Exclusive: Suspended Tolleson Superintendent Jeremy Calles Breaks Silence on District Report and Legal Battle
Jeremy Calles' addresses the findings of a district report evaluating his conduct, alongside his defamation lawsuit, amidst ongoing scrutiny and legal proceedings.
On December 10, 2024, the Tolleson Union High School District held an executive session to review a report prepared by Calderon Law Offices, P.L.C. The reportedly $45,000 report evaluates Superintendent Jeremy Calles' conduct and interactions with both District members and community constituents.
While the governing board met in executive session, Superintendent Calles spoke exclusively with Senior Investigative Journalist Jennifer Barber of State 48 News, addressing the report's findings and discussing the defamation lawsuit he has filed.
Superintendent Jeremy Calles Breaks Silence on $45,000 Conduct Report in Exclusive Interview
Just minutes after our interview concluded, Calles would be on his way home—a turn of events that likely came as a surprise, given he mentioned during the interview he had not been properly notified about a personnel action.
🚨 In a 3-2 vote, Tolleson Union High School District placed Superintendent Jeremy Calles on paid leave. Calles will be fulfilling his duties by working from home.
✅ Voting In Favor:
Board President Dr. Kino Flores
Board Member Dr. Elda Luna-Najera
Board Member Mr. Freddie Villalon
🛑 Voting Against:
Board Vice President Mr. Steven Chapman
Board Member Mr. Devin Del Palacio
West Valley native Jeremy Calles shared his perspective during the interview, with Joseph Ortiz, the Tolleson Union High School District Director of PR and Marketing, also present. Both individuals gave their consent for the recording.
West Valley Families captured an hour-long conversation with Superintendent Calles, and we plan to release the full interview soon. For now, we release the segment where he addresses the report and shares his thoughts in the moments leading up to his departure from the district building.
Please follow State 48 News for updates.
THE BACKSTORY
In August 2024, Tolleson Union High School District Superintendent Jeremy Calles filed a formal sexual harassment complaint against Governing Board President and Arizona State Representative Dr. Elda Luna-Nájera. Calles alleged that Luna-Nájera made unwanted advances toward him over several months and retaliated against him after he rejected her.
According to Calles, the harassment began in December 2023 and continued until April 2024, despite his efforts to make it clear that her advances were unwelcome. “Men, too, can be sexually harassed,” Calles stated, shedding light on the often-overlooked issue of male victims in workplace harassment cases.
Calles claimed that after rejecting Luna-Nájera’s advances, she attempted to terminate his employment as an act of retaliation. The complaint also outlined the creation of a hostile work environment under Luna-Nájera’s leadership.
Dr. Luna-Nájera, was appointed to fill a vacant seat in the Arizona House earlier this year.
The district commissioned an independent investigation, which concluded that Calles and Luna-Nájera had engaged in a sexual relationship. The report emphasized that, regardless of mutual consent, Luna-Nájera’s actions were “considerably more egregious” due to her authoritative position over Calles. It also noted that she pursued a physical relationship even after Calles attempted to discourage her advances.
Following the investigation, the Governing Board voted to remove Luna-Nájera from her position as president, though she remained a board member. During a board meeting, Luna-Nájera contested the findings.
MORE TO COME
In our exclusive one-hour conversation with Jeremy Calles, the West Valley native discusses various topics with us you won’t hear anywhere else.
State 48 News is Arizona’s Independent Voice.