Tolleson Union High School District Under Scrutiny
Final 48: JLAC Committee Fallout & Exclusive Statements from Superintendent Calles and Senator Mark Finchem
Tolleson Superintendent Jeremy Calles spent over three hours in the hot seat at the JLAC hearing—a session packed with testimony and tough questions.
Our first report breaks down the key moments, which you can find here. This is part two of the fallout from JLAC and key background information.
State 48 News received a written statement from Calles, who said,
“Senator Finchem did not follow his own agenda and afford me a chance for a rebuttal, and there were multiple defamation issues.” When asked if he planned to pursue any defamation claims, Calles responded, “I am still working with my attorney on the defamation issue, but I was advised that I should first give the committee a chance to give me a name-clearing hearing.” He continued, “I have sent that request to JLAC and I am awaiting their response,” said Calles.
Senator Mark Finchem (R-1) told State 48,
“He cannot make a defamation claim in a legislative hearing. He has no right of due process. He left the building before the hearing was over, and I noticed that there was an unfulfilled agenda item. We sent a page after him, but he was gone. We will likely give him 15 minutes in the next JLAC hearing to make his point,” said Finchem.
With so much unfolding in Tolleson, it’s easy to lose track. Here is a clear timeline of key events related to campus safety—the central issue at the heart of this report.
The Gun Incident
On September 16, 2024, a firearm incident occurred at Tolleson Union High School involving a student who was allegedly in possession of a weapon on campus.
According to police body cam footage obtained by State 48, the firearm fell out of the student’s bag in the training room. A staff member later confirmed that a friend of the student took the weapon and left campus with it.
The Tolleson Police Department criticized the school district’s handling of the incident, citing delays and miscommunication. Instead of immediately contacting law enforcement, school staff initially alerted the football coach, who conducted his own investigation before notifying police.
Administrative delays and inaccurate information about the firearm’s location further slowed the police response according to reports. Officers warned that the district’s failure to follow proper protocol created unnecessary risk and must be addressed to avoid similar lapses in the future.
The bodycam footage shows an officer speaking with two adults, explaining that multiple coaches and teachers witnessed the firearm fall from the student’s bag. The student reportedly left the area, handed off the weapon, and later returned to campus, where he cooperated with school staff.
Only after that interaction did school officials contact the police. The footage appears to corroborate the department’s concerns about the delayed notification and breakdown in communication. You can watch that bodycam here.
September 27, 2024 “Punching” Incident
The second incident, that is referred to in detail in this report is the “punching” incident. This is the controversial incident where Calles and an independent investigation deemed it “excessive force” but Hendrix was cleared by Tolleson police.
February “Take Down” Incident
The third incident, Hendrix had to “take down a student” in February. Both the Tolleson police and independent investigator deemed it reasonable force. At the time, allegedly Calles came on campus and yelled, “why the F…” is he still on campus, in reference to Hendrix. You can watch that bodycam here.
State 48 News does not have access to the bodycam footage from the second incident, but it is described in detail during the JLAC hearing. You can watch our edited compilation describing the incident below:
The controversial removal of Officer Hendrix as the school’s SRO, is a story State 48 News broke when it first occurred.
The Tolleson police officer says he was forced out of his role as an SRO after Calles and Board President Leezah Sun pushed for his removal—despite the Tolleson Police Department confirming to State 48 News that the officer was cleared of any misconduct. Meanwhile, the district launched an independent investigation —an incident Calles is calling “unnecessary.”
In case you haven’t been following along, here is a bit of history - Sun was ousted from the Arizona Legislature after a series of allegations, including alleged death threats. You can read about that saga here. Despite her tumultuous and brief time in the Legislature, she won a seat on the Tolleson School Board and became president.
During a school board meeting, the SRO publicly alleged that he had been subjected to a hostile work environment and claimed he was pressured to resign from his position by Calles.
You can watch Officer Hendrix explain his removal in his own words by clicking here.
On Feb 13, Calles provided a detailed statement to State 48 regarding the incident. He said, “I deemed it, in my personal opinion, as an excessive and unnecessary use of force on a student.”
At the JLAC hearing, Calles testified that he has worked with SROs at every other school in the district “without incident”—except in Tolleson. He claimed the only SRO he’s had an issue with was Hendrix, stating, “He punched a student, and I told the city we weren’t going to be okay with that.”
In a written statement this week to State 48 News, Calles added, “On the Officer Hendrix issue, I will simply say that no one with the City of Tolleson or at JLAC seems to be willing to look at the videos with me and have a conversation about what took place that day.”
Through a FOIA request, State 48 News obtained the redacted body cam footage of two of the three incidents in question that occurred at Tolleson. Those videos are available in the full report linked below.
Chief Mendoza testified at the JLAC hearing that Officer Hendrix was cleared of any wrongdoing in the September incident, and it wasn’t until January—after Leezah Sun became board president—that the issue resurfaced.
Furthermore the Chief said that while they were investigating lapsed security at Tolleson after a gun fell out of student’s backpack that Calles began to question the “punching” incident.
During the hearing, Finchem focused on the underlying stalking allegation that had prompted the initial police response in the September case.
Hendrix was cleared of any misconduct by the Tolleson Police Department. And on May 23, an independent investigation, characterized by Chief Mendoza as a waste of money, concluded that excessive force was used.
It is noteworthy that the Chief Mendoza says the security at Tolleson is a 4, Calles characterized it as an 8.
About the broker fee from the first report. Superintendent Calles told us that the exchange between himself and the City Manager regarding the broker fee was not in writing.
Calles said, “When I returned to my office, I searched my records for the conversation in question with the City Manager, and it appears that the conversation took place over the phone. It is going to be difficult to demonstrate that I remember the phone call better than he remembered it. What is evident when looking at the original draft documents compared to the final document is that he essentially gave up $154,000 of revenue for the City because he did not want to incur an $85,500 expense for the broker.”
During the JLAC hearing, the Tolleson Police Chief stated that his officers refused to remove members of the public during a school board meeting. Shortly after that encounter, the district announced it would be relocating its headquarters to Glendale. State 48 News asked Superintendent Calles whether the strained relationship with the Tolleson Police Department played a role in the decision.
Calles gave State 48 News the following written response:
“I wouldn't identify the relationship with the City of Tolleson as a primary factor for the change in location. I'm focused on the long term and in 10 to 20 years you will have new people working at both our District and at the City of Tolleson. At JLAC, I explained how we landed on the Glendale location, but it was our third option. Contrary to the statement made by CSA, the location is not 5 miles north of our boundary but is in fact within our boundary and close to Copper Canyon. We only have 1 campus in Tolleson so the Avondale location would have been the ideal spot if the City of Avondale agreed to our District Office being placed on Avondale Blvd next to the I-10. Frontage on Loop 101 next to our partners with West Mec is still a prime location. The decision that I will say is 100% related to the lack of support that we are receiving from the City of Tolleson is our move of Board Meetings in the short term. If the City of Tolleson would commit to keeping our board meetings orderly then I would bring them back to our normal board room until the new District Office is completed, which is currently projected for November 2026,” said Calles.
We previously reported, the Goldwater Institute criticized Tolleson expenses for a district retreat, particularly $22,000 in catering at the JW Marriott Starr Pass, and argued such meetings could have been held locally for less. Calles defended the district’s practices, emphasizing their compliance with legal requirements and reiterating their commitment to transparency.
Journalist Jen Barber, filed this report on taxpayer travel and Calles justification the expensive retreat.
