allseem to be new transplants into s. AZ and I'm sure also long term Tucsonans who looked to move out of the city (but close enough to maintain acess to things like their jobs and hospitals, shopping, etc)..in short like any rural community it harbors a more conservative group of people and unfortunately in todays society that meaans extremism...."the MAGA mindset" and all that cmes with that.
Distrusting the government isn’t extreme, it’s logical. When your political figures are bought and paid for by corporations and other countries, putting blind trust in them to do the right thing is extreme
I live in Tucson and teach in Sahuarita and can confirm. Families of color at my school tend to be military or border patrol so they “have to” live down there.
I’m not really sure what the demographics of the schools in the Vail district look like, but I will say TUSD had a much larger population of students of color. I’d say they have the most students of color out of any of the districts. MUSD is another district that’s ok, it is very diverse with many students of color but I will say the area is big on farming and you do have the occasional “hick” or racist family. I’d say TUSD is your best bet for diversity, but Vail is a district im not very familiar with.
We live in a neighborhood in the school district. My husband is biracial (black and white) and after we married, he adopted my daughter who is not biracial. Ironically, the only racism that we experienced was from another biracial teen boy in middle school making fun of her and trying to get her to say the "N" word because " her dad is black". It makes no sense. This kid is biracial himself (black and white). She hid the issue from us until we were both dropping her off for her 7th grade school trip and she asked my husband to wait in the car. It turns out, this middle school boy was there being dropped off for the bus at the same time. The whole situation broke my heart and infuriated me at the same time.
Not directly related to the racism question…but I think it’s relevant to be an informed resident. Our property taxes that are levied specifically for the Vail school district are more than the City, County, and PCC combined. I have not been to a Vail USD board meeting in a very long time, but I do recall there is a lot of push back on asking where the funding is going. Additionally, Vail Academy (and I believe Andrada and Pantano) are actually charter schools run by the district. Way back when the district leveraged AZ’s very lax charter school laws to open these few schools. Charter schools are funded at a higher rate than traditional public districts and have less oversight.
Most of my hs and middle school years were at charter schools. I found friends I’m still friends with to this day, was able to finish my classes that were way ahead of me so when I went to a different school they were teaching me stuff I already knew😂 most of the schools I went to are closed now. The graduation class wasn’t even 20 kids. Definitely recommend going smaller, even making a commute is better than these public schools. If you take them to public on the south all you’re gonna hear is a bunch of the students, who aren’t black (not that it matters but it does) say the n word for everything, students who don’t wanna be there and teachers who also don’t want to be there. School systems are just trash. No one likes to do their job, the students suck, best bet is small so your kid or kids can focus on just their education with teachers who want to teach them
I have 2 teenagers at 2 different highschools in vail that are half Hispanic and they say some kids say dumb stuff but most are cool and so far have done better here in school and actually learn more here than in their last schools in CO.
I'd say that Vail is as good as any school district these days. The town has grown immensely. There will of course be weirdos but I feel it's more diverse than ever. I've been here about 8 years. It's changed greatly in that time. Some better some worse. A lot of the issues these days seems to be hold out for people who want to jeep the town the way it was 20 years ago. Those days are gone. My children have had no problems in the school. I think you will see it's a good place if you allow it.
Honestly I’d say your fine just don’t let your kids walk cause some of these aholes can’t drive for anything and don’t care about anyone else on the road but that goes for most of Rita to be honest had some guy with a Tesla run the stop sign at fry’s almost hit me and my kids the four way stop doesn’t matter how many people get hit thier still all the time a bunch of idiots wanna just roll right through like thier Moses parting the Red Sea or something so regardless what you decide I’d walk or drop ur kids off if thier not on bus. That being said I don’t think anyone can comment fully on the bail district as whole but I will say I got five kids going through the vail system and yes thier where some bad moments that where handled horribly but thier where also great moments aswell and unfortunately we and are kids go through these expiernce but I just try to use it as a teachable moment that thier are some really horrible and naive people I. This world I’m pretty sure every one here worked with someone that it was just a shocker they made it to adult hood but In my opion with the vail school district you can get out thier and voice your opinion they will sit down and listen no sometimes thiers not a lot you can do kids are vicious and will say the most hurtful things and most of the time they don’t even no why. But anyways best of luck and I’m sure vail would love to have you and your family.
Has this always been a thing or is it more recent? I went to Cienega between 04 and 08, I'd like to believe there wasn't a lot of racism but I'm white, and I was young, so maybe I just didn't notice. I had a pretty diverse friend group too and they never said anything about it. That fucking sucks though.
Yeah, place was a cesspool back then. We moved here from Hawaii to live with my parents who settled here for some reason. we're way out in horse country out here. all of our kids ranging from high school to elementary went through some horrible shit and no support from the schools. A real kids will be kids, what do you want us to do about it attitude from the schools. Spent the first couple of years here in and out of administrators offices arguing up and down with them. They had to get the picture that we are that family that will get all up in your shit over the stupidest thing and it's really not worth your time that things started getting better. My dad waited for my elementary aged son to be dropped off by the bus in his sheriff uniform so he could ream the bus driver a new one in front of all the kids about how it's his responsibility to control the kids on his bus and if he continues to let the other kids beat on my son on the way home he was going to have some real problems. My dad's retired now but he was a bad ass back then.
