TIFFANY BENSON: Peoria’s Proposition 428 Is The Definition Of Insanity

TIFFANY BENSON: Peoria’s Proposition 428 Is The Definition Of Insanity

By Tiffany Benson |

Remember the pop-culture definition of insanity: Doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result? This fits like a hand to glove when we contrast the Prop 428 campaign against Peoria Unified School District’s (PUSD) failed leadership, increased cases of adult sexual misconduct, and dismal academic performance.

Peoria voters should understand that Prop 428 is not a new tax—it’s a continuation of the 13% maintenance and operations (M&O) override that’s been in place since the mid-90s. When voters rejected the M&O during the 2025 special election, it sparked panic among administrators (a.k.a. the 6-figure mafia) and teachers’ union members (a.k.a. union thugs). Educators—including those who stay silent when unethical and immoral conduct occurs on campus—are suddenly very vocal about Prop 428.

When I reviewed the fiscal 2024-25 State Superintendent Annual Report, I discovered that PUSD’s local, county and state M&O total revenue was nearly $290 million. Am I the only one who wants to know exactly how, when and where that money was spent in two years?

I emailed the school board and the Deputy Superintendent of Business Operations, Marcie Rodriguez, to request a presentation clarifying the district’s spending patterns. I also asked for confirmation on whether interim superintendent Tahlya Visintainer—who also oversees human resources—is still reaping Chief Personnel Officer pay and benefits. This is the position she held until Dr. Ryan LaDouceur was ousted from the interim superintendent role.

One PUSD educator reached out to seek my support for Prop 428. She shared her love for teaching young students and said that since the 2025 override failed, her school’s financial shortfalls sometimes forced staff members to choose between purchasing toilet paper or copy paper. She said she also solicited donations from relatives and community members when she couldn’t purchase the items directly.

I did my due diligence of making a public comment and requesting a resolution for every teacher in this predicament. I also included it in my email to the board and Rodriguez, letting them know it’s entirely unacceptable for any high-level employees to receive perks, bonuses or special allowances when the most important people in the district (namely students) don’t have access to daily essentials.

I will post an update once I have answers to these questions.

I don’t believe the teacher who reached out to me was a union thug with a sob story. Union members are typically the bullying type. Their tears are false and their demands are tough. Teachers’ unions don’t exist to enhance students’ learning experience—they don’t even exist for teachers! Most members I know are activists who serve as the school district’s militant. They await deployment, coming out in ranks whenever the community needs to be manipulated or intimidated into silence.

Case in point, the Peoria Education Association (PEA) president Devon Moseler sits like a guard near the podium at every PUSD board meeting. Also, when former PEA president Trina Berg makes a public comment, her requests and suggestions usually top the agenda for the next board meeting. But who knows, this could all be a coincidence, right?

Devon Moseler
PEA President Devon Moseler at Peoria Unified board meetings.

As of publication, PUSD received its third notice of claim. Similar to the two students who filed a complaint against the district in the Centennial High School situation, this alleged victim has also claimed that the district was grossly negligent in the case involving former Peoria High School basketball coach Patrick Battillo (a.k.a. “Mr. ORNG”). ABC 15 News reported that Batillo was convicted of attempted exploitation of a minor and sentenced to three and half years in April.

For those unaware, PUSD has been served with four legal notices in one year—all of them accusing the district of negligence and failing to protect students from employee sexual misconduct. The two from Centennial HS students and one from a Peoria HS student are a combined total of $27,650,000, as of October 9. No amount has been disclosed in the case of former Sun Valley Elementary students who were abused by former teacher Ricky Ordway. Meanwhile, the district’s Prop 428 is an estimated $33,000,000, with an expiration date of seven years.

Since M&O funds are less regulated in terms of how the dollars are spent, is it not possible for the district to campaign on promises of improved arts, athletics and special needs programs but then reallocate those funds to cover expenses associated with pending lawsuits? Someone who knows how these things work should reach out to me. I think PUSD is luring voters into a bait and switch, and the teachers who support Prop 428 probably won’t see more than a few dimes if the measure is approved.

On the contrary, if voters pass Prop 320, they’ll remove some of the administrative controls that have led to financial mismanagement and corruption in many public schools. This statewide ballot measure requires districts with over 7,500 students, or counties with more than 500,000 residents, to allocate 60% of its operation budget to classrooms and teachers. In this case, the auditor general determines what meets the threshold or definition of “direct instructional expenses.” This is why organizations like the Arizona School Board Association (ASBA) and Save Our Schools Arizona (SOS) oppose Prop 320. They want to maintain the status quo and stick taxpayers with the bill.

