The Scottsdale Unified School District has adopted a new policy regarding its booster organizations. The move comes after a scandal at one of SUSD’s middle schools.
Earlier this month, a Cocopah Middle School parent went missing and later turned herself in after she was accused of stealing $36,000 from the school’s Association of Parents and Teachers.
On Tuesday, the district’s governing board unanimously approved a new policy to develop a uniform set of procedures for those organizations. Before the vote, board member Julie Cieniawski noted that the idea was introduced in April, but a vote on it was delayed several times.
“Let’s be clear, had the board acted in April, when the administrative recommendation had been put forward, perhaps, we could’ve disrupted what happened at Cocopah,” Cieniawski said. “These delay tactics need to end and they have a very negative impact on our district. This [policy] is a benefit to all parents and our students and our employees.”
School site administrators, athletic directors and others will come up with a list of best practices to guide those involved with booster organizations.