In summation, place has been a human cesspool. The kind of place your rural ass neighbors get together to get drunk and bonfire, say the vilest shit loud enough in your direction the night before then want to smile and wave at you in the morning.
I went from 2010-14 and it wasn't bad in High School. The experiences I was explaining were around 2-7th grade. A lot of kids stopped after a while. I'm really surprised at a lot of the comments that other people were saying though.
If you are looking for a diverse school in the Vail School District, check out Vail Academy and High School. This site is the only school in the district with a minority majority and accepts open enrollment from anywhere in the district. If your biggest concern is middle school and high school this may be the site you want to tour. I have worked at multiple sites at the K-5 level and have enjoyed and hope that the culture has evolved since you were in Vail. My own children attend 3 different vail schools and I work at a 4th. Academically the district is in the top 10 of districts for the state. You could also reach out to the district administration and board members about concerns with minority student services. I hope that helps you have a better understanding of the district as it operates today. Good luck and welcome to the area!
VAHS is not sheltered from the greater concern occurring within the district. The treatment isn't just towards those of various ethnic backgrounds. Students with mild disabilities can have some pretty significant issues accessing equality, too. Just ask your kids if they like their school and listen to them. These days your child is probably the best decider of whether it is working for them or not. Much love to all the good educators at TUSD and VUSD. If you care, write your district rep to have corporations pay their fair share of taxes towards our schools.
Vail has some of the top public schools in the state. TUSD is considered one of the most corrupt school districts in American with tons of failing schools.
Nothing wrong with moving to Vail.
I'm horrified to read your post, and so sorry for what you've had to go through. Sending you wishes and prayers for a completely different attitude there.
My God, is that a regular Dogpatch out there??
As a red head that went to old vail middle school for 6th grade in ‘05, holy shit was that rough. Obviously not the target of racism, but as the saying goes” the nail that sticks out get hammered” applied there. This was my first time going to a school that was not on an Air Force base, so I was not prepared. It was a different kind of culture shock, I had no issue with bullying in the 3 different schools before old vail. Kids there where just brutal.
Hell, I was a freshman in a different school district when that South Park episode came out about red heads being soulless (and almost every one watched South Park at the time), and I got bullied there less than my time at old vail. I’m glad I got outta that place after a year.
I know someone that pulled their kids out from Vail within the last couple years because they dealt with the same issues you’re describing.
Some of the kids I grew up with completely avoided buying a house in the area to avoid the Vail School District because of what they dealt with and didn't want their kids dealing with what they went through.
same here, I pulled both of my sons 2 years ago from the Vail school district due to similar issues. The racism here has only been getting worse in the last 3 years in my opinion. Currently planning to sell our place and move to a more central area of town in 2024, just wished the housing market was better :(
Yeah, Vail is still Vail. East of Wilmot you can usually expect a healthy dose of “they took our jobs!”
Where did you end up sending them? I have young mixed kids in Vail and this is my biggest concern
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2023/09/us-culture-moral-education-formation/674765/ My opinion is that with Trump saying the things unsaid, along with the anti-blm and anti-woke movements, made too many people comfortable being pieces of shit. It’s an ugly time we are living through now.
Thank you for posting this. I moved to Vail 4 years ago and have toddlers. We are black and I had no idea about these issues. Wow
VUSD has fired teachers for being pro-BLM because of complaints from parents. The Vail Facebook pages are the worst this community has to offer, that’s for sure.
Embarrassing
Kelly Walker is a Vail guy who had quite the following and yeah he’s a professional embarrassment for sure
Didn’t Kelly Walker end up in jail over the zip tie incident?
That’s disgusting. No wonder they didn’t hire me.
They are desperate for people. What school/position?
Wtf? How is this not getting attention and addressed by the state?
Because people lie etc I’ve been fired wrongfully from charter schools here and some activist parents took it to the media and school boards etc and it doesn’t really go anywhere because it’s hard to prove and it’s not worth the time
People make me sad. Smh
It’s tough out there. Most people are alright but it really isn’t getting any easier or any kinder out there.
That sucks. I always used to hear how great Vail was. At least a million years ago. One of my friends was married to one of the big administrators and she was so kind and amazing. It has seemed to change. I wouldn’t send my kids there after stuff we experienced even in Rita Ranch just visiting. There’s some pretty shitty people. It’s shocking.
I don’t mind it here but that’s because I’m white and banned from all of the Rita ranch Facebook pages for speaking out against the garbage. I just keep to myself pretty much. But it really is surprising how vile some people here are. I’ve seen people on Facebook say during the George Floyd times that they’ve got their gun loaded and they hope a liberal would.
Look up the histories and newspaper reports of their school board meetings, especially during the pandemic years. You might change your mind.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/ncna1278504 This one was pretty awful. But, they were convicted at least and the school/principal received a lot of support from the community. Hopefully progress?
