PEORIA, AZ (AZFamily) — Two women who taught at Centennial High School in Peoria are accused of sexual conduct with the same teenage boy, according to police.
Both teachers were placed on administrative leave in August 2025 after allegations came to light. One resigned and the other was fired by the school board. Despite a police investigation, no arrests have been made.
Peoria police submitted charges against both teachers to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office. Haley Beck is accused of pandering and Angela Burlaka is accused of furnishing obscene material to minors. Prosecutors sent the case back to law enforcement, requesting additional investigation.
Burlaka worked at the school for 25 years, and Beck was hired in 2020. Burlaka voluntarily surrendered her Arizona teaching certificates. Beck did not, and last week the Peoria Unified School District Governing Board unanimously voted to fire her.
“We send our kids to your schools 10 months a year, five days a week, seven hours a day. So as a parent, I’m glad to see that these pedophiles like Haley Beck are being held accountable as much as possible,” a parent said during public comment at the governing board meeting March 26.
The district’s statement of charges against Beck says she began grooming one of her students before he turned 18 in December 2024. Detectives believe the sexual harassment went on during his sophomore and junior years, when she was his psychology and sociology teacher.
Investigators claim Beck gave him special treatment in class, did his homework and erroneously improved his grades and attendance record.
Police say she gave him access to her car, bought him gifts, food, alcohol and drugs, and paid him more than $600, calling herself his “sugar momma” and writing that it “felt like straight prostitution.”
The investigation found that for about six weeks, they exchanged more than 4,000 texts about sexual and illegal activity.
“I’m not sure I’ve ever had a case in my 30 years of two females, perpetrating against the same male victim,” said Jessica Nicely, a child abuse prevention specialist.
“It’s filling a need for attention, power, control, revenge and then it can seem excessive or almost obsessive,” said Dr. Brecken Blades, a forensic psychologist. “They do a lot of sort of distorted thinking and manipulation of the facts, even as they’re presenting them to themselves to make their behavior seem acceptable or OK.”
Nicely said the case is highly unusual.
“These women are the 4% because 96% of the time child sexual abusers are men,” Nicely said. “I feel like when the perpetrator is a woman and the victim’s a boy, people make jokes. It’s not funny. It’s not an achievement. He’s a victim. That is not a relationship they were having. That is rape.”
Peoria police say the investigation is ongoing and believe there could be more victims. Beck has until April 8 to request a hearing with the district to dispute her termination, but she has not done so as of April 1.
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