Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
A former Somerton High School cheerleading coach and teacher unanimously fired by school board officials last year has officially regained her Arizona teaching credentials following a state settlement.
Alyssa Plaza, who was terminated by the Yuma Union High School District in April 2025, reached an agreement with the Arizona State Board of Education. State documents indicate that investigators found the district’s original allegations against Plaza to be “incomplete and inaccurate.”
Plaza was fired after allowing Alejandro Perez-Parra, a male cheerleader on her squad, to use her office inside the girls’ locker room to change. Plaza maintained that her actions were a desperate attempt to protect Perez-Parra from severe, ongoing bullying regarding his sexual orientation, which had escalated to suicidal ideation.
“It was a lot that I had to present to them,” Plaza said. “But at the end of the day, I got my credentials. I am allowed to teach again. I am allowed to get back into a classroom, which is what I worked hard to get to.”
She spoke to Karina Bazarte: azfamily.com/2026/08/29/yuma-coach-fired-after-protecting-bullied-student-gets-teaching-credentials-back
For more Local News from KPHO: azfamily.com
For more YouTube Content: youtube.com/channel/UCIrgpHvUm1FMtv-C1xwkJtw
A former Somerton High School cheerleading coach and teacher unanimously fired by school board officials last year has officially regained her Arizona teaching credentials following a state settlement.
Alyssa Plaza, who was terminated by the Yuma Union High School District in April 2025, reached an agreement with the Arizona State Board of Education. State documents indicate that investigators found the district’s original allegations against Plaza to be “incomplete and inaccurate.”
Plaza was fired after allowing Alejandro Perez-Parra, a male cheerleader on her squad, to use her office inside the girls’ locker room to change. Plaza maintained that her actions were a desperate attempt to protect Perez-Parra from severe, ongoing bullying regarding his sexual orientation, which had escalated to suicidal ideation.
“It was a lot that I had to present to them,” Plaza said. “But at the end of the day, I got my credentials. I am allowed to teach again. I am allowed to get back into a classroom, which is what I worked hard to get to.”
She spoke to Karina Bazarte: azfamily.com/2026/08/29/yuma-coach-fired-after-protecting-bullied-student-gets-teaching-credentials-back
For more Local News from KPHO: azfamily.com
For more YouTube Content: youtube.com/channel/UCIrgpHvUm1FMtv-C1xwkJtw
