The public saga of Centennial High School teachers Haley Beck and Angela Burlaka dates back nearly a year, with allegations of their misconduct said to be a topic of conversation among students and staff even before then.
The public first learned of the news last August when the teachers were put on administrative leave and parents were told they were being investigated by Peoria Police.
The public didn’t get a real glimpse into Beck and Burlaka’s relationship with a former Centennial football player until police released its investigative reports last December.
The reports detailed how Burlaka allegedly sent the student a video of her showering in the nude, and a video of her masturbating, among other correspondences.
On the other hand, the reports revealed a much more intimate relationship between the student and Beck, who reportedly sent him more than $600 in digital payments and exchanged thousands of text messages, with police ultimately concluding that Beck had a sexual relationship with the student, although after he had turned 18.
Police reports indicate the student has not participated in the investigation, and refused attempts by detectives to interview him.
“After review of the evidence I believe Haley had a sexual relationship based off a financial obligation,” Detective Richard Kraber stated in the police report.
For several months, the Maricopa County Attorneys Office has been reviewing the recommended charges against the teachers — Beck on suspicion of pandering, and Burlaka on suspicion of aggravated luring a minor for sexual exploitation.
Since Peoria Police submitted those charges to the attorney’s office, the investigation has shifted from the teachers to Centennial’s administration, as questions of mandatory reporting have been raised in the community, with the police report indicating Principal Scott Hollabaugh, who recently resigned from his position, could have known about potential misconduct before the police investigation began.
The report documents a conversation with another district principal in which Hollabaugh states: “This is not the first time we have had an issue or have had to talk to (Beck).”
In addition to the police, the teachers have also been investigated through the district’s Title IX process and through Peoria Unified Human Resources.
All the activity has led to upheaval within the district with community members wanting answers and closure to a scandal that continues without abatement.
The scandal also led to fissures on the district governing board after the ousting of former President Heather Rooks from her position after she unilaterally filed a complaint with the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office against members of the Centennial High School administration claiming they did not report alleged sexual misconduct by Beck early enough.
Rooks, who remains on the board, also pushed for a third-party to investigate potential mandated reporting violations, but it did not move forward.
The fate of Beck and Burlaka remains up in the air, and police continue to investigate potential mandated reporting violations at Centennial.
For a bird’s eye view of the saga over nearly the last year, here is a detailed timeline of what has transpired regarding these cases since last July.
July 31, noon: Peoria Police investigate Burlaka, and uncover video she allegedly sent to the student depicting her showering nude. Detectives match the tattoo on the woman in the video to the tattoo on the arm of Burlaka, confirming the woman in the video to be Burlaka.
July 31, 4 p.m.: Officers interview Burlaka, obtain warrant and search her home.
July 31, 6 p.m.: Centennial High School Principal Scott Hollabaugh provided copy of search warrant for Burlaka’s classroom. Hollabaugh tells police he received multiple complaints from students and staff regarding the relationship between Beck and the student. Hollabaugh told police he had spoken to Beck about the complaints, who denied accusations of wrong doing.
Aug. 2: Police interview Beck. Officers search her home after receiving warrant. Detectives find handwritten notes/letters written to the student.
“I won’t lie, I would always look forward to when you would come over. Not even to do anything — but just to hang,” the letter stated about the student.
Later Beck’s cell phone and other digital accounts were searched.
Beck denied any incidences of intentionally meeting with the student. She said she has never given gifts outside of school. She adamantly denied the existence of an alleged video of her performing oral sex on the student and denied any sexual relationship with the student. She also denied that he came to her apartment, and told police that she has never had a relationship outside of a student-teacher relationship.
Aug. 2: Police interview Peoria High School Principal Sammy Chagolla. He had obtained photos of Beck in a bikini and told Hollabaugh about it. Hollabaugh: “Oh shit, Samuel, thank you, can you send me those pictures. This is not the first time we have had an issue or have had to talk to her.” Chagolla told Hollabaugh that Beck was posting TikTok videos of children without parental consent. Hollabaugh told Chagolla he was going to investigate.
Aug. 4: Search warrant issued for Burlaka’s residence, vehicle, workplace. She is interviewed by police. She refused to answer some questions and requested an attorney.
Aug. 5: Warrant served so police are able to search Beck’s car.
Aug. 8: Although few details are available, the general public first learns about the scandal — Peoria Independent publishes story about Beck and Burlaka going on administrative leave and being investigated by the police.
