Eagle Pass High School Students Walk Out in Protest of Principal Vale Moreno’s Reassignment to Ray Darr Elementary

By: Jose G. Landa, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc., Copyright 2016

On Thursday, January 21, 2016, at approximately 11 A.M. , over 600 Eagle Pass High School students walked out from school in protest of their Principal Vale Moreno’s controversial reassignment by Eagle Pass Independent School District Superintendent Gilberto Gonzalez to Ray Darr Elementary.  Not since 1964 had their been a student walk out at Eagle Pass High School.

The large contingency of Eagle Pass High School students marched two miles down Bibb Avenue towards the Eagle Pass Independent School District’s Central Office Board Room at 1420 Eidson Road where the Eagle Pass Independent School School District School Board was scheduled to have a special meeting at 12 Noon to hire a new Principal for Eagle Pass High School.

Bearing a waving red, white and blue American flag, the over 600 students marched chanting “Moreno, Moreno, Moreno” demanding that their Principal Vale Moreno be reinstated by the EPISD Board of Trustees.

The protesting students marched in lock step and in solidarity of their former Principal Vale Moreno towards the school board meeting being held at the local school district’s Central Office Board Room on Eidson Road.

The students marched in an orderly manner and were accompanied by both Eagle Pass Police Department and Eagle Pass Independent School District Police Department escorts throughout their march to ensure them a safe passage to their destination, the EPISD Central Office Board Room.  All the students arrived safely to the EPISD Central District Office.

The EPISD Board of Trustees meeting was delayed to allow the protesting students to arrive from their march.  The School Board meeting began at 12:16 P.M. instead of the scheduled 12 Noon start time.

Only 18 students were allowed to enter the Board Room by EPISD Police Officers while keeping the over 600 students outside chanting “Moreno, Moreno, Moreno” repeatedly.  Some of the 18 students signed up to speak at the meeting, but were not allowed to address the Board of Trustees as the posted agenda did not provide for a Citizens Communication.  The students were greatly disappointed that they were not allowed to speak at the public meeting.

At 12:18 P.M., Board President Lupita Fuentes called for the School Board to go into Executive Session to consult with legal counsel Richard Strieber regarding Superintendent Gilberto Gonzalez’s recommendation to hire a new principal for Eagle Pass High School.

About 15 minutes later, the EPISD School Board returned into Open Session and President Lupita Fuentes asked if there was any motion to be made by any Board member.  Trustee Rudy Bowles made the motion to hire John Cox as the new principal of Eagle Pass High School and Trustee Hilda P. Martinez-Caballero seconded the motion.  During discussion, Trustee Ignacio Saucedo stated that he opposed the motion because he questioned the motives and the need to reassign Vale Moreno to Ray Darr Elementary while respecting the Superintendent’s discretionary authority to reassign any Principal or school employee.  Trustee Rudy Bowles stated that legal counsel had advised the Board that the Superintendent has authority under Texas law to reassign any employee and the Board could not override the Superintendent’s authority.

Board President Lupita Fuentes called the motion to a vote and the motion passed on a split 4-1 vote with Trustees Rudy Bowles, Hilda P. Martinez-Caballero, Humberto Torralba, Jr., and Lupita Fuentes in favor of hiring John Cox as new principal of Eagle Pass High School while Trustee Ignacio Saucedo cast the lone dissenting vote against.  President Fuentes quickly adjourned the Board meeting.

Some of the 18 students inside the Board meeting requested to publicly speak and to personally speak with the Board of Trustees after the meeting had been closed, but President Lupita Fuentes advised the students that they could not speak as the meeting was adjourned.  The students were saddened and disapppointed that their First Amendment right of freedom of speech were not respected by the School Board.

As EPISD Trustees, Administration, and Staff congratulated John Cox on being named the new principal of Eagle Pass High School, the students walked out of the Board Room to inform their over 600 fellow students waiting outside that the Board had hired a new principal and they were not allowed to speak at the public meeting.  The protesting students were greatly disappointed and began to disperse to return to their school or homes, ending their historic walk out and march.  The EPISD provided school buses for students needing a ride back to school, but only a few accepted the ride.