Nevertheless, Peoria taxpayers don’t owe the district anything. If one or two failed overrides can cause everything to fall apart after 20 years of guaranteed 13% approval, then there’s a bigger problem that more money won’t fix. Students are falling through the cracks, school sites are lacking basic necessities, alleged predators and failed mandated reporters are thriving after leaving the district. It appears the only way to hold PUSD accountable is to let Prop 428 fail.  At least with Prop 320, we have some assurance that site funds will go towards education.

With enrollment declining in PUSD, staff reductions and school closures are expected. This is what competition looks like in a state with a robust school choice movement. When we add up multiple cases of alleged adult sexual misconduct, anti-ICE protests, and a majority of students graduating without basic life skills, it’s clear why parents are exploring other options. A loss of market share in government education is net positive for the state and the nation at large. Parents are stepping up to do what God called them to do (Proverbs 22:6).

All this to simply say, Prop 320 makes sense but passing Prop 428 is insane.

Remember, elections have consequences.

Tiffany Benson is host of The Myth of Education Podcast. She has been a parental rights and student safety advocate since 2022.

TIFFANY BENSON: Peoria’s Proposition 428 Is The Definition Of Insanity

TIFFANY BENSON: Peoria Unified: This Is Why K-12 Communities Don’t Trust School Board Members

By Tiffany Benson |

Anyone who can look you in the face and lie without batting an eye is a morally reckless person.

I watched the KTAR interview featuring Peoria USD board members Jeff Tobey and Becky Proudfit. What should have only taken 13 minutes took me nearly two hours to digest with all the pausing. I struggle listening to people shamelessly weave false narratives. There’s no way I can stay silent.

When host Mike Broomhead asked if mandated reporting laws were followed in the case of former Centennial High School teachers Haley Beck and Angela Burlaka, Tobey claimed he was “evidence driven, process driven” and that Peoria PD “said there was no misstep when it came to mandatory reporting.”

Common sense tells me that Peoria PD’s initial investigation was primarily focused on finding evidence that would lead to the arrest and prosecution of suspected child abusers. Mandatory reporting isn’t exactly a high priority for PUSD employees since these kinds of failures have occurred before without consequences. Is it not possible for investigators to miss something, especially if sufficient evidence was withheld?

Thankfully, PUSD board member Heather Rooks sounded the alarm after she read the police report, reviewed state statutes, and discovered more laws were broken.

When Broomhead said:

“The board president [Rooks] was removed for not following protocol…I thought it was a bad look for the district that you went after somebody that was saying ‘I just want to protect kids,’ and it looked in the end like she was right that there needed to be a further investigation.”

Proudfit declared:

“I don’t think that’s a fair assessment. And I think there were a number of things that led to that change in the board presidency…The former prosecutor who would have done the in-house investigation encouraged us to wait until after the police had wrapped up their investigation for fear that we would meddle up [sic] the investigation.”

Once Rooks learned that a mandated reporting probe wouldn’t interfere with open investigations, she went to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office in her capacity as a parent and taxpayer. Rooks was within her First Amendment right to speak. It’s also her duty as a civil servant to pursue truth, even while her left-leaning colleagues vote against it.

When Broomhead stated:

“It’s been reported that, Mr. Tobey, you are the one that requested that your attorney try to limit the search warrants. So, is this full cooperation if you were trying to limit the search warrants? Did you try to limit the search warrants?”

Tobey replied:

“So, the misinformation on that part was I proofread something that was drafted by legal. So, our superintendent is the de facto executive of the district and is responsible for making those decisions. As the board president, I am the legal liaison with the board and the attorney. It’s my role to kind of have that interface with the attorney and the superintendent. So, it wasn’t my direction at all. It was the direction of the district.”

So, you took part in a coup to remove Rooks from the board presidency only to abdicate your authority and defer to your subordinates in a time of crisis? Some leader you are…

On July 6, 2026, 12News reported, “The police department had previously served a search warrant earlier this year to PUSD in order to obtain documents related to the investigation into the Centennial High controversy. Attorneys representing PUSD filed a motion in Maricopa County court to restrict their access to certain records.”

Quoting PUSD Chief Communications Officer Danielle Airey, the article said, “‘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.’”

