Three Brutal Fights, One Death, and No Officers on Campus - Cota Demands Action
From Maryvale to Carl Hayden, a wave of violence exposes deep divisions over student safety in the Phoenix Union High School District.
On October 1, 2025, a violent melee at Carl Hayden High School escalated into at least one student being transported to the hospital. Another brutal fight puts new pressure on Phoenix Union over its refusal to reinstate school resource officers (SROs).
The fight was captured on video, showing chaos in the courtyard. At one point, a student can be seen suffering a seizure and lying unattended while other students continue fighting around him. That student was later transported to the hospital. District officials confirmed that no school resource officer or school safety officer was at Carl Hayden High School.
In the video, one adult can be seen present, but they appear uncertain about how to respond to the seriousness of the situation.
Video Disclaimer
The following video has been edited to protect the identities of minors. Faces have been blurred where children can be identified. This footage is shared solely for the purpose of reporting on campus safety concerns within the Phoenix Union High School District. State 48 News intent is to inform the public and hold school leadership accountable for student safety.
Cota: “District continues to fail to keep children safe”
Phoenix Union Governing Board Member Jeremiah Cota, the board’s lone Republican, condemned the district’s handling of campus safety in a statement to State 48 News:
Cota has repeatedly raised alarms about safety gaps in Phoenix Union schools, saying his calls for action have been ignored. Just days after the August 19 Maryvale stabbing, he sent a letter to Board President Napa urging immediate change.
In the letter, dated August 21, 2025, Cota recounted that he had already raised the issue at three separate meetings: the special meeting on June 17, the board retreat on July 18, and the regular meeting on August 7. He warned that the board’s decision to reject SROs amounted to a “stunning reluctance to prioritize the safety of students and staff,” adding, “Our district has failed a Maryvale High School family and the community this week.”
Cota formally requested the item be added to the agenda of the next regular meeting, but the board failed to do so.
Superintendent Horne: “This needs to stop immediately”
Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne said the September 15 fight underscores the dangers of the board’s stance. State 48 News was unable to reach Horne for a statement on the heels of yet another violent incident prior to publication.
“The safety of students, teachers, and staff members at schools is not negotiable, and a knife fight on the Carl Hayden campus Monday shows the dangers are increasing. This needs to stop immediately. The Phoenix Union governing board needs to reverse a terrible decision they made earlier this year when they rejected requests from the leadership of both Carl Hayden and Betty Fairfax high schools for armed officers on campus,” Horne said.
He accused the board of showing “an utter lack of concern” for student safety, calling their decision “an outrageous dereliction of responsibility.”
State 48 News editor Christy Kelly previously reported on the September 15 incident for the Arizona Globe. You can read that report here.
A series of violent incidents
The October 1 melee follows a series of alarming incidents on Phoenix Union campuses:
On September 15, 2025, two female Carl Hayden students were involved in a fight involving a pocket knife. Police reported that one student struck the other with the handle of the closed knife, causing injuries.
On August 19, 2025, tragedy struck at Maryvale High School when 16-year-old Chris Aguilar fatally stabbed fellow student Michael Montoya II, also 16, during a classroom confrontation. Montoya later died from his injuries. Aguilar was arrested and charged. Kelly wrote about the Maryvale tragedy, here.
Critics of SROs argue that armed officers could lead to “over-policing” of students, while supporters insist their presence deters violence and provides immediate response during emergencies.
With three high profile violent incidents — pressure is mounting for the Phoenix Union board to reconsider its decision regarding SROs.
This is a developing story.