Tempe police believe there are more victims at Corona del Sol High School after a security officer was accused of downloading videos of girls changing clothes.
Tempe Union High School District Superintendent Stacia Wilson's Aug. 31 note to families follows an Aug. 27 communication indicating that all victims' families had been contacted by police and that anyone who had not been contacted had not been identified as a victim.
Wilson said police asked families not to reach out directly since responding to individual inquiries could take investigators away from their work. Families of students identified as victims would be contacted directly by police, Wilson said.
"Our hearts remain with the students who have been affected and their families as
they process what has happened. We remain committed to supporting them, protecting their privacy, and cooperating fully with law enforcement throughout this investigation," Wilson said in the statement.
District launches internal investigation
The district issued a statement on Aug. 28 that it had begun its own investigation. Prosecutors say Antony Cruz, 28, is facing seven counts of voyeurism for downloading the security footage from Corona del Sol High School in south Tempe.
Because the dance room where the girls changed was not an authorized changing area, the internal investigation will determine whether established procedures were followed and what corrective actions the district will take, district spokesperson Megan Sterling said in the statement.
Sterling said a dance room was being used temporarily as a changing room, and that there are no cameras in any authorized changing areas. At the time, the girls' locker room was undergoing renovations.
Sterling said the dance room is not a locker room and was never designated as a changing area by the district or school administration. The cameras were installed in 2024 for campus safety purposes "related to the room's exterior access," Sterling said.
"During the recent locker room renovations, the District approved the school administration’s request for separate, camera-free locations for students to use for changing. The dance room was not one of those locations," Sterling said in the statement.
Sterling said she cannot answer who directed the girls to change in the dance room since the investigation is still ongoing. Additional information will be provided as the investigation progresses, Sterling said.
A Tempe Police Department spokesperson said on Aug. 28 that police were still gathering evidence and that only Cruz had been identified as a suspect.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Tempe district seeks answers on camera-monitored changing room
