Rep. Simacek Condemns School Board Member's Nazi Salute in Public Meeting

Rep. Simacek speaking on the House Floor on April 8, 2026.

PHOENIX — Arizona State Representative Stephanie Simacek spoke out today condemning a member of the Deer Valley Unified School District Governing Board who used a Nazi salute, punctuated by the word "heil" during a public meeting Tuesday. Board member Kimberly Fisher threw up the offensive salute at the end of the meeting in an apparent show of frustration with the board president. Fisher acknowledged and defended her use of the Nazi salute in a Facebook post after the meeting. Simacek, a former public-school teacher who also serves on the Deer Valley board, was sitting next to Fisher when she made the gesture. In response, Simacek released the following statement:

"I am an Arizona state representative. I am a school board member. And I am someone who believes, to my core that our schools must be safe places for every single child, regardless of their background, their religion, or the color of their skin.

What happened in that room was not a joke. It was not a political statement or an expression of frustration. It was a deliberate invocation of one of the most evil ideologies in human history on display in a building where our children come to learn.

This is what antisemitism looks like when people get comfortable. This is what hatred looks like when it finds a seat at the table.

I am calling for an immediate censure. I am calling for accountability. And I am calling on every parent, educator, and elected official Republican or Democrat — to stand up and say clearly: THIS HAS NO PLACE HERE.

Our Jewish students, families, and community members deserve better. Every student deserves better. We will not normalize this. Not on my watch. Not in our schools. Not in Arizona."