PUSD Board Members Continue to Bicker over Sexual Misconduct Claims

Peoria Unified School District (PUSD) received a third notice of claim from an alleged survivor of adult sexual misconduct. Similar to the two students who filed a complaint against the district in the Centennial High School situation, this student claims PUSD leadership was grossly negligent in the case of former Peoria High School basketball coach Patrick Battillo (“Mr. ORNG”).

In 2024, Battillo was charged with child sex crimes after he solicited explicit photos and videos from an underage student. The 15-year-old male victim said Battillo had messaged him and requested images of the boy engaged in sex acts. Battillo reportedly told the student he could make money by selling the images to an “unknown woman.” In March  2026, Battillo pled guilty to attempted sexual exploitation of a minor and a judge sentenced him to three and a half years in prison in April.

As of October 9, the two students from Centennial and one student from Peoria have filed claims asking for a total settlement of $27,650,000. The Battillo claimant is asking for $650,000 of that.  The ongoing lawsuit against PUSD involving former Sun Valley Elementary teacher Ricky Ordway—who was convicted of sexually abusing multiple female students—does not specify the damages sought.

PUSD board member Heather Rooks has pressed the district for greater accountability when it comes to student safety. When Peoria PD released its findings in the Centennial case, Rooks reached out to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office to request a third-party investigation into failed mandated reporting. She also tried to request a board vote to waive attorney-client privilege after receiving the second notice of claim. Board president Jeff Tobey rejected her request.

In what looks like a retaliatory move, Tobey took the lead in voting to “self report” an alleged Open Meeting Law (OML) violation to the attorney general’s office.

At the October 8 board meeting, Tobey pointed to Rooks as the culprit, implying that she may have leaked executive session minutes to 12News reporter Sean Rice. Rooks participated in an interview with Rice on September 22, reacting to what police found during the raid at PUSD headquarters this summer.  Tobey sided with board members Becky Proudfit and Melissa Ewing to remove Rooks as board president after she initially spoke to reporters about the police report.

Ironically,  on the advice of board attorney Susan Segal, the trio voted for a third-party investigation into the alleged OML infraction. Segal said during the board meeting that she had not viewed the 12News interview featuring Rooks. PUSD told ABC15 it referred the new claim to counsel.

Board member Janelle Bowles, who sided with Rooks, said she voted “no” due to lack of evidence.