EXCLUSIVE: Nearly 600 Arizona Educators Disciplined in Just Two Years
WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT, EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS — AND THERE MAY BE MAJOR DRAMA BREWING IN A SPECIAL CHANDLER CITY COUNCIL MEETING TODAY!
BREAKING: State Board of Education Drops 2024 Enforcement Report—Just Hours Before New Discipline Cases Hit
We’re kicking off the week with a jolt—the Arizona State Board of Education has released its 2024 Enforcement Action Report, detailing educator misconduct across the state. In just a few hours, the board will hear yet another round of discipline cases. The numbers are in.
To further explain the trends visualized in Exhibit 1, the 95% increase observed between 2015 and 2016 can be attributed to the processing of a significant backlog of cases, whereas the decline in 2018 is in response to turnover within the AG’s Office. The upward trends seen in 2019 and 2020 reflect the Board's decision to pursue and allocate funding for additional counsel to aid in the legal proceedings of the Board and its Professional Practices Advisory Committees (PPAC). Enforcement Actions in 2021 were lower due to closures related to the pandemic and its effect on the scheduling of PPAC hearings. Despite experiencing turnover among representatives from the AG's Office, the Board's enforcement action process delivered impressive results in 2023, thanks to the engagement of outside counsel. Board staff remained dedicated, implementing training initiatives to support counsel. Counsel serves a vital role in the adjudication of all cases, especially complaints, application reviews, and cases settled by negotiated settlement agreements. This initiative resulted in a notable rise in the number of adjudicated cases in 2022 and 2023. Board staff foresees a consistent processing of enforcement actions for 2025, with expectations to adjudicate over 300 cases. Additionally, in 2023, a third PPAC was established to support the steady adjudication of cases requiring this additional review.
-2024 Arizona State Board of Education | Enforcement Action Report | Page 8
The report finds, “Certificate holders are primarily identified as female, with a figure of 76%, while only 24% of Arizona educators are identified as male.”
“From only the cases adjudicated in 2024, 45% of cases were associated with assaultive (non-sexual) behaviors, followed by 29% associated with sexual misconduct behaviors. The Board prioritizes the investigation of sexual misconduct cases, thus these often reflect a more pronounced presence in the cases tracked. Substance-related cases decreased to 16% of all the 2024 cases, while breaches of contract decreased to 1%. Cases associated with fraud and theft slightly increased to 11% in 2024.”
-2024 Arizona State Board of Education | Enforcement Action Report | Page 18
Here’s a breakdown of the sources of educator misconduct reports to the Arizona State Board of Education’s Investigative Unit (IU), based on adjudicated cases in the 2024 Enforcement Action Report:
44% – Reports from employees within or associated with public district or charter schools
31% – Department of Public Safety (DPS) reports, typically via FCC suspension notices after arrests
9% – Self-disclosures from certification applicants
6% – Monitoring of NASDTEC (National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification) database
5% – Reports from other state agencies or state/local criminal justice systems
5% – Other sources, including:
Parent allegations
Google alerts
Traditional media
Social media
More Educators Face Discipline at May 19 State Board of Education Meeting
The Arizona State Board of Education is set to meet today to consider additional enforcement actions related to educator certifications. This comes on the heels of our recent report, “50+ Educators Disciplined…,” which exposed widespread disciplinary actions within the system.
The Arizona State Board of Education typically includes disciplinary actions on its consent agenda, which is approved through a single motion without discussion unless a board member requests to remove an item for separate consideration. The following are on the consent agenda for approval:
11 voluntary surrenders of educator certificates or rights to work in Arizona district or charter schools
1 permanent revocation of an individual’s educator certificate or right to work in an Arizona District or Charter School
2 summary suspensions of any and all educator certificates
Upon returning to the General Session, the board will consider another 4 settlement cases, 1 findings of fact from the Professional Practices Advisory Committee, and a request for a Request for Review or Rehearing.
Public Concern Grows Despite Superintendent’s Reassurance
While the community members we’ve talked with are alarmed by the number of cases— particularly the alleged sexual abuse cases - Superintendent Horne implies to State 48 News these incidents should be viewed in context. Barber inquired about the 51 educators disciplined in the last board meeting. He said, “There are about 60,000 teachers, so you’re still talking about a minuscule percentage.”
In our April 28th report, “50+ Arizona Educators Disciplined,” one school choice parent responded to a teacher’s disturbing testimony about reporting classroom mirrors, saying: “I don’t ever want to put my children—especially my two little girls—back in public school.”