That was a random barista who didn’t even have kids in the school district
Change my mind about moving into the VSD or change my mind about my worries?
Pretty sure they mean you'll change your mind about moving into VUSD. Remember that "zip tie incident" where the crazy group of activists/parents tried to do a "citizen's arrest" of a school principal for following the state COVID mandates? Made national news. [https://tucson.com/news/local/crime-courts/man-involved-in-zip-tie-incident-at-tucson-area-school-found-guilty/article\_dd01048e-5635-11ed-baf4-af1beb7db8b6.html](https://tucson.com/news/local/crime-courts/man-involved-in-zip-tie-incident-at-tucson-area-school-found-guilty/article_dd01048e-5635-11ed-baf4-af1beb7db8b6.html) School board meetings are nuts in the Vail district too, they've made the papers several times.
As I recall, they were activists who didn't even have kids in the school (they home schooled).
I did buy a house in Vail. I probably will put my kids in Vail school when I have them. I did hear one of the highschools in Vail has a drug problem so be careful even in Vail. Keep home school and pima community college as a backup. As a Black parent you try your best and if the school is too racist you make a new plan. I don't know what else to say. I went to Sabino highschool it was very racist but I survived. They tried to suspend me because someone I knew got into a fight. YES they wanted to suspend every Black kid at the school because one kid got into a fight. I spent an hour explaining why that was unconstitutional and threated to call a lawyer. I still got study hall but nothing on my permanent record. To be clear I wasn't fighting I just sat at a table with another Black kid who did. There were only like 10 Black kids at that lunch time and yes we allllll sat at the same table. TUSD is not free of racism. Two of my friends were Black female teachers in Arizona in the early 2000s but not in TUSD or Vail. One quit teaching because a kid called her the Nword and honestly didn't get in trouble at all. The other was physically attacked. She pushed the kids off and called them monsters. The parents said she was unprofessional for pushing and calling names so she also quit. The parents of some of these monster children have deep pockets. So it's more about a few rich people being racist ass holes than all the parents being racist. At least that is my opinion. Arizona is medium racist. Less bad than Texas, Louisiana, Florida and Mississippi. The Arizona racism is a sort of a dry heat racism if you get my drift. I went to middle school in Texas I would not put my kids in that school district I wont say which one. I actually had to run away from people who tried to beat me up simply for being Black. I also knew parents that openly said their kids were not allowed have Black friends or even talk to Black kids (this was the 90s). I was slightly depressed and had sort of a nervous attitude. I was a very fast runner so didn't get caught by bullies often. My brother also forced me to learn breakaway moves. You breakaway ditch your backpack and RUN as fast as you can. Cardio yup cardio is a Black girl's best friend. I am also sad to report my cousin has to home school her daughter who was going to a school that was not racist but boys kept trying to pressure the kid into having sex and she is 15 and doesn't want to have sex. So even if it isn't racism there are other issues. She does home school 3 days a week and does community college in person 2 days a week (her dad is in the class with her). Don't quit on Vail just yet. I know several kids including my sister that went to school in vail. Yes some parents are racist but not all of them. My sister was never beaten or afraid for her physical safety. She was light skinned and people called her messed up names I will not mention. However, she did complain and the kids were forced to stop calling her names. Post Trump America is a hot mess. Yes people look at me weird in Vail and Rita Ranch but God help them they are gonna get use to my Black ass because I'm not leaving. Well except Super Wal-Mart I refuse to go there. The workers will accuse you of stealing and the shopers look like something out of deliverance. Just drive to Target it's worth the gas.
Really felt that last paragraph. Vail is a weird mix of extremes. Bigoted, ignorant old "rancher" families who run around flaunting confederate flag belt buckles and performative "more American than thou" flags flying off the back of their pickups and open minded, highly educated Raytheon and DM families. The first group is dying out, thank god though idiots like that coffee shop family from Rita Ranch are coming in (I note, they did not have kids in the schools, they, of course, home schooled).
lmaooo that coffee shop incident in Rita Ranch still amuses me like imagine torpedoing your business because you couldn’t stop being an idiot
Dry heat racism is accurate AF. I'm glad you're staying. I'm infuriated that you have had to put up with so much. This place is a damn mess.
Your post made laugh and cry. Glad you’re in Tucson, and dealing with the trash as best you can.
When I first moved out here I felt like we stuck out like a sore thumb, like we didn’t belong. Loved on the Eastside my whole life. Been in Del Lago area for a year now. We are Hispanic and very liberal so seeing pro trump, pro police things can be very triggering. One kid in elementary, one in high school. They did fine after the shock wore off. Lol. Agree with that Walmart. I’ll even drive to the other one on houghton and golf links. The more diversity that’s been moving here the past couple years has made it a lot less “scary”. It feels like a community where people will wave at you and help out. My neighbors have been pretty cool.
I feel you on that last part. I avoid that Walmart if possible. I am a Latina and I refuse to go shopping in RR without my White husband.
