Peoria Unified board member questions quality of training, alleges sex scandal cover-up

An elected Peoria Unified School District official is questioning the quality of mandatory reporting training required for staff in the wake of a teacher sex scandal she believes administrators tried sweeping under the rug.

Heather Rooks, a Peoria Unified Governing Board member, told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s The Mike Broomhead Show on Thursday she thinks employees need to be made more aware of grooming pattern behaviors that should be reported.

Rooks said the revised mandatory reporting training was conducted by two former principals and a Title IX coordinator.

“My question is, why are we not bringing in professionals, detectives, our Glendale and Peoria police department? Why are we not bringing in those individuals who can actually teach and let our staff learn about not just mandatory reporting, but grooming patterns and grooming behaviors of what to look out for when things are going on with students and staff at the schools,” Rooks said.

The Peoria Police Department is investigating potential violations of Arizona’s mandatory reporting laws related to allegations that Haley Beck and Angela Burlaka had an inappropriate relationship with a male student while they were teachers at Centennial High School.

The investigation was launched after Rooks reported the matter to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, which in turn referred it to police. Rooks was the board president at the time, but her colleagues removed her from that role by a 3-2 vote in May on the grounds that she acted independently of the board.

Burlaka voluntarily surrendered her teaching certification on Jan. 26, the same day the district terminated her. Beck was fired on March 26 for violating the district’s sexual harassment policy. The case drew national attention because Beck is the sister of popular content creator Noah Beck, who has more than 30 million TikTok followers.

On Wednesday, Peoria Unified board member Becky Proudfit told The Mike Broomhead Show she had “not seen evidence” that students went to administrators with details that were not reported.

Peoria Unified’s Heather Rooks: ‘I believe that there is a 100% cover-up’

However, Rooks said a police report that she read confirms her belief that the situation wasn’t handled properly. For example, she cited a 2025 email from a graduating Centennial student that described her younger sister’s concerns about Haley Beck’s behavior.

The email listed what Rooks called “grooming pattern behaviors” that should have raised flags.

“One was frequent communication text between Miss Beck and the student via Snapchat. Miss Beck giving that specific student a Christmas gift while not giving it to others, and Miss Beck and that student being seen together in a vehicle. And that stood out to me. Nothing was done,” Rooks said.

Rooks said Beck’s questionable behavior was no secret on campus, but students either were afraid to speak up or thought nothing would be done if they did.

“Peoria PD interviewed multiple students from Centennial. They all said the same thing,” Rooks said. “Things are swept under the rug at the school.”

Rooks remains convinced there was a cover-up.

“I believe that there is a 100% cover-up that is happening right now, and the blame is being pushed on everybody else but the people that need to be held accountable,” she said. “As a governing board member, I am there to hold people accountable when it comes to the safety and the education of our children in this district.”

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