Highlights
- Principal Scott Hollabaugh resigned Friday after eight years at Centennial High School in Peoria.
- Two former teachers, Haley Beck and Angela Burlaka, face allegations of inappropriate relationships with the same student.
- Hollabaugh's exit is the second leadership change at Peoria Unified this week, following a superintendent swap Tuesday.
- State and county officials are scrutinizing whether the district met Arizona's mandatory-reporting obligations.
Scott Hollabaugh, principal of Centennial High School in Peoria, announced his resignation Friday after eight years leading the school, as the Peoria Unified School District faces intensifying criticism over its handling of sexual misconduct allegations against two former teachers.
In a letter obtained by ABC15, Hollabaugh wrote: "I recognize the pain and sadness our community continues to experience related to the actions of two former employees. The events of recent weeks have also prompted significant reflection about healing and what Centennial needs most moving forward." He said he would help ensure a smooth transition in the coming weeks.
The resignation is the second leadership change at Peoria Unified School District this week. At a special meeting Tuesday, the district replaced incoming interim Superintendent Ryan LaDouceur with Tahlya Visintainer, a human resources officer, after accepting LaDouceur's withdrawal from consideration. Superintendent KC Somers had previously submitted his resignation.
The controversy centers on former teachers Haley Beck, 27, and Angela Burlaka, 47, who are accused of inappropriate relationships with the same student. According to ABC15, Beck exchanged more than 4,000 text messages with the student between June and August 2025, while Burlaka sent sexually explicit videos to the same student. Peoria police recommended pandering charges against Beck and aggravated luring of a minor charges against Burlaka.
The district fired Beck on March 26 for violating its sexual harassment policy; her teaching certificate remains under review by the State Board of Education. Burlaka surrendered her teaching certification on Jan. 26, the same day the district terminated her.
Who is scrutinizing the district's response?
Several officials have questioned whether Peoria Unified met its legal obligations. Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne said he does not believe the district fully followed Arizona statute. Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen accused district leaders of mishandling the allegations and called for action. Former PUSD Governing Board President Heather Rooks, who was removed as board president after independently asking the Maricopa County Attorney's Office to review the district's handling of the case, said she acted after finding discrepancies between the district's account and what students reported. Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell has said educators who fail to follow mandatory-reporting laws could face felony charges.
Centennial High School enrolls approximately 2,100 students, with more than 900 attending through open enrollment, according to FOX 10 Phoenix.
The district has not announced a timeline for naming a permanent principal at Centennial.
Sources
Every factual claim in this article traces to one of the sources below. See how we work for the editorial process.
- ktar.com retrieved 23/05/2026 18:24
- ABC15 Arizona retrieved 23/05/2026 18:24
- Fox 10 Phoenix retrieved 23/05/2026 18:24
Authored by The Scottsdale Signal. Drafted by AI from primary-source material under our beat-specific editorial guides; reviewed by humans before publish under our five-gate process. Sources retrieved at 23/05/2026 18:24. Every claim traces to a source.
