A parent advocate was arrested at an Edgewood ISD meeting after exceeding time. Trustee says policy wasn’t followed as outrage, protests and calls for answers grow.
SAN ANTONIO — A routine school board meeting in Edgewood turned into a tense confrontation Tuesday night when a mother of two was handcuffed and escorted out of the district conference center after exceeding her speaking time.
Maribel Gardea, 42, was addressing the board on student safety when her microphone was cut. The Edgewood ISD board president had announced at the start of the meeting that with 11 people signed up for public comment, each speaker would have two minutes.
Gardea, who has two children in the district and leads the grassroots nonprofit MindShiftED, was given four minutes since she delivered her remarks in both Spanish and English. The organization advocates for underserved families and children with disabilities across San Antonio.
But when the beep signaling her first two minutes never sounded, Gardea insisted she was owed more time.
“I begin with a reflection that I’m not gonna share because you cut my time, which is terrible,” she told the board from the podium. “It’s terrible that all this community’s here to talk to you and you all decided to cut their time. It’s a shame.”
She went on to describe concerns about bullying, safety violations and communication barriers.
“We’ve made over 40 attempts to work with you in good faith offering listening circles and proposed meetings,” Gardea said. “Most were declined or unanswered.”
When the clock ran out again, Board President Dr. James Hernandez declared her out of line. Four officers, including the Edgewood ISD Police Chief Jesse Quiroga, moved in.
“Why are you handcuffing her?” one person shouted as police led Gardea away through the parking lot.
“They arrested me for speaking at a board meeting because they didn’t like what I had to say,” Gardea told a supporter streaming the arrest on Facebook Live.
She was charged with resisting arrest, disrupting a meeting and criminal trespass. Supporters say she was held in the back of a district squad car for more than an hour before being transferred to San Antonio police custody.
Trustee questions handling
Board Trustee Michael Valdez questioned the arrest during the meeting, pressing Board President Dr. James Hernandez about who gave the order.
“Mr. President… I just wanted to ask, did you direct the police to escort the person out?” Valdez said.
“Did you see me direct them?” Hernandez replied.
Valdez says board policy requires the presiding officer, Dr. Hernandez, to issue a warning before anyone is removed.
“It says the board president it’s gonna tell the person speaking, ‘You are out of order,’ which he did not say. He said, ‘You’re out of line.'”
Valdez says, at the end of the day, the policy as it is written was not followed.
“It really showed that the police were ready. Maribel wasn’t the only one that went over their time… but it’s just like, why only one person?” he wondered.
Valdez, the youngest member of the Edgewood ISD Board of Trustees, says the board’s operating procedures have been changed five times in two years.
“People came to speak and they deserve to have their time… I just wanted everyone to have their three minutes because we had plenty of time,” said Valdez. “The community’s voice, it’s just very absent right now.”
Valdez also criticized rules requiring residents to sign up by 5 p.m. on the day of the meeting and limiting comments only to agenda items. These strict policies, he believes, further limits public accessibility and involvement in important conversations within Edgewood ISD.
“It’s really policed, the board meeting is policed,” he explained. “You get wanded, you have to take everything out of your pockets, they open every single zipper in your bags. They’re really, really limiting like public participation.”
Advocates demand answers
Diana Castillo Perez, president of LULAC Council 612, attended the meeting in support of Gardea. She accused the district of retaliation.
“For the past four years, Maribel has been an advocate for these communities in Edgewood,” Castillo Perez said. “She’s also a parent of a disabled child. She is a strong advocate for children with disabilities.”
“I think they just targeted her,” she added. “It was harassment, retaliation against her for being a strong advocate for the community. To tell parents: this is what’s gonna happen to you. If you speak up, this will happen to you.”
Castillo Perez also alleged officers mishandled the situation.
“Right before she walked out of the building, that’s when they put the handcuffs on her. They pulled her to the wall, her head was on the wall. They didn’t even read her rights. They didn’t tell her what charges were being put on her. They never even warned her.”
Outside Tuesday’s meeting, protesters chanted “Release Maribel!” and “Shame on you, Edgewood! Our students come first!”
LULAC is demanding to know who ordered the arrest and for the district to release security video and body-camera footage.
District response
In a statement, Edgewood ISD defended its actions:
“The individual’s actions were not in alignment with the EISD Board Operating Procedures and Code of Ethics, necessitating their removal. Edgewood ISD is committed to fostering a respectful and inclusive environment where all voices can be heard. We value community engagement and uphold the importance of civil discourse. To ensure productive dialogue, we ask all participants to adhere to the established procedures and decorum that guide our board meetings.”
Gardea has since bonded out of jail. She and LULAC leaders say they plan to speak publicly again Wednesday night.