Scottsdale high school cancels visit from Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk

The Scottsdale Unified School District has canceled a visit from Charlie Kirk, the founder of the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA, out of concern that what was intended to be a guest speaking engagement for a high school club was being advertised by Turning Point USA as a public event.

Andrew Kolvet, a spokesperson from Turning Point USA, wrote in a statement that the intention was only for high school students and faculty to participate in the event.

Chaparral High School's Turning Point USA club had arranged for Kirk to speak at the school during lunchtime next Monday.

While guests are often invited to speak to school clubs, district spokesperson Kristine Harrington said in an emailed statement that this request was different because Turning Point USA advertised the event on its website as being part of a national tour, inviting non-students and requiring tickets.

"We learned that adults not affiliated with the school were able to secure a ticket to the club's meeting," Harrington wrote.

Hosting a public event during the school day would compromise the district's commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of its students, she wrote.

Harrington added that the district supports freedom of speech and expression and does not regulate the viewpoints of student-initiated clubs. Chaparral's Turning Point USA club has offered to host Kirk in the future, "assuming the speaker can agree to the same parameters as other guest speakers," she wrote.

Previously: University leaders Michael Crow and Fred DuVal condemn actions of Turning Point USA

As of Oct. 17, the day after Scottsdale Unified School District canceled the event, Turning Point USA's website still allowed members of the public to register for the Chaparral High School event and listed the school's address, stating that doors open at 12 p.m. (Another section of the webpage stated that doors opened at 5 p.m.) The speaking engagement was advertised as part of Kirk's Made in America Tour, for which he travels to schools and universities nationwide. One section of the page stated that the event was only open to students and faculty at the school, not the community at large; another section said that non-students must have valid identification.

Kolvet, the Turning Point USA representative, said the organization's website indicated that only Chaparral students and faculty were permitted. He said all Turning Point USA tours are student-led, as was the case for this event. The organization is "committed to ensuring" its events are in "accordance with school guidelines," he said.

The Arizona Republic reported last week that Arizona State University police are investigating an incident in which a queer professor was followed, harassed and pushed to the ground by representatives of Turning Point USA. The Turning Point representatives' actions were condemned by ASU President Michael Crow and Arizona Board of Regents Chair Fred DuVal.

The organization has also come under fire for its professor "watchlist," which is described by Turning Point USA as an effort to "expose and document college professors who discriminate against conservative students and advance leftist propaganda in the classroom." In September, Crow asked Turning Point USA to remove his university's faculty from the list after several members received harassing emails and voicemails.

Madeleine Parrish covers K-12 education. Reach her at mparrish@arizonarepublic.com and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter: @maddieparrish61.

Arizona Republic reporter Sasha Hupka contributed to this article.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Scottsdale high school cancels visit from Turning Point USA founder