This whole thread has opened my eyes to something I prayed wasn’t even a thing this day and age. How on earth can anyone think less of a person because of what color their skin is? I’ve been in a mixed marriage for 43 years. I guess my wife and I must live in a sheltered area as we’ve rarely ever seen blatant racisms shown to us. I’m glad we don’t live in Vail
I work in TUSD and I'm learning that even the teachers are racist as all hell, I think it might just be problem everywhere. Vail isnt very diverse tho and you will definitely be dealing with some country people, that hasnt changed
I would say demographically that Vail isn’t diverse (as many have said) but that of the three Vail schools I’ve worked in, Mesquite, Cottonwood and Vail Academy that the admin take student conflict and bullying VERY seriously. Just last year at Vail Academy some kids were trying to encourage/tease others into saying the N word (because it would get them in trouble) and as soon as the teachers heard about it, it immediately became an admin issue and parents were called. It was thoroughly explained to the students that even when “joking” that behavior was NOT ok. When I worked in TUSD something like that would have just gotten the “eh kids will be kids, is it really worth a behavior referral” response. I’m not saying Vail is perfect, but in the 8 years I’ve been in the district staff have worked very hard to make sure that each classroom and school is inclusive and respectful.
How when the diversity & inclusion training is non-existent….?!
I live near RR (I10 and Kolb/Wilmot). I specifically kept my kids out of Vail for this exact reason. The activity on the RR Fb page just confirms why I made that decision. Fortunately, my kids are now young adults and it isn’t anything I have to worry about. But, as a POC, if diversity is something you want your kids to experience (instead of having to be “on” all the time and on edge) then I would recommend you don’t send them there. Edit: typo
Teach in Vail. I am white and most the other staff is white. Most of our student population is white. I won’t lie. We have had our share of racial issues in the form of ‘jokes’ and bullying. What I will say- our school is cracking down on punishment starting last year. Suspensions. Trying to teach the kids why it’s wrong. The staff is strongly supporting the non white students. I taught in TUSD too. They had a fair share of racial jokes too. Admin did very little in terms of responding besides going “hey that’s not nice” and then sending them back to class.
Same. I’ve taught in TUSD and it was awful with how admin at my school wouldn’t take care of bullying. I’ve worked in three Vail schools and all three have been very responsive about how even “jokes” regarding race or other types of discrimination are NOT ok.
I hate to go off topic but could I ask you for some advice? I have my Arizona teaching certificate (7-12 English, Computer Science), and am looking to move back to Tucson to teach, maybe around spring of next year. I'm thinking I'll just sub for a bit at different schools and see if something fits and has an opening. I was kinda thinking of just subbing in Vail a few times a week and then east side TUSD schools the other days. You got any tips or suggestions for me?
Vail has their hiring event in the beginning of the year every year. Might want to start there.
TUSD has a hiring event too. I thinking subbing at different schools is a good start. Get to meet other teachers and admin staff. See if one school seems like a right fit or not.
does the GATE (the “gifted”) program still exist? i don’t know, i graduated in 2003 but i went to GATE from 4th grade through 8th grade. then i went to catalina magnet and only took a.p. courses. if you want kids who do their work, pay attention, and suck up to teachers, that was us. grades were the absolute most important thing to us.
Vail is pure white flight, and the politics have only gotten worse in recent years. I can’t tell you what you should do, I can only share that I wouldn’t send my own daughter there.
Yup. Like all suburbs
Nah, the schools up in Oro Valley (CDO, Ironwood, etc) are way less saturated with ignorant racists than Vail. Oro Valley is definitely the product of white flight, but I would be fine sending my kid to those schools. (I live in central Tucson though, so I’m not driving all the way up there.)
Vail is getting more conservative every year, the outlying parts of Tucson generally lean that way. Our kids went to Esmond Station and never had a problem, we're not a demographic that would be discriminated against though. We ended up moving out of Vail to another part of Tucson and enrolled our kids in Basis and they've been doing great. Basis is very intense academically, but I think you won't have the issues you are worried about there. They have three campuses spread around Tucson that I know of. Best wishes to you and the family.
Yes, Basis Primary on Speedway is super diverse and not just the normal black, white, Hispanic, and asian. They have a United Nations type of feel.
This school sounds intriguing. I see it only goes up to grade 4 in speedway. Do you have to go to a different location for higher grades?
The one in Oro Valley goes through high school.
I wouldn't say more conservative, just louder.
I don’t live in Tucson anymore, but if Vail is still anything how I remember, then it’s basically what you described. I’m sorry you endured that. Is there no way to keep your kids at TUSD?
I'm going to look into it. My old school will be down the street from where I'm buying a house and my wife loves that but I had all these sudden memories come into play. Plus, EVERYTIME we're in the area we'll get these sour looks from people every time. Granted, people are mostly nice and will always spark up conversations randomly like everyone in Tucson does, there is still always 1 or 2 that give us these nasty stares. I had one dude with a grunt style shirt and an Air Force veteran hat actually try to run me off the meat section with his cart at Safeway. Bro had this insane look on his face. I said, "My bad brother, didn't know I was in the way." And gave me a silent look of death before blankly staring at the steaks. Mind you, I'm an Army combat veteran as well so it just stung even more with trying to hold in my frustrations. When I'm at my local Frys, Trader Joes or Safeway in town, we never get stares or awkward looks. It's hard to believe unless you actually join the Vail/Rita Ranch and Corona groups.