In other words, Tobey could have called for a vote to waive attorney-client privilege at any time. That’s what Rooks would have done if she were still board president. Tobey—who works for Phoenix PD—should know a criminal search warrant supersedes FERPA, Title IX, and all administrative rules.

As I’ve explained in previous posts, Tobey didn’t have the popularity to get elected. He relied heavily on Rooks’ support and the grassroots campaign led by West Valley Parents Uniting (WVPU). In a twist of irony, Tobey and Rooks were two of WVPU’s founding board members. They served in the organization together until they both resigned to run for public office.

A few years later, on a quest for power, it would be Tobey who teamed up with leftists and accused Rooks of political grandstanding as she aspired to higher office. Rooks also supposedly broke protocol by speaking to the media as an active board member.

But wait, there’s more.

On July 21, 2026, this same Tobey character appeared in an ABC15 interview to address Peoria PD’s days-long raid at the district office. Tobey said he was speaking up now because “it’s important to reach more individuals in the community…and I want to be able to share what I can.” While explaining his vote to appoint Darien Schoolcraft as Centennial’s new principal, Tobey verbally identified himself as an active board member. This fits the definition of a hypocrite: A person who tells other people how to behave or claims to hold certain moral, religious, or political beliefs, but then does the exact opposite in their own actions.

To everyone attacking and plotting against Rooks—including the RINOs on LD28’s executive leadership team who publicly supported her demotion—you seem to have lost the real narrative. Let me refresh your memory.

This entire situation, which has gone national and inspired action from the U.S. Department of Education, started with district employees who allegedly victimized their students. Following accusations and concerns from students and community members, former Centennial principal Scott Hollabaugh (and other employees) failed to notify law enforcement.

This is not a matter of perspective or interpretation. For all the “evidence driven, process driven” hypocrites watching this saga unfold, the reality of it all can be ascertained from the investigation report. What difference does it make whether you “like” Rooks or think she’s out for political gain—she’s trying to protect children! Rooks isn’t the issue. Cover-up culture is the issue.

Proudfit—who also serves as LD28’s 4th Vice Chair—voted with Tobey and Melissa Ewing to ineffectively silence a voice calling attention to the alleged sexual exploitation of PUSD students. When Broomhead pointed out the possibility that school leadership ignored students’ complaints about Beck and Burlaka, Proudfit deflected and said:

“This is the part of the story as a mother that makes me see red…We don’t have [a] record of any of those students coming to actual authorities, but instead they went to TikTok and it became a social media centered conversation…As a school district we don’t have control over what your child does on social media. And that’s where I think it’s really important to remember that the number one mandated reporter is parents. They also fall under that [law]. The system only works when everyone is cooperating.”

Is this not what “social emotional” gurus call victim blaming? Again, the lie about there being no record of students approaching administrators is debunked by the police report and is most likely contained in those documents Peoria PD had to pry out of the district’s hands. Hm…it seems there was a lack of cooperation somewhere that caused the system to fail.

School board members are not elected to parent the district. They sit as a body of government to hold official proceedings, not family therapy sessions. Everyone knows students use social media to express themselves. What we don’t know is how they’re responsible for employee misconduct. And why would a public official think it’s appropriate to lecture parents about their kids’ online activities when PUSD is being vetted for alleged child sex crimes that started and/or occurred on campus?

Unless I missed it, by the end of the KTAR interview, Tobey or Proudfit never condemned the alleged perpetrators’ actions. There was no warning for district employees to conduct themselves with professionalism and self-control. No apology was offered to any alleged victims or their families. I swear they were both reciting passages from a restorative justice handbook, or something. It was truly bizarre. Now do you see why it took two hours to watch?

It’s worth noting that Tobey and Proudfit have privately acquired a PR team. I guess this means we can expect their media charade to continue. No worries, keeping the record straight is what I do and I’m not going anywhere. I see 2028 on the horizon.

School board candidates often campaign on “truth,” “transparency,” and “accountability.” Tobey specifically ran on “student safety.” These are the promises K-12 parents want to hear—need to hear—before entrusting someone with their kids. I’m sorry to say those in the highest leadership positions have betrayed the public’s trust. All promises were broken the day Rooks was removed from the board presidency.

I don’t know about you, but I can clearly see who’s in this for political gain. We are where we are today because we have people in power who choose to protect institutions over children.

Tiffany Benson is the founder of Restore Parental Rights in Education and host of The Myth of Education Podcast. All views and opinions expressed by Tiffany are her own.