Oct. 21: Hollabaugh interviewed by police. He told police he met with one of the Centennial football coaches. Hollabaugh had asked to meet with the coach because the HR department informed him they had spoken with Peoria Police and there was potentially another student involved with Beck and Burlaka. Hollabaugh was informed by HR that police had told them the student potentially received explicit videos from Burlaka and that he also might be involved in a relationship with Beck. The coach told Hollabaugh the student acknowledged he and Beck had been messaging back and forth. Messages like: “How’s your day? And how’s your rehab?” The messages were from July 2025. Hollabaugh tells the coach he was concerned this was not “just an innocent thing.”
Dec. 18: Peoria Police release reports on teacher investigations to Peoria Independent. At that point it appeared the investigation had been closed because charges had been submitted to the Maricopa County Attorney — Beck on suspicion of pandering and Burlaka on suspicion of aggravated luring a minor for sexual exploitation.
Jan. 26, 2026: Arizona State Board of Education officially accepts Burlaka’s voluntary surrender of her teacher’s certificate, which had been surrendered in November. Peoria Unified School District governing board terminated her employment later that day.
March 26: Beck terminated by the Peoria Unified governing board.
April 2, 2026: Peoria Police tell PUSD that in the process of investigating Beck and Burlaka, they have found “there is no indication district officials failed to meet their obligations as mandatory reporters under Arizona law.” PUSD Superintendent KC Somers sends letter to parents stating the information available at the time concerns were initially raised did not “meet the legal threshold for reasonable suspicion of abuse.” The district relayed this information to parents in a letter April 27.
April 23: On a split vote, Peoria Unified School District governing board vote to table a request from Rooks to retain the services of a third-party investigator to look into allegations regarding knowledge of inappropriate sexual misconduct of the two teachers, as well as potential mandated reporting violations at the administrative level.
May 5: The Peoria Unified School District governing board calls a special meeting to remove Rooks from her seat as president and replace her with board member Jeff Tobey. The vote was split 3-2. Opponents said she acted unilaterally in filing a complaint with the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office against members of the Centennial High School administration, potentially violating district policy. Rooks claimed they did not report alleged sexual misconduct early enough.
May 13: Peoria Police Department submits multiple public records requests related to its investigation of Beck and Burlaka. The same day, the district acknowledged receipt of those requests and began the process of reviewing and responding.
May 14: After the item being agendized, Peoria Unified School District governing board member Janelle Bowles withdrew her proposal for revisions to the district’s policy on mandatory reporting at their public meeting May 14.
May 19, 9 a.m.: Rooks and other Republican leaders gather on the Arizona Senate lawn for a press conference about mandated reporting, highlighting the PUSD scandal.
May 19: PUSD governing board does an about-face, and after naming Ryan LaDouceur as interim superintendent weeks earlier, moved in a different direction and appointed Chief Personnel Officer Tahlya Visintainer for the interim position. Rooks claims the move to replace LaDouceur is because she has supported him in being the interim superintendent, as well as because of her fight for mandated reporting.
May 22: Hollabaugh resigns from Centennial amid alleged sexual misconduct by teachers employed at the school.
May 28: District served search warrant for multiple documents related to the Beck and Burlaka cases. Warrant requires district to produce the documents by June 5.
Senior News Editor Philip Haldiman can be reached at phaldiman@iniusa.org, or on X @philiphaldiman. Please submit comments at yourvalley.net/letters or email them to AzOpinions@inusua.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines.
Meet Philip Haldiman is an award-winning journalist who most recently took first place for investigative reporting in 2023 from Arizona Newspapers Association. He joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2015, covering Sun City West his first year. Since 2016, he has covered the city of Peoria. Prior to coming to INI, he was a reporter with The Arizona Republic for seven years, covering numerous cities throughout the Valley. Before that, he was a freelance writer.
Community: Haldiman spearheads the Peoria Independent Hometown Heroes Awards program, honoring local individuals and businesses that give back to the community. He has hosted local candidate forums over the years and is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists. Haldiman also served as a member of the Journalism Program Community Advisory Board at Glendale Community College. Outside journalism, Haldiman served as a member of the city of Peoria Complete Count Committee for the Census, 2019-2020. Lastly, he has served as a member of his HOA governing board since 2021.
Education: Arizona State University with a BA in Journalism and Mass Communications and a BA in Theater.
Random Fact: Haldiman is a fourth-generation Arizonan as well as wrote and produced an autobiographical comic book about his time spent in Hollywood and his life as a cult film star.
Hobbies: He enjoys hiking Arizona’s mountainous landscapes and is currently working on a play for the stage.
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