Peoria Unified Misconduct Investigation Remains Active Before School Starts
Peoria police searched Peoria Unified School District offices on July 6 as part of an active sexual-misconduct investigation involving two former Centennial High School teachers, bringing the case back into public focus less than a month before the scheduled start of the school year.
The search involved a warrant connected to former teachers Haley Beck and Angela Burlaka. Police had also executed a search warrant on May 28, according to Arizona’s Family. Police continued searching district headquarters for a third day as of July 9.
The investigation concerns alleged misconduct involving a student. The allegations have not been established as findings, and the public record described in the reports did not include a final determination.
What the searches involved
The July warrant remained sealed, limiting the publicly described details about what investigators were seeking or what evidence they may have collected. Police said the investigation was active.
Beck was fired and Burlaka resigned, according to the reports. No charges had been filed at the time of the reporting, and the case was under review by the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office. The reports also said that no district employees or school board members had been arrested in connection with the search.
Because the warrant was sealed and the investigation was ongoing, the searches did not by themselves establish criminal wrongdoing by either former teacher or by any other person. Any charging decision would come later through the investigative and prosecutorial process.
District cooperation and public communication
Peoria Unified said it had cooperated with investigators through written and verbal exchanges. The district also said it had provided records and access to personnel.
The searches nevertheless intensified questions about the district’s handling of the investigation and its communication with the public. Board members criticized the district’s public messaging as the police investigation continued.
That dispute adds a governance issue to a case involving a large local school system and former educators. For families, the practical concern is not only what investigators may ultimately conclude, but also how the district communicates about student safety, personnel decisions and its response while the case remains unresolved.
Public meeting planned before classes resume
Peoria Unified planned a public meeting for July 16, 2026. The meeting was scheduled ahead of the district’s planned first day of school on Aug. 3.
The timing gives parents, staff and community members a near-term opportunity to hear from district officials and raise questions about the investigation and the district’s response. The meeting itself was not described as a hearing that would resolve the criminal investigation.
The next legal step depends on the police investigation and the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office review. Until investigators or prosecutors take formal action, the sealed warrant and the absence of charges reported at the time leave important details unresolved.
For Peoria Unified, the case is unfolding during the final weeks before students are scheduled to return. The district’s cooperation, its public communication and any decision by prosecutors will remain central to how the matter develops as the 2026-27 school year approaches.
Sources
- Police search Peoria district offices in teacher sexual misconduct investigation, Arizona’s Family
- Peoria Unified under pressure as teacher misconduct probe continues, Arizona’s Family
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