Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Public commenter alleges district mishandled sexual-assault allegation; police investigations referenced
Summary
A member of the public testified that school staff failed to report an alleged sexual-assault incident to law enforcement and instead questioned a possible victim without parental notification; the speaker said police investigations are open in nearby jurisdictions.
During the public-comment portion of the meeting, Stephanie Giddings told the board she believes school staff mishandled an allegation of sexual assault by failing to notify law enforcement and questioning an alleged victim without parent notification or support.
Giddings said an anonymous report on March 27, 2025, accused a student on a Higley campus of sexual assault. She said, in her view, staff should have immediately reported the allegation to police rather than questioning the student in a school office. Giddings said two school officials, with knowledge of the principal and the SSO, questioned a student alone, did not notify caregivers, and did not document the interview. She said the district then "blamed the alleged victim for sharing what was so casually asked of her in that interview." Giddings added she would not state her connection to the matter publicly because she wanted to protect the students involved.
Giddings further said there were open investigations by Queen Creek and Gilbert police into school staff and the Gilbert SSO for an alleged failure to make a mandatory report. She characterized the district's handling as a "catastrophic failure" and said the allegation was later determined not to be true but that the student involved "now lives with the trauma of being wrongfully accused and publicly shamed." Giddings concluded her public remarks by saying there will be further comments at a later meeting.
Ending: The remarks were presented as public comment; board members did not take immediate action during the meeting. The speaker said she raised the issue to urge the board to ensure mandatory reporting procedures and to prevent similar handling going forward.
