Arizona’s education department issues apology to ESA parents

PHOENIX — The Arizona Department of Education has apologized to families who use Empowerment Scholarships after the agency said it accidentally released some “personally identifiable information” as part of a public records request to local journalists, including 12News.

The 12News I-Team was the first to receive detailed information on 1.2 million ESA requests totaling $124 million that were automatically approved since late last year.

Those records showed school parents with Empowerment Scholarship Accounts for their kids bought diamond rings and necklaces, Kenmore appliances, and even lingerie with education tax dollars, a 12News investigation found.

RELATED: I-TEAM: ESA parents bought diamond rings, lingerie, and Kenmore appliances with education tax dollars

Parents of ESA children also purchased more than 200 Apple iPhones, more than 50 smart TVs, and dozens of gift cards worth up to $500 each since last November, when the state Department of Education began automatically approving all ESA requests at $2,000 or less because of a massive backlog.

The 12News I-Team, through its public records request, also uncovered more than $3 million in purchases to Amazon, Costco, and Best Buy, with no indication of what was bought. There were also nearly $2,000 payments to a person identified as “me” and “Jamie the tutor,” as well as for a purse.

12News published online more than 600,000 of the purchases in the ESA “marketplace” that went to vendors. 12News did not publish reimbursements that went directly to parents, as a small part of those records included some names of children.

However, another news outlet published all of the data that showed what ESA parents bought between Nov. 24, 2024, and July 25, 2025.

The Department of Education late Monday issued an apology.

“The information regarding reimbursement requests was offered in the interest of transparency and accountability. Due to a technical error, some personally identifiable information was inadvertently included. This was not intentional, and the department apologizes for the error.”

Many of the purchases uncovered by 12News are considered “unallowable” under ESA guidelines, and Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne said his office eventually will claw back the money. 

A department spokesman has said that parents may be referred to the Attorney General’s Office for prosecution, and 400 of the nearly 91,000 accounts have been suspended because of improper spending.

The Attorney General’s Office told 12News it is investigating at least seven ESA cases, but declined to disclose specific details.

RELATED: Arizona Republican leader: Audit needed to stop ESA voucher abuse