SUSD administrator resigns amid allegations of sending inappropriate messages to student

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — A male administrator in the Scottsdale Unified School District has resigned after allegations that he was sending inappropriate messages to a female student.

On Dec. 9, the SUSD’s governing board voted 5-0 to accept the administrator’s resignation.

The administrator’s name was not released by SUSD. 12News attempted to reach him for comment, but did not immediately get a response.

The incident was first reported to the school district in November, SUSD said in a news release.

“On November 25, 2025, a student and her parents contacted Saguaro High School officials to share concerns regarding direct messages over a social media app between the student and a school administrator. The District is grateful that the student had the courage to come forward and inform the administration of the inappropriate behavior,” SUSD said in the release.

SUSD said it took immediate action upon the report of inappropriate communication between the student and administrator.

The administrator was put on paid leave. The allegations were also reported to the Scottsdale Police Department and to the State Board of Education’s Investigative Unit, SUSD said.

The father of the student spoke during the public comment portion of Tuesday’s Governing Board meeting, asking for them to accept the resignation.

“I want you to accept his resignation, because this keeps him gone,” the father said.

12News is not identifying the father to protect the student’s identity. He commended the district’s response to their concerns and read a statement he said was written by his daughter.

“I want everyone to know that I wasn’t entertaining anything in the messages. I was responding to the messages because I was scared of him being upset, and when I didn’t respond, he would still call me out of class and into his office,” the father read.

The Scottsdale Police Department confirmed to 12News that an incident was reported, but no current criminal investigation is taking place due to “insufficient evidence that a crime occurred.” 

SUSD said that only certain forms of communication are approved for use between staff and students.

“The staff member’s conduct violated SUSD’s communicated expectation that staff do NOT communicate with students outside of district-approved platforms that provide transparency and oversight, including Synergy, district email, and ParentSquare. Direct messaging with students on personal social media accounts or texting from personal cell phones is NOT permitted,” SUSD said.

12News has reached out to the Arizona State Board of Education for further information.

On November 25, 2025, a student and her parents contacted Saguaro High School officials to share concerns regarding direct messages over a social media app between the student and a school administrator. The District is grateful that the student had the courage to come forward and inform the administration of the inappropriate behavior.  The staff member was immediately put on paid leave pending the outcome of an investigation.  The District reported the matter to the Scottsdale Police Department and to the State Board of Education’s Investigative Unit.  Earlier tonight, the Governing Board accepted the employee’s resignation.

Scottsdale Unified School District is committed to maintaining a safe and supportive environment for all students.  When concerns like this are raised, we take immediate action to investigate, confirm the facts, and respond accordingly.  The District also ensures that it complies with its reporting responsibilities.  

The staff member’s conduct violated SUSD’s communicated expectation that staff do NOT communicate with students outside of district-approved platforms that provide transparency and oversight, including Synergy, district email, and ParentSquare. Direct messaging with students on personal social media accounts or texting from personal cell phones is NOT permitted. This expectation aligns with guidance from the Arizona State Board of Education, which is shared with staff annually as part of required training and explicitly reminds school personnel to avoid private or informal electronic communications with students.  

Maintaining appropriate professional boundaries is essential to protecting students and staff alike and ensuring safe, accountable communication practices.

We encourage anyone who has additional information related to this situation, or who has questions or concerns, to come forward and share them with the district.  We also ask our community to respect the privacy of our students, who are minors, and to avoid speculation or sharing information that could cause harm.   The Saguaro community is grateful for the assistance received in the reporting of concerns so that the District could address and further the goal of maintaining an environment where all who work in SUSD live up to our expectations for honesty, integrity, and student success.

From SUSD – The governing board voted 5-0 to accept his resignation. I’m not sure the status with Scottsdale Police and the State Board of Education’s Investigative Unit. Those are the two entities that we immediately report anything suspicious to.”

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