In what now seems to be a recurring theme, Scottsdale Unified School District faces another troubling chapter in its ongoing struggles with employee misconduct. In just the past three months, three district employees have lost their positions over allegations of inappropriate behavior involving minors. This isn’t merely another bureaucratic misstep; it’s a pattern that demands serious attention from parents and taxpayers alike.
The cases are deeply disturbing. Former Cocopah Middle School teacher Michael Gill and Hohokam Elementary School crossing guard Thomas Giorlando were both terminated and charged by police for allegedly possessing child pornography. Meanwhile, Saguaro High School athletic director Lucas Ackerson was permitted to resign following allegations he inappropriately messaged a female student on social media (read our coverage here), though police determined there wasn’t enough evidence to pursue an official investigation.
For our readers, this won’t come as a complete surprise. We’ve documented SUSD’s troubled waters for years, from the Greenburg dossier scandal to governance dysfunction to plummeting academic performance. But this represents something far more serious than political infighting or administrative incompetence. These are allegations involving the safety of children entrusted to the district’s care.
The district deserves some credit for swift action once Ackerson’s case came to light. According to reports, administrators removed him from campus within an hour of the family’s complaint and immediately notified police and the State Board of Education. That’s the right protocol. But it raises an uncomfortable question: how many warning signs were missed before families had to come forward?
SUSD has policies prohibiting staff from communicating with students outside approved platforms like Synergy, district email, and ParentSquare. Yet somehow, an athletic director allegedly found ways around these safeguards. When policies exist but fail to prevent misconduct, the problem isn’t just individual bad actors but potentially systemic oversight failures.
This isn’t about political correctness or culture war distractions. This is about basic child safety. Parents choosing SUSD deserve confidence that the adults supervising their children have been properly vetted, monitored, and held accountable. Three cases in three months suggests something isn’t working in the district’s screening or supervision processes. Whatever political disputes divide the governing board, protecting students from predatory behavior should unite everyone.
Parents, stay vigilant. Talk openly with your children about appropriate and inappropriate adult behavior. Create environments where kids feel safe reporting uncomfortable situations. And demand accountability from SUSD leadership. The district must conduct a thorough review of its hiring, training, and supervision practices to ensure these cases represent isolated failures, not systemic weaknesses.
Where there’s smoke, there’s often fire. Three cases in three months is more than smoke. It’s a five-alarm blaze that demands immediate attention before more children are put at risk.