Peoria board names new principal of school at center of teacher misconduct case

PEORIA, AZ (AZFamily) — The Peoria Unified School District board named a new principal for an embattled high school at the center of a teacher misconduct case.

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The board voted 3-2 Thursday to make Darien Schoolcraft the new principal of Centennial High School. He was previously the assistant principal and athletic director at Centennial.

The two board members who voted “no,” Heather Rooks and Jennifer Bowles, said their reasons were the ongoing police investigation and not having all the facts.

The school’s former principal, Scott Hollabaugh, resigned in May. He had been the principal at the school for eight years.

Parents hoped the board members would address a police search warrant that was served at the district’s headquarters, following an investigation into two former teachers accused of sexual misconduct.

The district released a statement last week warning the raid could affect its ability to educate students when the school year resumes in August. The statement also said the district was “disappointed” in the Peoria Police Department.

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The search was connected to a Peoria police investigation involving Angela Burlaka and Haley Beck, former Centennial High School teachers who were fired after being accused of sexual conduct with the same teenage boy. The district placed the two on administrative leave, eventually firing Beck while Burlaka resigned.

No arrests have been made and no charges have been filed in the case. It is currently under review by the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.

Peoria police have not released any information regarding the search, including whether anything was seized. When asked whether any evidence had been turned over to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, police had not responded as of Thursday.

The first day of school is scheduled for Aug. 3.

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