By Laura Campbell |

Student safety is my plumb line for Peoria Unified School District (PUSD). It is the standard by which I judge its leadership, spending, policies, and governing board.

I began paying closer attention during the Sun Valley Elementary/Ricky Ordway situation. I wanted to understand why the community was not receiving a clear public accounting at governing board meetings. Allegations involving Liberty High School wrestling deepened my concerns. The events at Centennial convinced me to become more involved.

Since then, I have examined hundreds of documents, including records obtained through public records requests, police reports, court documents, news reports, and media releases. I have spoken with parents, advocates, journalists, and people with firsthand knowledge of district operations. Throughout that work, I seek to distinguish documented findings from allegations and unanswered questions.

What I have learned has strengthened my conviction that Peoria Unified needs sustained, independent scrutiny. Families deserve to understand how concerns are reported, how investigations are handled, and what changes follow when students are harmed.

Voters deserve the same clarity about the people asking to govern their schools.

Leadership Decisions Deserve Public Examination

Board Member Melissa Ewing’s votes, public statements, and interviews are legitimate subjects for voters to examine. The same standard applies to every board member.

In April 2023, Ewing opposed directing administration to draft a student bathroom/locker room policy. In March 2025, Ewing was the sole opposing vote on the student’s privacy and anti-discrimination policies. In November 2025, Ewing was the sole opposing vote on the revised anti-DEI policy.

The decisions surrounding Centennial deserve particular attention. Heather Rooks and Janelle Bowles sought an independent third-party investigation. How did district leadership and the board respond? What independent examination, if any, followed? What findings and corrective actions can be shared with families?

The circumstances surrounding Rooks’s removal as board president also deserve a clear explanation, including the roles of then-superintendent KC Somers and board members Jeff Tobey, Becky Proudfit, and Melissa Ewing. The sequence warrants examination, while timing alone cannot establish anyone’s motive.

Tahlya Visintainer’s appointment as interim superintendent raises questions about the board’s selection standards. What qualifications did members consider? How did they assess her preparation to lead a district facing serious student safety concerns? Her human resources background makes questions about employee oversight, investigations, and administrative leave especially relevant.

The district should explain how many employees have been placed on paid administrative leave in connection with student safety concerns, how long those cases remained open, and what they cost, while protecting confidential information. Administrative leave does not establish guilt, but the public deserves to understand how the process works.

Darian Schoolcraft’s appointment as Centennial principal also deserves an explanation. My review raises questions about references to him in police records, whether administrative leave was considered, and how his appointment was evaluated. Being named in a police report does not, itself, establish wrongdoing. The question is whether the district applied consistent standards at Centennial, Liberty, and Peoria High—and can explain those standards publicly.

Students and Parents Must Be Able to Speak Safely

Policies have value when people understand them, follow them, and can show that they work.

Families deserve to know who receives a report of suspected abuse, when outside authorities are contacted, and how the district determines whether reporting procedures were followed. Students need a safe way to raise concerns about an adult without fearing consequences for their grades, activities, or relationships at school.

Parents have raised concerns about retaliation against their children. Those concerns deserve a serious response. The accounts involving Timothy Seaman also raise questions about whether students felt safe reporting alleged inappropriate touching. The district should explain how it identifies barriers to reporting and protects students who come forward.

The same expectation of respectful discussion applies to policy disagreements.

I believe girls deserve privacy in restrooms, locker rooms, and showers. I also believe every student—including LGBTQ+ students—deserves protection from harassment, abuse, and humiliation. District leaders must address those needs through clear policies and practical safeguards.

Parents should be able to question those policies without having their concerns reduced to slogans or assumptions about their motives. Board members should explain their votes and how they expect the policies they support to protect students.

The Secular AZ Interview Deserves an Accurate Reading

This video excerpt featuring Ewing and Jeanne Casteen of Secular AZ deserves careful examination.