The issue of sexual misconduct in Arizona schools surfaced in a recent interview with Higley Unified School District Board Member Anna Van Hoek. She voiced concern over delays in investigations, stating:
“And the backlog—they don’t have enough investigators. These teachers end up staying in the system until their case comes up. And then, a lot of times, they’re allowed to resign and they end up in a different school. And the whole system is just bad.”
View Van Hoek’s conversation with Barber here.
Superintendent Horne tells Barber, “For a while, we had a lot of catching up to do because there was a problem with the Attorney General’s office - of sufficient lawyers - that problem was solved. So we had a particularly high number because they were catching up when they got more lawyers to help process the cases.”
But if they are caught up, why do we see cases on today’s agenda dating back two to five years?
Certificate Enforcement Actions in Today’s Hearing:
Editor’s Note: State 48 News presumes all educators innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law. Allegations referenced in this report reflect ongoing investigations or administrative actions and do not imply criminal guilt.
The General Session Agenda lists: On May 22, 2023, the Board’s Investigative Unit (“IU”) received a complaint from the District alleging that Respondent wrote inappropriate messages in students’ yearbooks. On May 19, 2023 an SHS employee discovered that Respondent had wrote inappropriate comments to students in their school yearbooks. Respondent wrote in one student’s yearbook “[t]hanks for all the free Canes HEHE. Gay Sex… LOL.” (Ellipsis in original). Respondent also wrote “I am gonna miss the f—- out of you . . .” Respondent also wrote multiple comments in a female student’s yearbook. These comments include: “you should have run away from home or we should have kidnapped you”; I think about every day and especially when I found a new… or some new eye candy ;) on Instagram. Lots of hot mens’s…” (ellipsis in original); “if I come to Italy I will need a place to crash and you can give me a tour of all the fun places out there…and when are you coming back to the States?! Cause you’ll be old enough to hang and I can take you to all those fun AZ places!” (ellipsis in original); “[m]iss the f—- out of you!”; “[c]ome back cause I need to have some [student’s name] in my life!”; “message me on Insta when you find some more amazing pics on Insta LOL!”
A findings of fact report on the agenda states, “The Report contained allegations that in July of 2023 Respondent had an inappropriate relationship with a female support staff employee at the School outside of work hours.”
The Consent Agenda lists: “On August 22, 2023, the Gilbert Municipal Court notified the Investigative Unit that” an Educator “was convicted of Criminal Trespass, Interfering with Judicial Proceedings, and Resisting Arrest.” A report is reportedly on file with the Gilbert Police Department. “On April 21, 2025,” the Educator “voluntarily surrendered her Arizona teaching certificates.”
“On August 22, 2024, the Arizona Department of Education Certification Unit notified the Investigative Unit of allegations that” an Educator engaged in “unprofessional conduct by submitting a fraudulent Arizona State University college transcript.” The university was reportedly contacted, “and it was verified that the college transcripts submitted by” the Educator were fraudulent.
“On September 5, 2024, the Yuma Union High School District notified the Investigative Unit of the allegation of inappropriate, sexually provocative images located on a discarded SD card, left by” an Educator from the previous school year. The agenda report continues, on April 4, 2025, the Educator “voluntarily surrendered his Arizona teaching certificates.”
On September 23, 2024, the Isaac School District HR Director notified the Investigative Unit that Certified an Educator “engaged in Sexual Misconduct with a 7th grade female student by kissing her on the lips with an open mouth, grabbing her butt. The alleged assaults lasted from November of 2017 until May of 2018.” A report is said to be on file with the Phoenix Police Department. On March 31, 2025, the Educator “voluntarily surrendered his Arizona teaching certificates.”
On January 30, 2025, a NASDTEC Audit revealed an Educator surrendered his license/certificate in the State of Texas for Actions involving Sexual Misconduct. On February 27, 2025, the Educator voluntarily surrendered his Arizona teaching certificates.
In one case, the agenda states, “On May 21, 2019, in Case No. D-1314-CR-201800228, Educator “was convicted of Criminal Sexual Contact of a Minor in violation of N.M.S.A. § 30-9-13 in the Thirteenth Judicial District Court of New Mexico. On June 12, 2019, the Thirteenth Judicial District Court of New Mexico sentenced Educator to an eighteen (18) month term of imprisonment and ordered Educator to register as a sex offender.” This educator’s certificate is up for permanent revocation.
