Paradise Valley Unified School District
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
Published – November 2, 2023
Details are still unfolding in the case of one Paradise Valley Unified School District (PVUSD) employee who allegedly committed suicide after confessing to sexual misconduct with minor students. District administrators are accused of remaining silent on the abuse while praising the deceased.
Arizona Daily Independent reported, “Paradise Valley High School parents were not notified in a timely manner that an investigation was underway into allegations of sexual misconduct by…chemistry teacher Keiko Yoshimine. Yoshimine took her own life shortly after the investigation began.”
The Independent continued, “On October 17 [2023], Paradise Valley Principal Ian Deonise advised parents and guardians that Yoshimine passed away, without mentioning that she had taken her own life… It wasn’t until after the subject was shared in a sensational fashion, sending panic throughout the parental community, that the District finally saw fit to provide additional information to parents on October 24.”
Parents received a notification that said:
“During this difficult time, [Yoshimine’s] family has requested privacy. Additionally, we realize that the loss of life within a community causes anxiety and stress, which is why we will be pulling together support for students and staff.”
The full notification can be read here.
SNBC13 reported:
“Keiko Yoshimine—Former Head Coach at Paradise Valley High School has passed away suddenly. He was announced dead on Thursday, October 19…She will always be missed by all those who knew him during the course of his life [sic].
“While at [PVHS], Yoshimine [coached] the Girls Basketball team from 2006-2013…She was [also] the Co-Founder at One10 Basketball Camp…”
As of this publication, Yoshimine’s social media account appears wiped or deleted while One10 Basketball Camp’s website is offline.
Arizona Daily Independent said, “Now, questions are being raised as to why Yoshimine was not taken into custody after admitting to officers that she had engaged in inappropriate behavior, both to prevent her from doing more harm to students, and possibly to keep her from doing harm to herself.”
Please send information regarding Paradise Valley Unified School District to [email protected].
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Paradise Valley Unified School District has 28,707 students enrolled in grades Pre-K through 12 across 52 schools.
Recently, Paradise Valley Unified School District announced to the community that they are using lobbyists to help drive education policy in the district. According to the Paradise Valley Unified School District Memorandum, district board members recently approved the expenditure of $50,000 annually to multiple Lobbyist Services with “diverse backgrounds, qualifications, and extensive experiences.” It is possible for the contract to continue for an additional four years.
What could this mean for the district? “Notinourschools.net” expresses their viewpoint on the recent decision. View more information here about the decision and how it could affect the district for years to come.
In addition, recently, Senate Bill 1211 was approved by the Arizona Senate. This bill would require teachers to share their curriculum online prior to entering the classroom. According to Arizona’s Family, “Educators must upload any gender, race, discrimination, and diversity curriculum at least 72 hours beforehand.” The bill is currently under review by the House and will be reconsidered.
