Republican leader criticizes Peoria district’s handling of alleged teacher sex scandal

PHOENIX — Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen accused Peoria Unified School District leaders of mishandling allegations that two teachers were involved in sexual misconduct with a student.

During a press conference Tuesday morning, Petersen called for district and state officials to take action.

“We should also see a more engaged superintendent of [public] instruction, and we should see a more engaged attorney general. Right now, we should be hearing about investigations. We should be hearing names,” the Republican lawmaker said.

Petersen, who is running for attorney general this year, believes the case is being swept under the rug, saying “apparently a lot of people knew about this.”

What is the Peoria Unified School District controversy?

He was referring to allegations that Angela Burlaka and Haley Beck had an inappropriate relationship with a student while they were teachers at Centennial High School.

Burlaka, 47, surrendered her teaching certification on Jan. 26, the same day the district terminated her.

Meanwhile, the district fired Beck, 27, on March 26 for violating its sexual harassment policy. Her teaching certificate remains under investigation by the State Board of Education.

Petersen also spoke in support of former Peoria Unified Governing Board President Heather Rooks, who appeared at the press conference.

The board replaced Rooks as president after she acted alone by asking the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office to determine if the way school and district officials handled the case violated Arizona’s mandatory reporting laws.

Why did former Peoria Unified board president act alone?

Rooks, who remains on the board after her demotion, said she read the Peoria Police Department report and found discrepancies between the district’s story and what students were saying. She quoted a student who said it was obvious that Beck was involved with a student.

“In my opinion, it seems there is a blockage of the Peoria Police Department getting what they need [from] the district,” Rooks said. “Districts normally don’t want police to come in, they want to hide stuff from them.”

According to Peoria Unified School District Superintendent KC Somers, police told the district that teachers and administrators met their legal obligations for mandatory reporting.

However, Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne recently said he doesn’t think the district fully followed Arizona statute.

Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell told KTAR News 92.3FM that educators who fail to follow Arizona’s mandatory reporting laws if they suspect child abuse could face felony charges.

Funding for this journalism is made possible by the Arizona Local News Foundation.

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