Former Mesa (Ariz.) High School athletics director David Klecka has filed a $750,000 claim against the city over a police report with “false and misleading information” that he alleges cost him his job and damaged his professional reputation.
As reported by Cecilia Chan, managing editor of The Mesa Tribune, Klecka and former Mesa principal Kirk Thomas were both accused of failing to report an on-campus student assault that allegedly involved a gun. Mesa Public Schools Governing Board voted Jan. 12 to not renew the contracts of both men, who were put on paid leave Jan. 2.
On Jan. 22, the city prosecutor, having received the investigation by Mesa police into the administrators' alleged delay in reporting the gun, declined to press misdemeanor charges against Klecka and Thomas, who unlike Klecka has yet to file a claim with the city.
Mesa has 60 days to respond to the claim, which is a precursor to a lawsuit.
AB Today has covered the case five times previously.
Related: Mesa School Board Settles With Administrators Who Failed to Report Firearm on Campus
Per Chan's reporting, the claim stemmed from a night varsity soccer match that took place Feb. 12, 2025, on the Mesa High School campus. It was alleged that three males assaulted a juvenile male in the parking lot after the after-hours soccer game, one of whom allegedly brandished a handgun, according to police at the time. Officers were unable to locate the victim and could not confirm the presence of a gun during the fight.
Klecka in his claim said he responded as the on-site administrator and assessed the situation, according to Chan. He observed a student with a minor injury and was advised of unconfirmed rumors regarding a possible firearm, the claim said.
No firearm was located and no witness provided Klecka with confirmed information that a firearm had been involved, Chan reported.
Klecka said that Mesa officer Barry Mullen was present at the soccer match as a spectator and left the campus before the incident occurred.
Mullen on the following day wrote an email documenting his involvement, stating that on Feb. 12 at about 8:01 p.m., he received a telephone call from Sheldon Deer regarding the incident, the claim said.
However, after the report had already been approved, Mullen on Feb. 26 added language “stating in substance that he did not become aware of the situation until the next school day.”
The claim also said that Mullen’s statement is directly contradicted by his own “contemporaneous February 13, 2025 email documenting his knowledge and involvement on February 12, 2025.”
“The report further attributed statements to Mr. Klecka suggesting that he did not want a police presence on campus and that he intentionally chose not to contact law enforcement,” the claim stated.
Klecka — whose education career titles included teacher, dean of students, assistant principal, athletics director and coach — added that he was never interviewed by Mullen before the creation of the report and was never given an opportunity to provide his account of events.
“The report and the subsequent additions to the report had devastating professional consequences for Mr. Klecka,” the claim stated.
“Following the publication and reliance upon the report, Mr. Klecka suffered substantial damage to his professional reputation, loss of employment opportunities, emotional distress, humiliation, and finance losses."