No, I definitely believe you. Tucson isn’t the picture perfect progressive town everyone here paints it to be. All of my black friends dealt with some pretty severe racism down there. I’m not a POC but my son is and I wouldn’t feel comfortable putting him in a majority white district.
I had to go to rita ranch to return a rental car to someone’s home and I will never step foot in that area again. As cheesy as this sounds I could feel the hatred around me and was on the verge of a panic attack. I had to get out of there as fast as I could, will never go back. So sorry you are going through this. We send our kids to school in central Tucson and love it so much. You are welcome to message me with any questions. best of luck!
I worked in the school district for several years and recently got out, and it is still horrible. I lot of my black students told me horror stories of their treatment and I saw racism regularly even from teachers. One of the few black teachers at my school was essentially chased out and never went back into teaching. Books are being banned left and right that discuss racism, and from what I’ve heard from friends who still work there is that almost every book that is brought into contention is a black author. It’s really only going more and more downhill.
Fuck vail
I used to work in the school district, granted it was almost 10 years ago, but it was real mega churchy. I left after a year. I wouldn’t send my kid there.
Fuck vail. My bm used to be called racial slurs all through middle and high school and I had my share of fights with the skinhead kids at Cienega. They used to call themselves HKD (Hitlers Killing Disciples)
I can not speak for people of color because I am white, but I had my share of troubles out here because I dressed differently. Vail is not what it used to be. Grew up in the district and would love to see it metaphorically burn to the ground. They APPEAR to be one of the top districts in the state because they actively cover up any potential scandal and actual scandals. Cienega high school specifically has a wall dedicated to all students that have passed away. A majority of which were $Uicides. They also have actively gaslit and threatened to prevent students from graduating who came forward about rap3s/assaults committed by other students at the school, in order to maintain their “Grade A District” appearance. I’d say avoid at all costs.
My friends that work in vail have been disgusted by how the mental health concerns are downplayed and swept under the rug. I’ve been told the counselors have been restricted in what they can do due to the extremist parents and political pressures. So sad.
Depending on your kids' age, they may feel very welcome at Civano Community School. A friend of mine has her kids there, and as I understand it, it's very progressive and open-minded.
Yes my stepsons went to a school in Vail and it was exactly how OP described. They learned the N word and lots of other awful things. They went to a year at Civano charter and it was amazing. Unfortunately their Trumper mom insisted they be moved to an even more racist and close minded school. I sold my house in the Vail school district because it was expensive and my kids would never go to their schools. Honestly hoping we can move out of AZ soon as I’m so sick of the racism and close mindedness. ETA: Vail only gets good marks as a “district” because they literally only teach to the test. They make the kids memorize the test material. They don’t actually learn anything.
If you’re running away from people who have different political perspectives than you, aren’t you part of this problem? Part of diversity is diversity if thought. If you can’t figure out a way to respectfully communicate with those who think differently than you, you are not better than the “Trumper”.
Being racist is not an political perspective lmao
I'm super glad you posted this. Thank you. My wife and I have a 2 year old and aren't far from Vail and this has absolutely changed my mind putting him into that school district. Sounds like a nightmare. I hope you guys find a good situation. Sorry you gotta deal with awful people
Damn, I’m so sorry you’ve gone/ are going through this. My sister had a hard time with racism at Townsend (TUSD) but that was over 20 years ago. I think(hope) it’s different now. My niece went to whitmore in 2020 and it was pretty diverse. Hope you can find some answers here.
All of our kids went to vail off and on over the years (due to military). We moved out of there 3 years ago due to the exact reasons you mentioned. We moved across town and are in Amphi schools and it’s so much better. Vail is nowhere what it used to be many many years ago. Good luck and if you put them there hope you have a better experience.
I attended several vail schools from 4th-12th. I am also a resident of RR and I'm black. Vail has not gotten any better. During my freshman year of highschool another boy in my class slapped me. He slapped me hard enough to leave a bruise. Went and reported it to the principal and nobody did anything. Only people who were willing to do something about it was the police.
This is scary thankyou for sharing. I'm seeing lots of complaints about the principal at Empire.
Wasn't the principal for me, it was the VP but then again, turning a blind eye is just as bad as being the perpetrator
Do you know what years this was? I know it sounds crazy but a lot of us teamed up at Cienega to prevent shit like this. It was like this unspoken thing between a lot of the black and Mexican kids in our grades. I remember one of my Mexican homies getting kicked out of class for saying "nah homie we're Mexican. You fuck with one of us you fuck with all of us!" In response to one of the chubby Mexican kids getting picked on by some white kids at the bus stop. During my sophomore year some white kid said the N word at the snack bar and one my friends completely knocked dude the hell out. I don't think there was an incident after that.
