The Flowing Wells witch trial was a series of events that resulted in the 1971 firing of Ann Stewart, a tenured teacher, by the Flowing Wells Unified School District in Tucson, Arizona, under charges that she claimed to be a witch and taught witchcraft to her students.
[1] Shortly thereafter, students began joking with Ann Stewart, an English instructor with over a decade teaching experience, about how closely she matched the description of a witch.
[7] Stewart denied charges against her and claimed her removal was due to a personality conflict between her and the school's principal.
[2] Reports of the suspension made international news, which prompted neighbors and former friends to avoid Stewart, and she started receiving letters that read, "Thou shall not suffer a witch to live".
[2] Stewart in turn changed her hair style to hide her widow's peak and began wearing an ebony cross that had belonged to her great-great-grandmother.
[9] The board deferred making a decision and instead formed a committee of faculty members to investigate the charges and recommend what action to take.