Horne Questions Transparency In Peoria Unified’s Handling Of Teacher Abuse Allegations

Horne Questions Transparency In Peoria Unified’s Handling Of Teacher Abuse Allegations

By Staff Reporter |

Arizona Superintendent of Schools Tom Horne expressed concern publicly that Peoria Unified School District (PUSD) leadership is failing in its response to student sexual abuse.

The head of Arizona schools said he was concerned with a lack of transparency within PUSD. 

Horne also indicated worry over the recent leadership changes at PUSD amid investigations that follow sexual abuse charges against two Centennial High School teachers, Haley Beck and Angela Burlaka. 

Three of the five governing board members voted to remove Heather Rooks from the presidency in a special meeting last week for asking the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office (MCAO) to join an internal investigation of alleged mandatory reporting failures concerning Beck. 

The board had voted against bringing the MCAO on in an earlier meeting. Rooks and board member Janelle Bowles voted against replacing Rooks with board member Jeff Tobey. 

Arizona law mandates school personnel report to law enforcement, the Department of Child Safety, and the State Board of Education when they have reason to believe that a minor has experienced intentional abuse, neglect, or physical injury. 

Unlike the PUSD governing board, the state’s schools chief issued open support for Rooks.

“Horne agrees with Rooks that full reporting is legally required,” stated an Arizona Department of Education press release. “Also, reports are to be made immediately, and reporting to a supervisor or administrator is not sufficient. Failure to comply is a Class I misdemeanor for child abuse or neglect and a Class 6 felony for not reporting a reportable offense.”

Following her ouster from the presidency, Rooks offered details on the alleged mandated reporting failures in an interview with “The Conservative Circus.” Rooks shared an allegation that Centennial High School’s principal sat on reports which accused Beck of grooming and other inappropriate behaviors with a male student. 

Rooks voiced feelings of shame for the board’s behavior in a statement issued after last week’s special meeting. Rooks said she had a responsibility to secure an investigation into alleged mandated reporting failures. 

Horne stressed in a press release that Arizona has “zero tolerance” for failing on mandated reporting. 

“I am deeply concerned about the events occurring on the Peoria district board. It is absolutely crucial that every school be transparent with the public about what happens in schools,” said Horne. “There should be zero tolerance for people who don’t live up to their duty to report misconduct. In recent months, the State Board of Education, where I am a voting member, has disciplined educators for that kind of failure.” 

Beyond the problems at PUSD, Horne said he’s observed a rising trend of school employees maltreating children.

“There seems to be a terrible trend of school employees being accused of egregious breaches of conduct, including sexual activities with children. This is completely unacceptable and schools must do everything possible to ensure the safety of children,” said Horne. “The exploitation of a child by anyone, but especially an educator or other school employee, is an unfathomable breach of trust and cannot be tolerated.”

Horne included a reminder in his press release that the State Board of Education retains jurisdiction over disciplinary matters concerning educators and school personnel, while hiring decisions remain under the purview of local districts or charters. 

Anyone with information about grooming or sexual abuse of students within PUSD are encouraged to contact Peoria Police Department investigators at their tip line: 623-773-8132.

AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.

TIFFANY BENSON: Peoria’s Proposition 428 Is The Definition Of Insanity

TIFFANY BENSON: Peoria Unified School District: The Flashpoint Of Cover-Up Culture In Public Schools

By Tiffany Benson |

Most Arizonans are likely aware of the coup d’état to unseat Heather Rooks from the Peoria Unified School District (PUSD) board president position. Board members Becky Proudfit and Melissa Ewing requested the special meeting on May 5, 2026, with approval from superintendent Dr. KC Somers, and a guaranteed vote from board member Jeff Tobey. As I said in my recent Substack, Tobey would not have been elected to the board without Rooks’ help.

For those unaware of the backstory: two Centennial High School teachers, Haley Beck and Angela Burlaka, were credibly accused of sexually exploiting and abusing their students. What the public doesn’t know is the extent of Centennial High School principal Scott Hollabaugh’s knowledge of these alleged crimes. The 200-page Peoria Police report reveals Hollabaugh had “spoken to Beck” about student complaints of inappropriate behavior on campus.

Rooks sought an investigation into Hollabaugh’s potential failure to act as a mandated reporter pursuant to A.R.S. 13-3620. Arizona laws should have compelled Hollabaugh to report Beck to authorities, even in good faith. At the very least, an internal district investigation into both teachers’ actions should have been conducted to determine if children were safe around them. Instead, Beck and Burlaka remained in their classrooms.