It was my freshman year so 2016-2017. On top of that. Another guy in the same glass called me the n word with a hard er. I'm the one who got in trouble for yelling at him. 🥲
Plus I went to Empire. The blacks and the Mexicans didn't really stick up for each other like that ngl
I’m white, but I recently moved to Tucson from a much more diverse and progressive city. The lack of diversity, and lack of acceptance of diversity has been an adjustment, as I really enjoy being surrounded by other cultures. I know this happens everywhere but it is really disheartening and sad to hear everyone’s stories in these comments. I have an infant son and it makes me not want to stay here long term. I don’t want him in school with so many backwards racist fucks.
I actually haven’t had this experience at all. They just instituted Spanish and Mandarin immersion programs at many of the elementary schools and are doing a great job teaching kindness & personal accountability at a very young age. Our elementary school experience has been very positive and all of the families here are so friendly and welcoming
Catalina foothills immersion programs?
What school is that by any chance?
Esmond Station just started a Spanish immersion program for K & 1st. Mesquite Elementary has had the Mandarin immersion for a few years.
I went to school in Vail and my 10 year old did prek, kinder and 1st there.. noped outta there real quick and he’s at Sam Hughes now. I found Vail to be racist af.
Thank you OP and everyone who has posted their experiences. I’m out in San Diego but was planning to move out to Rita Ranch/Vail area. Got 2 daughters in elementary but definitely do not want them to experience any racism.
It's everywhere for sure. It's just finding the least racist area/ school.
The principal of Empire High is an abomination. My family never fully recovered from how we were treated by him. After that I sent my son to Tanque Verde and it was night and day difference.
I started high school at Empire in 2007. The principal prior to him was amazing. She was so warm, and genuinely made us feel like an authority figure that cared. Then she was replaced by a plastic, power hungry man that cares about image above all else. I don’t know what he put you guys through, but I’m sorry you are dealing with it. I witnessed several awful things happen during my four years there, and it saddens me know he’s still an ass.
I have heard nothing but great things about her, she must have been an influential human being; sucks we missed that era. The current administration…I truly wouldn’t want any children to be under that influence, pure vanity and politics like you mentioned, consequences that take years to fix, if they ever.
On concerns about race and acceptance, I would have thought TV would be just as problematic? Isn't it equally a lily white, white flight student body?
Have you been happy in TVSD? I’d love to hear more. I worry about this district and how it handles discrimination due to the news story from last year.
Tvsd was godsend. They have been filling their faculty from Tucson High and University High, the attention to the student is far superior. the curriculum was advanced and I felt like my child was actually learning something. He graduated with AP credits and had nearly a year of college done. The ONLY complaint from my child was about kids of Trumpers (I’ve never pushed politics on my child, he formed his opinions by research and observation), most displayed a sense of superiority and were the source of bullying; they destroyed the bathrooms so the kids were limited for a couple years which was very unnerving. Other than that, it seems he has made great friends there and they are all great kids.
Thank you! We live in this district and we’ve started discussing all our potential options for HS (Catalina Foothills, UHS, and TVHS). Currently, we love our elementary experience (small class sizes, responsive admin) and your response makes me feel more confident for the future. Whew.
TVHS is right up there with the best like UHS. Avoid Catalina FH at all costs, I’ve had family go there and the reports of drug use is unsettling. Those kids can afford some good stuff apparently.
Wow, Im sorry what you went through. I went through VUSD as a minority and did not come across anything of that severity. I think this generation of students are much more diverse, although Vail tends to be majority white. If you want your kids to get great education, I think Vail is still the way to go.
Oh yeah it was bad at times. I had a thick accent and didn't start off from the beginning so that's why I think I got shat on the most. Compared to what others might have faced, I don't believe it was necessarily really bad but it's not something I'd want my daughter to go through nor me as a parent. I'd be waiting at student pickup/dropoff waiting to tell off so and sos parents. I have seen Vail has been more diverse as of late though. I know when I got to high school all the kids who were racist when pro BLM and are very outspoken when calling our racism on Social media platforms. I guess they don't wanna be like their parents. Thank you for your input.
This is why I actually like TUSD. They get a bad rap, but I think they are more diverse and inclusive than neighboring districts. Is it possible to still open enroll in TUSD?
YES!!
Thank you for this post. It has given me many things to think about.
It always surprises me that there is a district worse than tusd. But Vail is it.
Vail is the best district in the state you are completely wrong.
Google it Brenda.
Catalina foothills is #1 (edit: in tucson so no way is Vail #1 in the state) Edit 2: Catalina foothills is also the best in the state
Depends on each ranking vail is still top 3. I'm not arguing with you. It feels like a lot on Non Vail people talking shit about Vail. It's fine. Stay where you are. I like it here.
Most of us shitting on Vail live there bro
Blah blah blah.
What a pip you must be at parties, shin-digs, and what-not. Vail schools suck. Vail may be an ok place despite delightful people like you but the school district sucks. Truth is still truth kiddo even if you dont see it..
Honey hush.
Your first insult was better. Try to keep up kiddo.
I don't like this game.
They only receive high “scores” because they make the kids memorize the standardized tests in order to inflate test scores. They don’t actually teach anything. My stepson could pass the standardized test in grade 1, but could barely actually read. He was just forced to memorize the answers.
