This story has been updated.
Edgewood ISD police officers arrested a community activist Tuesday night for trespassing during a board meeting.
A Bexar County judge dismissed the charges against Maribel Gardea on Friday, citing insufficient evidence.
Gardea is co-founder and executive director of MindShiftED, a grassroots nonprofit organization for parents of children in San Antonio’s most underserved neighborhoods. Her children attend San Antonio ISD.
Gardea went over her allotted speaking time during the public comment session of Edgewood Independent School District’s monthly board meeting.
That same night, 10 other parents and community members signed up to demand more transparency and communication from school board members and the administration. Several people protested outside with signs.
School started just last week for the small Westside district and on Friday, the state released yearly school accountability ratings, meant to measure how effective districts and campuses are at teaching children.
Edgewood ISD received a “D” rating from the state for the fifth year in a row.
Parents at the meeting said the rating is unacceptable, and they were hoping to bring their concerns to the board.
In a statement before her arrest, Gardea said her organization has tried to communicate with district officials at least 40 times since October.
The parent group hoped to convince the board to adopt a resolution that would require more transparency and community support resources.
Individuals who sign up for public comment usually get three minutes to speak, but Board President James Hernandez shortened speaking time to two minutes, a measure school boards can use when an overwhelming number of speakers sign up.
Gardea was allowed four minutes to speak because she had prepared remarks in Spanish and English.
When she went over her time by a minute, police officers escorted her out and put her in handcuffs. They then transported her to the district’s central office.
Most trustees stayed silent during this exchange, with only Trustee Michael Valdez asking if speakers could have more time and later asking if Gardea could return to the board meeting.
“Did you order officers to escort her out?” Valdez asked Hernandez.
“Did you see me order them?” Hernandez responded.
Parents from MindShiftED then moved to the central office at 5358 W. Commerce St. to protest the arrest.
Hours later, district police transferred Gardea to the Bexar County Jail where she was being held on a $9,000 bond. Gardea was charged with trespassing, resisting arrest and disrupting a meeting, before the charges were dropped.
“The individual’s actions were not in alignment with the EISD Board Operating Procedures and Code of Ethics, necessitating their removal,” Superintendent Eduardo Hernandez said in a statement after the meeting. “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.”
