Parent raises concerns about repeated leadership turnover at Eastmark High during Queen Creek Unified board meeting
Get AI-powered insights, summaries, and transcripts
Subscribe
Summary
A parent told the Queen Creek Unified School District board she will withdraw her youngest child amid repeated principal and athletic-director turnover at Eastmark High School and alleged the football coach was forced out; the board did not take action during public comment.
Jennifer Lindstrom, identifying herself as a parent of multiple Queen Creek Unified students, used the board's public-comment period to voice concerns about frequent leadership turnover at Eastmark High School and what she described as opaque communication around personnel changes.
"At Eastmark High School, we're currently on our fourth principal and third athletic director in five years," Lindstrom said, adding that the school was about to be on its fourth head football coach in five years. She said her youngest child will not attend the district next year because of the instability.
Lindstrom alleged that "two days before winter break, our head football coach, Jason Lyons, was called in for a meeting where he was told to either resign or be fired from his coaching position due to performance reasons." She said the coach was immediately removed from football academy and weight-class duties, barred from speaking to players, and that a brief principal-led player meeting ended with students booing. "Everyone feels lied to," she said.
The board stopped Lindstrom's remarks when her three-minute allotted time elapsed; she told the board she would follow up by email. The board took no action during the public-comment period. The president read the board's public-comment rules, noting that Arizona Revised Statute 38-431.01(H) limits board responses to directing staff to study a matter, responding to criticism, or scheduling it for a future agenda.
Lindstrom named several administrators and athletic staff in describing past conversations with school leaders; the board did not provide a public rebuttal or factual update during the meeting. The superintendent and district staff have not announced any personnel actions during the meeting record that contradicted Lindstrom's account.
Next steps: Lindstrom said she would follow up by email. The board did not schedule or take formal action during the meeting based on this comment.