PEORIA, AZ — The Peoria Unified School District and its governing board are discussing bringing on a third-party investigator to look into the inappropriate sexual misconduct allegations that occurred with two former Centennial High School educators.
The two former educators are identified as Angela Burlaka, 47, and Haley Beck, 27. The district put the two on leave once they were notified about the police investigation in early August. Burlaka was the COOP and Child Development teacher. Beck was a world history, sociology, psychology teacher, and soccer coach.
According to the board agenda for Thursday night, the third-party investigator would be brought on to "investigate allegations regarding knowledge of inappropriate sexual misconduct at Centennial High School.”
When ABC15 reached out to the district about what specifically would be investigated, the allegations of misconduct or the handling of the allegations by district and school staff, a spokesperson said more details would be discussed in the meeting and would be available afterward.
“In this situation, having any third-party investigator come in and confirm that the school did nothing wrong is the school covering its bases and making sure that it is OK from a liability standpoint,” said Armando Nava, a criminal defense attorney. Nava said it’s done as a precautionary measure, speaking to third-party investigations on a broader level.
A Peoria Unified spokesperson said the board wanted to discuss bringing in the investigator due to the recent media and social media coverage. The case involving Burlaka and Beck has drawn national attention, as Beck’s brother, Noah Beck, is a famous TikTok personality with more than 33 million followers.
"As you know, investigations were previously conducted through the District’s Title IX process, the Peoria Police Department, and Peoria Unified Human Resources. Based on the findings of these investigations, actions have been taken in alignment with legal requirements and district protocols,” a district spokesperson said.
According to Peoria Police, investigators recommended a charge of pandering for Beck. According to police and school district records, Beck is accused of exchanging more than 4,000 text messages with a teen student between June and August of 2025, allegedly “meeting up to have sex, drinking alcohol, smoking weed.”
Police records allege Beck also sent the student $630 over the course of a month and half, saying "after review of the evidence I believe Haley had a sexual relationship based off a financial obligation.”
In one message attached to a money exchange attained by police that is cited in the records, Beck said “this money exchange just felt like straight prostitution.”
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Both Beck and Burlaka are no longer with the district. According to district records, school leaders received the full police report in December, when police first submitted charges to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office. Burlaka ended up voluntarily surrendered her teaching license with the Arizona State Board of Education in January, therefore was no longer able to work at the district.
Beck had been with the school since 2020, as a soccer coach and teacher. In March, the school board adopted a statement of charges to start her dismissal.
“We send our kids to your schools ten months a year, five days a week, seven hours a day. As a parent, I'm glad to see that these pedophiles like Haley Beck are being held accountable as much as possible,” said one parent in public comment in the March meeting.
Beck’s attorney released a statement earlier in April after Peoria Police resubmitted charges.
“Ms. Beck respects the criminal justice process and looks forward to the conclusion of the investigation, which will reveal she committed no crimes,” Attorney Matthew Long said, “Like any individual subject to investigation, Ms. Beck is entitled to due process. We are confident that a complete review of the facts will confirm her innocence."
As for Burlaka, police are recommending charges of aggravated luring of a minor. Police records allege Burlaka sent sexually explicit videos to the same student while saying his name. Data in police records indicate some messages were sent before the student turned 18.
According to the police report, the student's mom knew about the relationship with Beck. Records say the student’s parents didn’t want to work with investigators, believing the incident could “affect his chances of getting a scholarship.”
The student’s grandmother was the first to alert police about the alleged misconduct, which then started the investigation.
While a search warrant was being executed at the school for Burlaka in July 2025, police records show the Centennial High Principal told police he had information he felt was necessary for the investigation, saying he had received “multiple complaints from students and staff regarding the relationship between Beck and [redacted name].” Before the school year started, the principal at Peoria High School talked with the Centennial High Principal about concerns he’d received about Beck as well.
The principal "said he had spoken to Haley about the complaints. Haley denied any of the accusations but was receptive to the feedback provided,” the police records stated.
As of Wednesday, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office told ABC15 it is still reviewing the case.
"With serious charges like this, again, and in a high-profile case like this, it's going to take a lot longer than one would normally think,” Nava said.
Investigators with the Peoria Police Department said they believe there could be more victims.