PUSD leaders mistake the public for fools. They expect us to believe all the kids at Centennial knew about Beck’s alleged sexual relationship with a student, but all the adults in the school were too dumb to pick up on it. The progressive majority school board also wants parents to “wait and see” the results of pending investigations. However, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office confirmed to Rooks that they were not looking into mandated reporting violations.

During the April 23, 2026, board meeting, Tobey, Proudfit, and Ewing voted against an independent third-party investigation into Hollabaugh’s conduct, as well as all other employees who stayed silent. In regard to unseating Rooks, the progressive majority claimed they had “heard from so many in the community” that she was unfit to be board president. Rooks was elected by over 40,000 Peoria residents. So, unless Curly, Larry, and Moe are sitting on 40,000 emails, they didn’t hear from a majority of anybody. They acquiesced to the demands of teachers’ unions and certain turncoat Legislative District leaders.

The angle no one is talking about is how cover-up culture also marks the career of Dr. Somers. Before coming to PUSD, Somers was the superintendent of Lewis-Palmer School District 38 (LPSD) in Monument, Colorado, serving roughly from July 2019 to April 2024. During that time, students from Palmer Ridge High School accused the district of failing to act when a star athlete named Anthony Roberson allegedly harassed and sexually assaulted several female students without consequence. The alleged crimes reportedly took place between 2016 and 2020 when Roberson attended Palmer Ridge.

A former Palmer Ridge student named Jenna Baker started a Change.org petition that said, “Because of the allegations…it seems [Roberson] was pressured to graduate early instead of facing expulsion or exposure. The admin at the time gave him this choice as an easy way out. Justice was never served for his behavior.” The petition garnered over 5,700 signatures as it circulated among CU Boulder students who had attended high school with Roberson and were facing four more years with him at the college.

According to Fox 21 News, Baker came forward and “accused the school district of negligence and ignoring a litany of sexual assault and harassment reports filed by students.” During the April 17, 2023, LPSD school board meeting, Baker answered a call to the public and stated, in part:

“I was sexually assaulted at 15 years old by another [Palmer Ridge] student and still suffer from PTSD to this day, despite the fact [Palmer Ridge] was made aware of the student and at least five other sexual predators at large in the district in 2022. And no consequences were ever implemented, telling my parents the same thing they always tell victims, ‘It’s my word against his.'”

Shortly after Baker’s speech, Somers told LPSD board members that he was “looking forward to continuing the good work that’s in front of us and maintaining our focus on what’s most important.” He then read a prepared statement where he claimed to “stand wholeheartedly opposed to all forms of misconduct of a sexual nature, and take all reports of student and potentially staff misconduct seriously.”

Although some alleged sex crimes predate Somers’ time in LPSD, he was superintendent during the timeframe when Baker accused district administrators of allowing Roberson to quietly graduate early. Roberson was supposedly investigated by local law enforcement, but the allegations never led to formal charges. I found no record of LPSD conducting an internal investigation to know whether sex crimes had taken place on campus.

In light of all the controversy and contradictions, Somers popped up in Peoria and is now working with Tobey, Proudfit, and Ewing to silence the outcries and control the narratives surrounding Beck, Burlaka, and Hollabaugh. Now that his “good work” is almost finished in PUSD, Somers will soon be heading back to Colorado to serve as superintendent of the Eagle County School District. I hope those families know what kind of “leadership” is headed their way.

When Peoria High School basketball coach Patrick Battillo (Mr. ORNG) was arrested for child sex crimes, a teacher named Holly Holgate—who had been in the district for 20 years—tipped him off before police arrived to make an arrest. Battillo recently pled guilty to three counts of attempted exploitation of a minor but only received a three and half year prison sentence. I did not find court records showing Holgate was prosecuted for any crime.

Now do you understand why Rooks didn’t want to “wait and see” what happens with the other open investigations? Do you see why Hollabaugh should be placed on administrative leave until all investigations are concluded? Is it possible police investigators missed something during their initial interviews? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, then you know Rooks was well within her First Amendment right as a mother, taxpayer, and resident to insist on an investigation into mandated reporter violations—and the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office gave her the green light.

Rooks’ inquiry does not interfere with any other open investigation even though the three progressive board members are trying to make people think it does. At the same time Rooks is being accused of political grandstanding, it’s Tobey, Proudfit and Ewing who turned grooming and sexual assault into political theatre. Whatever Rooks’ aspirations or motivations may be, they are irrelevant to the fact that she’s trying to increase student safety on campus…which is one of the pillars Tobey ran on in 2024.

