Cheer Coach Fought for Student, Now Back in Classroom | Tucson News

Tucson News Today | 2 Min Now | The Daily News Now! · Aug 29, 2026 · 1m

A former cheer coach in Yuma, Alyssa Plaza, has her teaching license fully restored after being wrongfully fired for allowing a bullied student to change clothes in her office — a decision that ultimately saved his life. The school district’s claims were later deemed incomplete and inaccurate by the state, which instead issued her a letter of censure for messaging her team during the investigation — despite administrators telling her not to. Praised by the state board for protecting a vulnerable student, Plaza now seeks to return to public education, having already built her own successful…