These columns list arrests and not convictions, unless otherwise stated. Anyone listed here who is later found not guilty or has had the charges against them dropped is welcome to inform this newspaper. The information will be confirmed and printed.

Odyssey Prep

West Valley teacher suspected of punching student faces felony charge

Buckeye Police arrest woman at Goodyear home

(MCSO)

Sarah Short

Posted Tuesday, January 27, 2026 11:37 am

INDEPENDENT NEWSMEDIA

A 54-year-old Goodyear woman who was a substitute teacher at Odyssey Prep Academy in Buckeye has been arrested after police said she punched a student during class.

The assault was reported Monday to the Buckeye Police school resource officer assigned to the campus on Apache Road, according to a release.

The SRO learned there was an argument between Sarah Short and a 10-year-old boy, the Buckeye Police Department release stated.

Short was teaching a class of fifth-graders when she allegedly hit the student in the back, police said, adding the boy did not require medical attention.

Short left the campus before officers arrived, and she was contacted by Buckeye Police at her Goodyear home where she was arrested and booked on a charge of aggravated assault on a minor.

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