Peoria Unified governing board request a judge take a closer look at search warrant

The Peoria Unified School District recently filed a motion asking a judge to review the scope of a Peoria Police Department search warrant in the district’s ongoing teacher sexual misconduct case.

The motion also requested an extension to produce documents related to the case of former teachers Haley Beck and Angela Burlaka, who are accused of sexual misconduct with a student. The documents are currently due June 5.

The search warrant was served in May. Peoria Unified School District Governing Board member Heather Rooks suggested in a social media post that it was issued because the district did not provide information police had requested.

Rooks is now saying that the motion was made by board president Jeff Tobey without the board’s knowledge, stressing she was not informed of the motion and did not vote on it.

“The governing board operates through collective action taken in properly noticed public meetings,” she explained. “Individual board members, including the board president, do not independently speak or act for the board absent authorization from the governing board itself.

Why did the Peoria Unified School District file the motion?

According to the Peoria Unified School District, the motion was filed to request clarity on what the search warrant is seeking and to protect attorney-client communications.

“The district is continuing to produce the responsive records, and this request applies only to a narrow category of documents. Because the governing board has not voted to waive attorney-client privilege, legal counsel has an obligation to preserve those protections and comply with federal student privacy laws unless directed otherwise by the board or ordered by the court,” a spokesperson said.

Rooks is the former governing board president. She was replaced after submitting a report to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office requesting an investigation into how Peoria Unified employees handled mandated reporting in the case.

Rooks confirmed that she filed the request, stressing that she filed it as a Peoria parent and not as governing board president.

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