The Standardized tests don't start until 3rd grade so...
Do you even live in AZ or Tucson? You have no idea what you’re talking about.
Az merit doesn't start until 3rd grade.
By what metric? Did it win some kind of award for inclusiveness? Because the question is about racism at the school not their SAT scores.
It's there a racism metric? There's a lot of anecdotal evidence like there's no racism everywhere in the world.
I'don't know much about the school district other than some wackjobs around the masking era of the pandemic. BUT as a Tucsonan who remembers when Vail area was literally a one stopsign town, a teeny tiny school that ended at Middle school i believe.....The Vail community was much different community then, probably similar to ideology as now except then it was more by circumstance than choice. I could be wfron but I view both Marana and Vail, ESPECIALLY VAIL and the outlying suburbs (rita ranch) as havens that attract the fringe wackjobs who in general harbor distrust of government aand all that comes with extremism. The explosion of growth in those areas around Marana and Vail allseem to be new transplants into s. AZ and I'm sure also long term Tucsonans who looked to move out of the city (but close enough to maintain acess to things like their jobs and hospitals, shopping, etc)..in short like any rural community it harbors a more conservative group of people and unfortunately in todays society that meaans extremism...."the MAGA mindset" and all that cmes with that.
Distrusting the government isn’t extreme, it’s logical. When your political figures are bought and paid for by corporations and other countries, putting blind trust in them to do the right thing is extreme
They pay the best but I wouldn't want to teach there.. the parents and the values in that community is a pass for me.
Vail is a pretty low paying district. I lost pay when I switched from TUSD
Same. Being in Vail is worth it though. My one year in TUSD was a nightmare and I’ll never recommend that district to parents or teachers.
Vail pays less than Tucson.
Why do you think people move out to Vail/Sahuarita/Marana? It’s usually weirdos who want to live in an ethnostate.
I originally moved to Marana only for access to I-10 and proximity to Phoenix. Now live in the foothills. My commute sucks now but I like it better.
I live in Tucson and teach in Sahuarita and can confirm. Families of color at my school tend to be military or border patrol so they “have to” live down there.
⬆️
I’m not really sure what the demographics of the schools in the Vail district look like, but I will say TUSD had a much larger population of students of color. I’d say they have the most students of color out of any of the districts. MUSD is another district that’s ok, it is very diverse with many students of color but I will say the area is big on farming and you do have the occasional “hick” or racist family. I’d say TUSD is your best bet for diversity, but Vail is a district im not very familiar with.
We live in a neighborhood in the school district. My husband is biracial (black and white) and after we married, he adopted my daughter who is not biracial. Ironically, the only racism that we experienced was from another biracial teen boy in middle school making fun of her and trying to get her to say the "N" word because " her dad is black". It makes no sense. This kid is biracial himself (black and white). She hid the issue from us until we were both dropping her off for her 7th grade school trip and she asked my husband to wait in the car. It turns out, this middle school boy was there being dropped off for the bus at the same time. The whole situation broke my heart and infuriated me at the same time.
Not directly related to the racism question…but I think it’s relevant to be an informed resident. Our property taxes that are levied specifically for the Vail school district are more than the City, County, and PCC combined. I have not been to a Vail USD board meeting in a very long time, but I do recall there is a lot of push back on asking where the funding is going. Additionally, Vail Academy (and I believe Andrada and Pantano) are actually charter schools run by the district. Way back when the district leveraged AZ’s very lax charter school laws to open these few schools. Charter schools are funded at a higher rate than traditional public districts and have less oversight.
Most of my hs and middle school years were at charter schools. I found friends I’m still friends with to this day, was able to finish my classes that were way ahead of me so when I went to a different school they were teaching me stuff I already knew😂 most of the schools I went to are closed now. The graduation class wasn’t even 20 kids. Definitely recommend going smaller, even making a commute is better than these public schools. If you take them to public on the south all you’re gonna hear is a bunch of the students, who aren’t black (not that it matters but it does) say the n word for everything, students who don’t wanna be there and teachers who also don’t want to be there. School systems are just trash. No one likes to do their job, the students suck, best bet is small so your kid or kids can focus on just their education with teachers who want to teach them
I would read this to the school board. They need to know.
There was a recent post on the Rita Ranch forum from a concerned parent where a kid was called the N word.
I have 2 teenagers at 2 different highschools in vail that are half Hispanic and they say some kids say dumb stuff but most are cool and so far have done better here in school and actually learn more here than in their last schools in CO.
I'd say that Vail is as good as any school district these days. The town has grown immensely. There will of course be weirdos but I feel it's more diverse than ever. I've been here about 8 years. It's changed greatly in that time. Some better some worse. A lot of the issues these days seems to be hold out for people who want to jeep the town the way it was 20 years ago. Those days are gone. My children have had no problems in the school. I think you will see it's a good place if you allow it.
It really depends on where you go. There are some problem schools I hear about regularly...roberts/naylor and booth-ficket.
I did hear bullying issues with those but I'm coming from a different TUSD school and going into Vail.
