[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6640008,"mediaKeyId","2556460-19acf5edf6952b637dafa13d9424f99e","parentId",2556460,"title","Parents press Florence Unified board over alleged cheer-team bullying; supporters defend coaches","audioSeconds",413,"startMs",2975000,"endMs",3388000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2556460-19acf5edf6952b637dafa13d9424f99e&start=2975&end=3388","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2556460-19acf5edf6952b637dafa13d9424f99e/thumbnail_2975000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6640008/Arizona/Parents-press-Florence-Unified-board-over-alleged-cheer-team-bullying-supporters-defend-coaches","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6640008-1a55d4204192439202230e150bb22ff2/orig.mp4?Expires=1770448140&Signature=Sh67bZVb4jmnWQqybtSgIYa5p4gaHgeIKVMBZmoYwjGMOHZLtCMYFEoz8~7l4m-~uDOhvch8X7n~leTp0ENHZjehRCmr7hA8yTbLkVJz4IW3Ytq~A1dh0Lm-Y6JefLq9JX91u6tIZdfkTgi~Rw0O6Snl8r6VwitqkhF3t2EkzXdj2Gy8HL2ZRNRLaeIv9~VAZ7sqnUil-C89tkS~bAbE45kKJQKwn7y3ft7tCpjKWYrYSGxMmNNqWMuZOm-auGL9ZJA3rzvLr-JpMkAsS1VbPS8T5xpv4FqS-ZeP7Z2I5wxP~J8BNlv7Xr4SD0L4yZasJM2LfH9-BQJ10KF~~WJvbA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Florence Unified School District (4437)","date","2025-03-12T02:18:52.393Z","article","At the March 11, 2025 Florence Unified Governing Board meeting, several parents raised concerns about alleged bullying and inconsistent discipline in the Florence High School varsity cheer program, while other community members spoke in defense of the coaches and the program.

The comments came during the board's open call to the public. Amanda Reyes, a parent, said she has been pursuing the matter for weeks and urged clearer, consistent consequences after she said a teammate sent a death threat by text message and was suspended from school but not removed from the squad. “A death threat should not be brushed off or minimized, and yet that’s exactly what happened in this case,” Reyes said, adding she had “been fighting for fairness for 47 days.” She told the board she had documented the incidents and planned to provide a packet of evidence after the meeting.

Other parents praised the cheer program and its coaches. Nicole Veil, a parent, described the program’s role in her child’s development and credited coaches with teaching accountability and resilience. “This cheer program has taught her how to be a winner … The most important lesson she has been learning this year is to be humble, take accountability for your mistakes, apologize, and face the consequences you deserve,” Veil said.

Janine Candelaria, a longtime Florence resident and former educator, urged precision in labeling behaviors, distinguishing bullying from rudeness or conflict and supporting “coach Ellie and coach Jenna” for restoring the program after a prior coach’s departure. “Bullying is a repeated intentional act designed to harm, intimidate, or control another person,” Candelaria said. She said mislabeling ordinary conflict as bullying diminishes serious cases and increases division.

Lindsay Anderson, who identified herself as a parent, thanked the board and staff for recent policy changes and described positive outcomes for her children in FUSD programs.

No formal disciplinary action was taken at the meeting. Reyes said the superintendent had told her a death threat “wasn’t addressed in the athletic handbook,” and she questioned how the district applies multiple handbooks and the cheer contract consistently. A principal present told Reyes that at least one student had been placed on a no-violence contract with her child; the meeting record shows no board vote or directive to change discipline policy during the session.

Board procedure language was read for the public-comment period noting that board members may not discuss or act on matters raised during public comment except in limited circumstances, such as asking staff to review a matter or placing an item on a future agenda.

The public-comment exchange centered on alleged student conduct, the district’s use of multiple handbooks and the cheer contract, and calls for clearer, consistent discipline and protections for students. Several parents urged the district to apply standards equally; others urged community support for coaches who they said rebuilt the program.

Members of the audience and speakers provided anecdotal details about removal from teams for vaping, school suspensions, social-media posts, a March 8 cheer banquet speech, and the timing of district responses. Those details were presented by speakers and were not the subject of a formal board action during the meeting.

The board did not vote on discipline policy or on any item arising directly from the public comments at this meeting. Reyes told the board she would provide a packet of documentation to district staff after the meeting.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","FUSD Board Meeting - MAR 2025","oneSentenceSummary","At the March 11, 2025 Florence Unified Governing Board meeting, parents described inconsistent discipline and alleged bullying within the Florence High School varsity cheer program while other parents defended the coaches and urged precise definitions of bullying.","taxTitle","Florence Unified School District (4437), School Districts, Arizona","taxId",12980,"location","Arizona","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6639998,"Votes at a glance: Florence Unified Governing Board, March 11, 2025",3235,849000,4084000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2556460-19acf5edf6952b637dafa13d9424f99e&start=849&end=4084","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2556460-19acf5edf6952b637dafa13d9424f99e/thumbnail_849000.jpg","/articles/6639998/Arizona/Votes-at-a-glance-Florence-Unified-Governing-Board-March-11-2025","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6639998-24132f4fa54be761956bfdc109ca69db/orig.mp4?Expires=1770448140&Signature=X1ysgBfuKctkOSRPkredIS7dD3rDDvlL20tgkd6GFL~Gt3a9vdj3Iy2Nzg-9e0sNBBTd7tTP-vAd6GeYGhl8Z4ZH2UKFSehI7OYImVDSpiq9eBs1oR3nd~NCL8JZq44dbS2dzmNRgcp~FT9CnBW0bviRu9iULAfN~WfItIuGnceUeJ~nvPhZ8Z6zs8xoWZaO5XGnX43C8TaHQUOTFduFAjsyQx91a7rLySLIyIM6F2Bt-S60cHJ2~V6zZlwysusGSJWQMyPc9bW2Eno04PKCSEGJHtYNhPHbDiiSmwlzEP3FXcBupzG24cLT~q4Eng8Y2wxgHwGS9V2Bym3Jpw5f8w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","At its March 11, 2025 regular meeting, the Florence Unified Governing Board recorded the following formal actions during open session.