Casteen expresses concern about “the growing threat of white Christian nationalism in our state and country.” She then introduces Ewing, who thanks her for the invitation. The excerpt does not show Ewing calling white Christians a threat, but Casteen refers to white Christian nationalism, and shortening that phrase changes its meaning.

Voters can still reasonably ask Ewing to explain the views she expressed during the full interview. How does she define Christian nationalism? How does she distinguish it from Christians expressing their convictions, seeking office, or participating in school governance?

As a Christian and an ordained minister, I want those distinctions made clearly. My faith shapes my commitment to children, truth, and public service. Families of every faith—and families with no religious affiliation—deserve fair treatment and a voice in their public schools.

Ewing should explain her position. Voters should examine the complete interview and judge her words for themselves.

Curriculum and Programs Require Meaningful Oversight

Parents should be able to inspect the lessons their children receive and understand what the governing board approved.

Earlier concerns in PUSD involved EVERFI’s online materials addressing identity, bias, power, privilege, and oppression. I am seeking the complete approval record for a computer-based program considered in 2023, including the specific program, exact motion, and Ewing’s recorded vote. Those records are necessary to establish precisely what was approved.

Online programs raise ongoing oversight questions. What student information do they collect? Can lessons change after approval? Who reviews those changes? How can parents inspect the content their children actually encounter?

Programs such as Bloom365 deserve the same examination. How many students did the program reach? What measurable benefits did it provide? What safeguards and reporting procedures governed its work? What did it cost?

These are basic questions about educational services, student protection, and public spending.

Financial Accountability Belongs in the Discussion

Patrick Mannion’s recent post raises a serious concern: Has Peoria Unified adequately explained the human and financial consequences of the failures families have brought forward?

I share his concern about public trust. Parents should not have to become investigators to understand whether their children are protected. Victims should not have to struggle to be heard. Taxpayers should be able to understand the district’s financial exposure without assembling scattered records themselves.

Mannion cites a $10 million insurance limit per incident. The district should explain what that figure means: which coverage applies, what exclusions or aggregate limits affect it, when excess insurance or reinsurance becomes available, and how obligations beyond available coverage would be paid. A stated limit does not, by itself, establish that coverage has been exhausted or that every claim is covered. That is why a complete explanation matters.

I filed a public records request concerning the Trust and reinsurance procedures. Three months later, I still have not received the requested information.

Peoria Unified should provide an understandable accounting of legal expenses, insurance protections, and potential district obligations to the extent those details can be disclosed. Protecting students’ identities and confidential information should remain part of that process.

Accountability Continues After the Election

I continue to support an independent forensic audit to examine spending and financial controls. A clearly defined examination, with findings made public to the extent permitted, could help rebuild community confidence.

The governing board must demand answers, examine leadership’s decisions, and support independent scrutiny when warranted. Administrators should explain the decisions and events that have unfolded in the boardroom since May 2026. Candidates should be prepared to say what they will do about the questions that remain.

An election determines who holds office. The work of protecting children, producing records, and demonstrating that corrective measures are effective continues after the ballots are counted.

My purpose is to help ensure that children are protected and that families can trust the institutions responsible for them. That requires accurate statements, accessible records, consistent standards, and leadership willing to answer difficult questions.

Student safety is the plumb line. Every vote, expenditure, and leadership decision should be measured against it.

Truth withstands scrutiny. Peoria Unified’s leadership should, too.

Laura Campbell is a longtime Peoria resident, mother of four, grandmother, retired business owner, and ordained minister since 1992. She became president of Raspberry Cottage Inc., a nonprofit serving women and children, in 2017. Her decades of ministry and community service inform her advocacy for student safety, mandatory reporting, transparency, and accountability in Peoria Unified School District. She examines public records, police reports, court documents, and news coverage to ask informed questions and seek answers for families. Her guiding convictions are simple: “Student safety is the plumb line” and “Truth withstands scrutiny.”