For the record, nobody has to follow any directives given by Tobey, Proudfit, Ewing, or Somers. Their positions and authority were given to them by voters, and they can be taken away by voters. If parents, including Rooks, want an investigation into mandated reporting violations, they should be able to submit a request without retaliation. The U.S. Constitution is higher than any district policy, and holding public office does not equate to a forfeiture of constitutional rights.

Aesthetics only matter to people who have something to hide. Those of us who put children’s wellbeing first don’t care how much money it costs, how much time it takes, or how much damage is done to the district’s reputation. We want all sexual predators, and all their accomplices, off the payroll and locked up.

Witnesses and victims of Beck and Burlaka are encouraged to contact the Peoria Police tip line. Anyone can also sign the Change.org petition calling for a full child safety investigation into PUSD.

Tiffany Benson is the founder of Restore Parental Rights in Education and host of The Myth of Education Podcast. Her commentaries on public education and Christian faith can be viewed at Parentspayattention.com and Bigviewsmallwindow.com. All views and opinions expressed by Tiffany are her own.

TIFFANY BENSON: Peoria’s Proposition 428 Is The Definition Of Insanity

Peoria Unified School District President Removed After Pushing For Additional Sex Abuse Investigation

By Staff Reporter |

Peoria Unified School District (PUSD) retained a new governing board president following a charged special meeting on Tuesday night.

Former governing board president Heather Rooks lasted five months into her second elected term. Rooks was removed over what a majority on the board alleged was an undermining of their credibility and integrity involving a criminal investigation referral.

The board majority argued that Rooks defied the board’s authority in multiple ways, most recently by requesting the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office investigate Centennial High School officials for mandatory reporting violations in connection to the ongoing criminal cases involving former teachers Haley Beck and Angela Burlaka. 

Beck and Burlaka face charges for the alleged sexual abuse of at least one student, though investigators have indicated in recent weeks that the victim pool may be bigger.

The board voted to delay a decision on launching a third-party, internal investigation due to other ongoing investigations by law enforcement. That would make the seventh investigation on the matter.

Also cited as a grievance by the board majority was Rooks’ media interviews in which she expressed criticisms of school administration over the handling of sexual abuse complaints. Rooks alleged the existence of “red flags” known to school administrators, something which has not been declared or proven by investigators.

The board voted 3-2 to replace Rooks with Jeff Tobey. Rooks and board member Janelle Bowles voted against Rooks’ ouster and spoke at length in Rooks’ defense.

Public comment ran for nearly an hour. Over 20 speakers showed up; slightly more speakers wanted to see Rooks replaced, while the remainder defended Rooks.

Rooks has maintained that she filed the internal investigation request in her capacity as a parent, not the board president. Rooks also claimed that her removal constituted retaliation over her speech. 

“From a legal standpoint, when protected speech is followed by an adverse action and there is a causal connection between the two, it raises legitimate First Amendment concerns, including potential retaliation,” said Rooks. “If raising concerns about student safety and compliance leads to the removal from leadership, it risks creating a chilling effect, not just for me but for anyone who would otherwise speak up.”

Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell’s investigatory efforts into high school officials were underway well prior to Rooks’ request. Peoria police have already stated publicly that they don’t plan to file any charges for mandatory reporting failures. 

Ewing accused Rooks of undermining the board on its decision to wait for officials to conclude their own investigations into the matter. Ewing said Rooks was advancing theories and claims without evidence, something she said could risk harming prosecution efforts against the two teachers. This was a talking point that echoed throughout public comment advocating for Rooks’ ouster. 

“She is advancing a narrative based on belief rather than evidence, despite her direct knowledge of interviews, investigative steps, and findings discussed in multiple executive sessions,” said Ewing.

Though critical, Tobey and Board Member Becky Proudfit had kinder words for Rooks. Proudfit said Rooks had PUSD students’ best interests at heart, but that intent didn’t justify her actions.

Tobey expressed support for Rooks’ freedom of speech generally but clarified that he was “disappointed” in her actions because they reflected her “opinions” and not the facts of the cases.

“I’ve learned the hard way that parallel investigations can interfere with one another,” said Tobey. “I don’t want to give any alleged pedophile any chance or upper hand in trial.” 

Rooks accused the Arizona Education Association of coordinating the special meeting that resulted in her removal.

“Peoria School Board Members will vote tomorrow on a new President because the Arizona Teacher Union is calling for me to be removed as President,” said Rooks. 

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