• Adopt agenda — Motion to adopt the agenda for the March 11, 2025 regular board meeting. Vote: motion carried 3–0. (Motion and second recorded; individual movers not named on the public record excerpt.)

• Approve consent agenda — Motion to approve the consent agenda items, with the exception of page 15 of the 2025–2026 classified work calendar under agenda item 14.19 (removed for a future agenda). Vote: motion carried 4–0.

• Adjourn — Motion to adjourn the March 11 meeting. Vote recorded in favor; meeting adjourned. (Standard procedural motion; vote recorded in the meeting audio.)

No ordinances, resolutions, contracts or budget adoptions were voted on during the portions of the meeting captured in the public transcript excerpt.","The board adopted the meeting agenda and approved the consent agenda (with one item held for a future agenda).",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6640005,"Town of Florence recreation staff brief Florence Unified board on after-school programs, summer events",479,1445000,1924000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2556460-19acf5edf6952b637dafa13d9424f99e&start=1445&end=1924","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2556460-19acf5edf6952b637dafa13d9424f99e/thumbnail_1445000.jpg","/articles/6640005/Arizona/Town-of-Florence-recreation-staff-brief-Florence-Unified-board-on-after-school-programs-summer-events","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6640005-17f6d64a85f62ff5f4e1ff01dd74ad17/orig.mp4?Expires=1770448140&Signature=MZLdPHqD1FkJaw7GKYzNqpTkDeWmn5RMswroDIIM4PxW66ZBu12z0CeZMaymUBpCEHVZpf~Xq6XGY4Yun7ne0l0dEHunEzfuEILa~Dyubt9a5xIhIXnjnz2YDAxyc2TcMBddzA29V6C58vs93TGg8PvBJXN~JJZqHTWb-G-4pMGkV-G3N834m4tDio8n4l2CU-izLaAgSI0N8iiVbsT-fwcdIrNdSrelAnXZU7epMt~fsN9UMVIBByaPsiFkv8pFrFjOQQhhVmVm4SSS3760WHzSrXAplZD8o-V20Suv3OCfub2nR5dhJ6egdTXutiisFsCRnec5i-A9TSgWymhWIw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","At the March 11, 2025 meeting of the Florence Unified Governing Board, Crystal Nacke, superintendent of recreation for the Town of Florence, and Kyle Wright, the town's recreation coordinator, presented an overview of the town’s recreation services and youth programs and invited further coordination with the district.

Nacke described the community services department’s five divisions—recreation, parks, library, senior services and cemetery—and said the recreation division provides programs for all ages. “We provide a variety of recreational, social, cultural, and educational programs and events for individuals of all ages in the community,” she said.

Wright outlined the Discovery Club, a before- and after-school program for kindergarten through eighth grade that currently operates at Anthem K–8 and Florence K–8. He said the before-school program runs 6:30–8:30 a.m. and the after-school program runs 3–5:30 p.m., and that full-day intersession and summer programs and extended half-day hours are available. Wright also described teen programming, including a grant-supported Growing Up program for ages 10–17 and a seven-student teen council for grades 9–12 that works with the mayor and council.

Wright said the recreation department is hiring for summer aquatics staff, including lifeguards and cashiers, and runs a junior-guard program for training future lifeguards. He added that the aquatic center is scheduled to reopen May 24 and that the department offers facility rentals for events such as birthday parties and graduations.

The presenters listed upcoming community events and volunteer opportunities: Road to Country Thunder, April 5; Extravaganza with egg hunts and a pancake breakfast, April 12; Tween and Teen Extreme Night, April 25; and FreedomFest on July 4 with music, vendors and fireworks. Wright said the town seeks volunteers and student workers and asked district families to contact the recreation department about opportunities.

Board members and the audience were invited to ask questions at the conclusion of the presentation; no formal board action followed the briefing.","Town of Florence Recreation Superintendent Crystal Nacke and Recreation Coordinator Kyle Wright told the board about Discovery Club before/after school care, teen programs, volunteer and summer-aquatics hiring, and listed community events from April through July; staff requested partnerships with district families and students.","actionData","errors"]

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Parents press Florence Unified board over alleged cheer-team bullying; supporters defend coaches

Votes at a glance: Florence Unified Governing Board, March 11, 2025

Town of Florence recreation staff brief Florence Unified board on after-school programs, summer events