PEORIA, Ariz. — A lawsuit filed against the Peoria Unified School District accuses administrators of failing to address the “predatory” behavior of a fifth-grade teacher who is now serving time in prison.
The civil complaint filed earlier this month against the West Valley district claims PUSD was aware of Ricky Ordway’s inappropriate conduct with students at Sun Valley Elementary School and “took no action.” Ordway was arrested in 2019 after students reported that their teacher made them feel uncomfortable.
A jury convicted Ordway of attempted molestation and aggravated assault. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison.
The lawsuit was filed by one of the former students who reported being abused by Ordway. The lawsuit alleges complaints were made against Ordway months before his arrest.
“PUSD, through its administration, received numerous complaints and other evidence that Defendant Ordway was sexually assaulting his students, yet took no action to prevent such sexual assault from occurring,” the lawsuit states.
In response to the lawsuit, a spokesperson for PUSD released the following statement:
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In May of 2019, Sun Valley Elementary principal reported Ricky Ordway to Peoria Police Department. We worked collaboratively with Peoria Police to support their investigation and Ordway was subsequently arrested and charged. We submitted the matter to the Arizona Department of Education’s Investigative Unit and they closed their investigation into whether the matter was properly reported.
All Peoria Unified employees are subject to a background check and must obtain an IVP Fingerprint Clearance Card. Once hired, all employees receive annual training on mandatory reporting.
The safety of students remains the district’s number one priority. As for the lawsuit you’re referencing, we have received it from the media, but we have not yet been served.
PUSD has been subjected to public scrutiny in recent months after two former teachers at Centennial High School were accused of misconduct.
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*Editor’s Note: The above video is from an earlier broadcast.*