Student Safety Advocate Sounds the Alarm, Raising Red Flags and Demanding Accountability
“It’s on the high end of average. It’s all bad news. And the fact that that is a baseline for us is even more concerning that that’s just a normal day in the office for the State Board of Education.” Harsh words from student safety advocate Patrick Mannion who addressed the Board directly during the last meeting, raising concerns and calling attention to the pace and transparency of enforcement actions.
State 48 News contributor Jennifer Barber recently interviewed Mannion on the “Jen & Friends” podcast to discuss the Board’s role in upholding educator standards and the implications of such swift disciplinary decisions on Arizona’s education system.
Mannion says he has reviewed more than a decade’s worth of disciplinary data from the Arizona State Board of Education.
“It indicated, I think, 55 cases of discipline in the entire 2012 year - rising to 249, mid-200’s in 2023. And I think it was even higher - and even much higher in 2024. But that was not part of the data set. Now mind you, a lot of this uptick is due to increased funding and staffing in the area of school investigations. Or the Board Investigations Unit now has far more staff than they used to have,” Mannion explains.
When asked by Barber about the 51 disciplinary cases reviewed at the April State Board of Education meeting, Patrick Mannion responded:
“It can range from 25-50 (cases) depending on the month. That in and of itself it not okay. And the fact that over 30% of those cases have to do with sexual misconduct against students is particularly alarming.”
In defense of the accused, Mannion says many of the educators don’t have the resources to hire an attorney. “Don’t get me wrong, there’s a percentage of those cases that are really bad people doing really bad things - that just say, ‘I give up, I surrender.’ But as you get more into the woodwork of the subsequent cases, there’s a lot of misconduct cases.” Mannion notes in the April 28th meeting, the State Board of Education ruled on the educator discipline portion of the consent agenda in 27 seconds.
Mannion also says he thinks Arizona’s State Board members are over-tasked. “They are responsible for things that have heavy gravity. And if you happened to be at last month’s meeting, you can see the Empowerment Scholarship Accounts… those people are seeking to be heard. So many of them, they only give people 2 minutes to speak.” Mannion explains, “Focus on policy. We should have a different mechanism that removes discipline entirely from that board. And we should have a whole separate board.”
Mannion provides thoughtful insight on what a parent should do as soon as they hear any concern from a student regarding misconduct. Be sure to watch more of our talk with the student safety advocate here.
State 48 News will be watching today’s meeting and reporting back. Please subscribe and follow us on X for exclusive video content.
ANOTHER DANGEROUS VIRAL TIKTOK TREND STRIKES — DOES YOUR CHILD HAVE A SCHOOL-ISSUED CHROMEBOOK? READ THIS.
Barber shared on social media that a West Valley school district warned parents about a disturbing new TikTok challenge—students are inserting foreign objects into Chromebooks, posing serious safety risks.
This nationwide “challenge” has even manufacturers chiming in with helpful tips. You can read that here.
📌 Parents: Even if your child didn’t cause the damage, you may still be held responsible. Read your school’s handbook and talk with your kids about best ways to protect your device throughout the school day.
The City of Chandler is reportedly reviewing Mayor Kevin Hartke’s time in office amid growing questions about his service and the city’s term limit provisions.
According to Article II, Section 2.01(e) of the Chandler City Charter:
No person shall be eligible to be elected to the office of councilmember for more than two (2) consecutive terms, or to the office of mayor for more than two (2) consecutive terms or to more than a consecutive combination of same.
This provision means that an individual cannot serve more than two consecutive terms in either position or a combination of both.
Mayor Hartke’s Tenure: Gets a bit tricky based on when the new charter was established and how it applies to him. His service includes:
2008: Served as an interim councilmember.
2010–2018: Elected and served two consecutive terms as a councilmember.
2018–Present: Elected as mayor in 2018, began term in January 2019; re-elected in 2022, with the current term set to end in January 2027.
Given this timeline, Mayor Hartke has served two consecutive terms as a councilmember followed by two consecutive terms as mayor, totaling four consecutive terms in elected office.
Possible Legal Implications: The City Charter also states in Article II, Section 2.06(b)(1):
The mayor or a councilmember shall forfeit their office if they lack at any time during their term of office any qualification for the office prescribed by this charter or by law.
If Mayor Hartke is found to have exceeded the term limits, could this clause could necessitate his resignation? Call in the lawyers…
A special meeting has been noticed it reads as follows:
Executive Session for Legal Advice--A.R.S. Section 38-431.03(A)(3) - Discussion or consultation with legal counsel for legal advice relating to City Charter election requirements.
Insiders say that the Council is seeking advice on term limits and what this may mean going forward.
For more information on the Chandler City Charter, you can visit the official document here: Chandler City Charter.
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