By admin 
TEMPE, AZ (AZFamily) — Why were teen girls changing clothes in a camera-equipped dance room instead of a locker room at an East Valley school this year? That’s the question Tempe Union High School District is now trying to answer.
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The district has opened an internal investigation into how a dance room at Corona del Sol High School came to be used by students as a changing area. The practice came to light after a 28-year-old district employee was arrested for allegedly spying on undressed girls inside the space earlier this month.
Antony N. Cruz, who worked as a surveillance officer, was booked on seven counts of voyeurism and is being held on a $100,000 cash-only bond in connection with the incident.
How the dance room became a changing area
District officials stressed the space is a dance room, not a locker room, and was never designated by the district or school administration as a place for students to change clothes.
During recent locker room renovations, the district said it approved a request from school administration to set up separate, camera-free locations for students to change. Officials said the dance room was not one of the approved locations.
A security camera was installed in the room in 2024 for campus safety purposes related to the room’s exterior access, according to the district.
The internal investigation is now focused on four questions:
- How and why students were using the dance room to change
- Whether established procedures were followed
- How the room was being used
- What corrective action may be necessary
“We understand why families have questions, and we share their concern,” the district said. “Our responsibility now is to fully understand what occurred, be transparent about what we learn, and take appropriate action.”
Allegations against the security guard
The investigation follows accusations that Cruz gained access to camera footage showing a room of young teen girls undressing in the dance space, and never told school staff or law enforcement about it.
Instead, investigators say Cruz began downloading the recordings onto a school computer in mid-July. He allegedly downloaded several videos, at least seven of which showed girls changing clothes, ranging from four minutes to two hours long.
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Download records showed the videos were saved to thumb drives and other storage devices, and school system data showed Cruz had accessed the footage remotely from his home on a Saturday, according to court paperwork.
In an interview with police, Cruz allegedly admitted he learned about the girls changing in the first week of school and his “attention was drawn” to students removing their clothes while the room was being recorded.
He reportedly said he initially felt uncomfortable and “tried” to tell someone, but he did not specify who he told or what exactly he was seeing, according to police.
Court documents state Cruz told investigators he downloaded the videos to “preserve them” and saved them to his cell phone. He reportedly admitted to inappropriately touching himself while watching the footage, but said it felt “wrong” because he knew the girls were between 13 and 15 years old.
Cruz was arrested at his Phoenix home on Saturday. His termination is pending school board approval.
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