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Edinburg CISD trustees pressed over campus safety after student brought gun; board says issue reviewed in closed session, no action taken
Summary
Board members and union leaders raised concerns about district handling of a recent incident in which a student brought a 9mm pistol to campus. Trustees said they discussed the matter in executive session and for the record said no action was taken.
Edinburg — Trustees for the Edinburg Consolidated Independent School District faced sharply worded public criticism and questions from board members on May 9 after administrators disclosed that a student brought a firearm to a district campus.
The criticism came during the public-comment and superintendent-report portions of the board meeting. Marcia Gonzalez, president of Edinburg AFT Local 6583, told trustees the district faces “dangerously unsafe” conditions and said the board must hold leadership accountable. “Every time the board turns a blind eye to problems that are happening in ECISD, you send a clear message that you condone incompetence,” Gonzalez said.
The concern about the firearm surfaced in board discussion. A board member described the weapon as “a 9 millimeter caliber Glock 17 pistol with a magazine loaded with 10 rounds of 9 millimeters ammunition,” and questioned why school staff did not immediately lock down the campus. The board member said training and protocols exist and asked why those steps were not taken.
Board member Dominga Vela urged the district to improve communications after recent incidents, saying administrators must ensure “clear, concise, and correct information be disseminated to our students, teachers, staff, parents, and community” and that “the right hand must know what the left hand is doing.” Vela requested that administration verify information before releasing it.
Board President David Torres and the board said the matter would be reviewed in executive session. The board later returned to open session and the clerk read for the record that “no action was taken in executive session.” The trustees did not vote on any public-safety policy changes during the meeting.
Gonzalez also criticized district leadership for what she described as a focus on attendance over safety and alleged a pattern of mishandling discipline, vaping and drug use, and other student-safety concerns. “What will it take for the ECISD school board members to take action and finally hold our superintendent accountable for his poor judgment and leadership skills?” she asked.
Superintendent Dr. Mario Salinas was present at the meeting; trustees said they would continue review of the incident in executive session and follow existing procedures. The board did not announce any specific follow-up actions or timelines in open session.
The meeting included multiple ceremonial recognitions for students’ academic, athletic and arts achievements that the board also acknowledged during the evening.
