More controversy in the Peoria Unified School District as its board voted 3 to 2 in a Tuesday morning board meeting to replace its current interim superintendent.
Dr. Ryan LaDouceur was approved to become the interim superintendent for the district just about a month ago. However, a board meeting was called on a Tuesday to replace him. Both the school board president and board attorney said they received notification from Dr. LaDouceur that he no longer wished to proceed with the role.
However, in the board meeting on Tuesday, several community members, as well as board member Heather Rooks, said he was pushed out.
“It's inappropriate to take a man, put him in a position and then sign him into a contract and then take all that away. How dare you,” one woman said in public comment.
While some community members condemned the change, some parents were for it.
“I had reservations regarding his appointment to begin with as interim,” said parent Emily Saeteurn.
The leadership shakeup comes as the district remains under scrutiny. The Peoria Police Department is investigating allegations against two former educators at Centennial High School for sexual misconduct with a student.
There has also been criticism about the handling of the allegations, as police records showed the Centennial High principal told police about other complaints about Beck while authorities executed a search warrant in July 2025.
The superintendent sent home a letter to parents saying police communicated there was no “indication district officials failed to meet their obligations as mandatory reporters under Arizona law.”
However, Rooks, who was recently ousted as board president, believes there needs to be a third party investigation, concerned about potential mandatory reporting law violations. Before the school board meeting, Rooks stood alongside Arizona leaders, calling for mandatory reporting of suspected sexual abuse of minors.
“I was removed as president of the governing board after requesting an independent investigation into whether Arizona’s mandatory reporting laws were properly being followed regarding serious allegations involving former Centennial High School teachers Haley Beck and Angela Burlaka and their interactions that they did with the students,” she said.
Saeteurn said she was pleased to see Rooks taken off the leadership position, especially after the interviews she did with other media about the Centennial investigation.
“I want to see change. I definitely feel like Peoria’s board has become very political and it shouldn’t be political. We should all center the students and their safety and well being,” Saeteurn said.
The district’s chief personnel officer will serve as the interim superintendent. The district says Tahlya Visintainer returned to the district in 2025 and has experience in human resources and organizational leadership.
Visintainer spoke a little about the investigation after her appointment.
“I feel that although there is a lot of criticism about centennial, we did move and made hard decisions on teachers who are no longer working with us,” she said.
The Peoria Police Department told ABC15 that the investigation into the two former educators is still ongoing. On the mandatory reporting question, police said they initially found no violations but said if new information surfaces involving school officials or others, it will be examined as part of the investigation.
Anyone with any information is encouraged to contact investigators through the tip line at 623-773-8132.
The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office is still reviewing the two cases and recommended charges.
