A former Centennial High School student sent a notice of intent to sue to the Peoria Unified School District over allegations of sexual misconduct with two former educators earlier this year.
According to the Notice of Claim obtained by ABC15, the student said he met both educators, Haley Beck and Angela Burlaka, when he was a minor and a student at Centennial High School.
Both Beck and Burlaka are former educators with the school and are under investigation for allegations of sexual misconduct with the same student.
The student, whose name is redacted from the Notice of Claim to the district, accuses the district and school staff of failing to protect him from harm.
“Over time, Angela Burlaka and Haley Beck groomed and sexually harassed and abused [Claimant] while he was a student at Centennial High School,” the document read.
It continued to say the district, the principal and employees of the district had a “duty and obligation to properly investigate, hire, train and supervise their staff,” which included Burlaka and Beck. It also said the employees of the district had a “duty to respond and report inappropriate behavior perpetrated by employees and/or agents of the district…”
The Notice of Claim, which gives notice to public organizations before an official lawsuit is filed, says school staff breached their duties, and accused the district of causing severe emotional and physical damage.
The document also said the student is “willing to compromise and release Peoria Unified School District, its subdivisions and its agents (including Burlaka and Beck) in consideration of $20 million.”
The district told ABC15 it received the Notice of Claim in January and “responded accordingly.”
The Peoria Police Department is still seeking tips as it continues its investigation into Burlaka and Beck. Most recently, the district served a search warrant related to the case.
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 then-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.”
Fallout and leadership turmoil has continued following the Centennial High case. The Centennial High School principal resigned at the end of the school year. The previous board president was ousted and then the board voted to change its interim superintendent about a month after the replacement started.
Dr. Ryan LaDouceur was on track to become the interim superintendent; however, the board and its attorney previously said he no longer wished to proceed with the role.
However, in a meeting Tuesday night, Dr. LaDouceur spoke to the board publicly during executive session saying he was pressured to resign.
"I also want to point out clearly that that email was never ever written by me. It was written, time-stamped, and comes from the law firm that is represented, that our attorney represents, and I was told to pass it along to you and copy them back on it,” LaDouceur said in the meeting.
A district spokesperson sent ABC15 a statement regarding LaDouceur’s claims:
The district is committed to transparency and wants to set the record straight regarding recent claims about Dr. LaDouceur's departure.
On the morning of Sunday, May 17, Dr. LaDouceur sent a text message to the district's attorney and requested that she reach out to him to discuss his change in employment. At his request, she provided sample language he could use to inform the Governing Board President that he would not be moving forward with the Interim Superintendent role he had been offered. She clearly stated at that time that she does not represent him. Dr. LaDouceur then voluntarily edited and sent that communication from his own email account to the Governing Board President. It was a written withdrawal that he chose to send.
Upon receiving Dr. LaDouceur's written withdrawal, then-Superintendent Dr. Somers notified all administrators of the leadership update and informed them that the Board would hold a Special Meeting the following day to discuss next steps.