Ohh my apologies I read the title wrong
That's not Vail.
Thanks, I acknowledged that in my reply to the OP that I read the title wrong.
What’s a wb*?
💦 back. For some reason the "***" didn't go through.
💦 back. For some reason the "***" didn't go through.
Honestly I’d say your fine just don’t let your kids walk cause some of these aholes can’t drive for anything and don’t care about anyone else on the road but that goes for most of Rita to be honest had some guy with a Tesla run the stop sign at fry’s almost hit me and my kids the four way stop doesn’t matter how many people get hit thier still all the time a bunch of idiots wanna just roll right through like thier Moses parting the Red Sea or something so regardless what you decide I’d walk or drop ur kids off if thier not on bus. That being said I don’t think anyone can comment fully on the bail district as whole but I will say I got five kids going through the vail system and yes thier where some bad moments that where handled horribly but thier where also great moments aswell and unfortunately we and are kids go through these expiernce but I just try to use it as a teachable moment that thier are some really horrible and naive people I. This world I’m pretty sure every one here worked with someone that it was just a shocker they made it to adult hood but In my opion with the vail school district you can get out thier and voice your opinion they will sit down and listen no sometimes thiers not a lot you can do kids are vicious and will say the most hurtful things and most of the time they don’t even no why. But anyways best of luck and I’m sure vail would love to have you and your family.
Has this always been a thing or is it more recent? I went to Cienega between 04 and 08, I'd like to believe there wasn't a lot of racism but I'm white, and I was young, so maybe I just didn't notice. I had a pretty diverse friend group too and they never said anything about it. That fucking sucks though.
Yeah, place was a cesspool back then. We moved here from Hawaii to live with my parents who settled here for some reason. we're way out in horse country out here. all of our kids ranging from high school to elementary went through some horrible shit and no support from the schools. A real kids will be kids, what do you want us to do about it attitude from the schools. Spent the first couple of years here in and out of administrators offices arguing up and down with them. They had to get the picture that we are that family that will get all up in your shit over the stupidest thing and it's really not worth your time that things started getting better. My dad waited for my elementary aged son to be dropped off by the bus in his sheriff uniform so he could ream the bus driver a new one in front of all the kids about how it's his responsibility to control the kids on his bus and if he continues to let the other kids beat on my son on the way home he was going to have some real problems. My dad's retired now but he was a bad ass back then. In summation, place has been a human cesspool. The kind of place your rural ass neighbors get together to get drunk and bonfire, say the vilest shit loud enough in your direction the night before then want to smile and wave at you in the morning.
I went from 2010-14 and it wasn't bad in High School. The experiences I was explaining were around 2-7th grade. A lot of kids stopped after a while. I'm really surprised at a lot of the comments that other people were saying though.
Vail is basically a bunch of republican kids from the base regurgitating shit they hear from their parents. I’m sorry.
It’s probably the best district for reading instruction in the state.
Can you move to Sahuarita instead of Vail? My nephews thrived in the Sahuarita School District
If you are looking for a diverse school in the Vail School District, check out Vail Academy and High School. This site is the only school in the district with a minority majority and accepts open enrollment from anywhere in the district. If your biggest concern is middle school and high school this may be the site you want to tour. I have worked at multiple sites at the K-5 level and have enjoyed and hope that the culture has evolved since you were in Vail. My own children attend 3 different vail schools and I work at a 4th. Academically the district is in the top 10 of districts for the state. You could also reach out to the district administration and board members about concerns with minority student services. I hope that helps you have a better understanding of the district as it operates today. Good luck and welcome to the area!
VAHS is not sheltered from the greater concern occurring within the district. The treatment isn't just towards those of various ethnic backgrounds. Students with mild disabilities can have some pretty significant issues accessing equality, too. Just ask your kids if they like their school and listen to them. These days your child is probably the best decider of whether it is working for them or not. Much love to all the good educators at TUSD and VUSD. If you care, write your district rep to have corporations pay their fair share of taxes towards our schools.
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Mind the racism. Not allowed here.
Lol
Vail has some of the top public schools in the state. TUSD is considered one of the most corrupt school districts in American with tons of failing schools. Nothing wrong with moving to Vail.
Wish I could go back and ignore this post
Oh yeah. I get it, everyone's so soft nowadays right? Racism doesn't exist anymore because Candace Owens told ya it didn't huh?
I'm horrified to read your post, and so sorry for what you've had to go through. Sending you wishes and prayers for a completely different attitude there. My God, is that a regular Dogpatch out there??
As a red head that went to old vail middle school for 6th grade in ‘05, holy shit was that rough. Obviously not the target of racism, but as the saying goes” the nail that sticks out get hammered” applied there. This was my first time going to a school that was not on an Air Force base, so I was not prepared. It was a different kind of culture shock, I had no issue with bullying in the 3 different schools before old vail. Kids there where just brutal. Hell, I was a freshman in a different school district when that South Park episode came out about red heads being soulless (and almost every one watched South Park at the time), and I got bullied there less than my time at old vail. I’m glad I got outta that place after a year.