Police search Peoria district offices in teacher sexual misconduct investigation

PEORIA, AZ (AZFamily) — Police searched Peoria school district offices Monday as part of an ongoing criminal investigation into two former Centennial High School teachers accused of sexual misconduct with a student.

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Officers with the Peoria Police Department were seen Monday morning at the district’s offices on Thunderbird Road at 63rd Avenue in Glendale.

Police confirmed to Arizona’s Family that the search warrant was connected to the investigation into former teachers Haley Beck and Angela Burlaka.

Peoria police said that they’re limited in the information they can provide “because this is an active investigation,” but are looking for materials they believe may be relevant to the investigation, according to department spokesperson Sgt. Araceli “Shelly” Montes.

Montes said Peoria police will release additional information when “appropriate and when doing so will not compromise the integrity of the investigation.”

Peoria police expect to take all day Monday, and possibly several days, to carry out the warrant as they’re being assisted in their search by other police departments.

Peoria Unified School District sent Arizona’s Family a statement Monday evening, saying it was surprised at the second search, given its ongoing cooperation. District officials also denied social media rumors and said no employees or Governing Board members were arrested.

The district said it was cooperating fully so schools could prepare for the new school year on time.

What investigators are looking for

Former FBI Special Agent and prosecuting attorney Lance Leising said the outcome of the raid could determine whether there will be charges filed.

Leising said the search is expected to stretch on for days and will focus largely on digital evidence.

“They’re going to be seizing laptops and hard drives. They’re going to be looking into communication systems that the school district uses, whether that’s Microsoft Teams. They’re going to be looking at investigative reports to see if HR investigations were ever conducted. They’re going to look at complaint records,” Leising said.

He said investigators are likely coordinating closely with prosecutors. “They’re likely working hand in hand with the prosecutor’s office and taking this case very methodically step by step to make sure they’re not missing anything,” Leising said.

Scope of investigation could expand

Because the case involves someone under 18, Leising said the digital trail is critical— not only to build a case against the two teachers but to determine whether others may be implicated.

“To make sure they’re not missing anything, make sure they are identifying every potential victim out there to make sure there aren’t any other defendants out there that they don’t know about yet,” Leising said.

He said that scrutiny could extend to anyone who may have failed to report the alleged conduct, adding the investigation could reach “all the way to others obstructing or not reporting in a timely manner or knowing this was going on.”

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Leising said it could take weeks or months to process all the digital evidence before any charges stemming from the raid are filed.

What started it all

Police began their investigation into the allegations against Beck and Burlaka in August. The district placed the two on administrative leave, eventually firing Beck while Burlaka resigned.

Burlaka is accused of recording and sending videos of herself naked to the student, according to a Peoria police report. Beck is accused of exchanging thousands of texts about sexual and illegal activity with the teenager, and grooming him, according to police. Beck has denied the allegations against her.

No charges have been filed against Beck nor Burlaka. The case is also currently under review by the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.

Statement on Search Warrant Served Today

The Peoria Unified School District is disappointed by the Peoria Police Department’s decision to execute a second search warrant at the District Administration Center and Cholla Annex today, which closed district operations for the day and may affect operations in the days ahead. An extended closure would negatively impact the district’s mission of educating the thousands of children it serves.

Since the execution of the first search warrant on May 28, 2026, the district has cooperated fully with the investigation — as it always has — through numerous written and verbal exchanges, providing available information and records, answering questions, offering to run additional searches and making district personnel available for further discussion.

The district was therefore surprised by today’s action by the Peoria Police Department, which was carried out despite our ongoing cooperation and repeated offers of assistance. The district remains committed to working with the Peoria Police Department, renews its offer of full cooperation and looks forward to returning to its critical work of preparing for the start of the school year and educating children as soon as possible.

To clear up misinformation that is spreading on social media, no district employees or Governing Board members were taken into custody. The district reminds the media and the community that individual Governing Board members do not speak for the Peoria Unified School District or the Governing Board.

In order to approve its annual budget in accordance with ARS 15-905, the Peoria Unified School District Governing Board will hold its previously scheduled Regular Board meeting at 6 p.m. tomorrow, Tuesday, July 7, at Marshall Ranch Elementary School in the cafetorium. Marshall Ranch Elementary School is located at 12995 N. Marshall Ranch Drive in Glendale. Due to the change in location, the meeting will not be livestreamed, but it will be recorded and posted on the district’s website following the meeting.

A condensed agenda is available on the district’s website and is limited to items critical to the district’s continued operations.

Our goal remains the same: fully cooperating with police, so they can complete their work as quickly as possible – so we can prepare every campus and classroom for a successful start to the new school year.

Peoria Unified School District

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