Story updated at 6:25 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025:
SAN ANTONIO - A woman who was escorted out of an Edgewood Independent School District board meeting is facing three charges related to trespassing and disrupting a meeting, records with the Bexar County jail show.
Maribel Gardea, 42, was taken out of the meeting in handcuffs on Tuesday evening after speaking past her allotted time during public comments, according to footage from the meeting posted on the district’s YouTube channel.
Late Tuesday, she was charged with criminal trespass, resisting arrest and interrupting a meeting or procession, records show. Gardea is being held at the Bexar County jail on a personal recognizance bond.
During the public comment portion of the regular board meeting, Gardea spoke up on a presentation from Edgewood police and the counseling department regarding “Student Safety and Awareness.”
Gardea was told her “time was up” after talking for four minutes, the video shows.
As Gardea first approached the podium, she informed board members that she would read her comments in Spanish and then asked if she could have two extra minutes to read her comments in English.
“Are you asking for a translator?” a board member asked Gardea.
Gardea responded in Spanish, “No. I’m going to read in Spanish, and I have two extra minutes to speak in English, correct?”
That same board member responded, “Go ahead.”
Gardea then expressed her concerns to the board about bullying, security and lack of communication. Unaware that her initial two minutes had passed, she spoke in Spanish for more than three minutes.
Afterward, she said she had two more minutes to speak. A board member informed her she had one minute remaining because the clock had restarted.
“I will reclaim my time after I’m done because that did not count,” Gardea said. “It’s terrible that all this community is here to talk to you and you all decided to cut their time.”
She continued speaking to the board members about concerns related to bullying at Edgewood ISD.
“We [Families] have made over 40 attempts to work with you in good faith, offering listening circles, even proposing meetings,” Gardea said. “Most were declined or unanswered.”
After four minutes, her microphone was cut off, but she continued reading her presentation.
“Ma’am, you’re out of line,” a board member said. “Your four minutes is up.”
Authorities approached Gardea as she was reading and escorted her out of the meeting, the video shows.
Videos obtained by KSAT appear to show Edgewood ISD police escorting Gardea to a police car in handcuffs.
According to Edgewood ISD board operating procedures, when a person addresses the board, presentations may be for three minutes or less.
“Non-English speakers who require a translator may receive up to six minutes to speak,” the procedures state.
In a statement to KSAT, Edgewood ISD Superintendent Dr. Eduardo Hernández said in part:
“The individual’s actions were not in alignment with the EISD Board Operations Procedures and Code of Ethics, necessitating their removal. To ensure productive dialogue, we ask all participants to adhere to the established procedures and decorum that guide our board meetings.”
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