Arizona school district under scrutiny after alleged sex assault on school campus

AZ school district under scrutiny after sex assault

Parents are expressing their concerns and worries after a convicted sex offender allegedly made his way onto a school in Phoenix. The man is accused of sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl on campus. FOX 10's Kenzie Beach reports.

PHOENIX - Arizona's largest elementary school district is under scrutiny after an alleged sexual assault incident on-campus that reportedly involved a man who was previously convicted of sex crimes.

The backstory:

The incident happened at around 12:20 p.m. on Nov. 19 at Orangewood Elementary School. According to Phoenix Police, a man got on school grounds and lured a student into a classroom where the alleged assault happened.

The student is reportedly 10 years old, and Gblah allegedly told her he needed to perform exams before the alleged assault happened. 

"At some point, the student was able to push the man away. He then ran from the scene before officers arrived," Sgt. Rob Scherer said.

Police say officers located the man who they believed to be the suspect, 25-year-old Abel Kai Gblah, and arrested him. Gblah was booked into jail and is accused of sexual assault and kidnapping.

A statement released by district officials on Nov. 20 described the incident as one that involved "inappropriate contact."

Dig deeper:

Gblah has a lengthy criminal history. In 2021, he was convicted for sexually assaulting his 16-year-old coworker with Autism, and over the past three years, Gblah had over 40 probation violations.

According to court documents, Gblah was released from prison just 10 days before the incident at Orangewood Elementary.

On Nov. 21, Orangewood released a new statement that is addressed to staff members and the students' families.

In the statement, the suspect was identified as a former student. It reads:

"Dear Orangewood Families and Staff,

I want to provide you with an update regarding this week’s incident. We understand your concerns and feelings of frustration. Please be assured that the safety of our students and staff remains our highest priority. Because this is part of an ongoing, sensitive criminal investigation, the information we can share is limited. That said, I want to provide you with the latest updates and let you know the steps we are taking to strengthen safety at Orangewood.

Through our internal investigation, we have learned that the suspect is a former Orangewood student, who attended from 2012–2015. Initial reports indicated he gained access to the campus behind a student who was buzzed in; further investigation revealed that he entered through the interior lobby door, which was unlocked, and walked in with a student who was tardy. As part of the investigation, a staff member has been placed on administrative leave.

We understand how alarming this situation has been and want you to know that we are reviewing every aspect of our safety procedures and communication to ensure that an event like this does not happen again. Some of the immediate steps we have begun include:

• Reinforcing procedures for greeting guests and ensuring all visitors sign in;
• Ensuring staff ID badges are worn and clearly visible;
• Reviewing protocols for securing the lobby;
• Retraining staff on interior security, including locking all classrooms.

In addition, a member of the District Security Team will be on campus for the remainder of the year, and we are applying for a School Safety Grant to secure a School Resource Officer.

At the district level, our leadership and crisis teams are conducting an extensive debrief. All district staff will participate in refresher training on school safety during our districtwide professional development day. The WESD security team will also be researching improved visitor management systems to implement across all schools.

Many of you have reached out, asking how you can support the school, the student, and their family. It is truly heartening to see our community come together during such a difficult time. I want to let you know that our Social Services and Safety and Security team have been on campus since the incident began, providing much needed and appreciated support. Additionally, a community mental health organization will have counselors on campus to support staff next week.

Accountability remains a priority. We are committed to handling this matter with transparency and integrity while respecting the ongoing criminal investigation. We will continue to communicate with you as we learn more and as additional safety measures are put in place.  Please remember, the is an evolving situation and we will do our best to keep you informed. Thank you for your continued support and trust as we work together to ensure the safety and well-being of our entire Orangewood community. Please feel free to reach out if you have any additional questions or concerns."

Local perspective:

On Nov. 21, Mylissa Hall withdrew her son from Orangewood over safety concerns.

"I mean, I went to school here, so I was hoping to have him here until 8th grade, but unfortunately, you know, this incident caused me to feel that he's not safe," said Hall. "So, we're going to move on with his education elsewhere."

Hall said she recognized Gblah's mugshot immediately.

"I went to school with his individual. He's a former student of Orange Elementary, so he already knew his way around," Hall said.

Some, like Catina Island, kept her children home on Friday.

"We bring them here thinking that they're safe, and they weren't safe yesterday," Island said. "They weren't protected."