Phoenix police investigate weapon incident with lawmaker at high school

PHOENIX — The Phoenix police are investigating an Arizona lawmaker and her daughter who are accused of bringing a weapon onto the campus of Maryvale High School several days after a student was killed on campus.

“The Phoenix Police Department is now gathering information and working closely with school staff to further look into the incident and ensure the safety and security of students, staff and the community,” the department said Thursday.

Meanwhile, fellow Democrats are calling for the resignation of state Rep. Lydia Hernandez, who reportedly visited the school with her daughter, Cassandra Hernandez.

The two are board members of Cartwright Elementary School District, which feeds into the Phoenix Union High School District that oversees Maryvale High School. The two women were trying to test the campus’s weapon detectors on Monday, according to Phoenix Union.

On Aug. 29, Cassandra Hernandez released a statement denying any such actions took place, claiming to have proof she was working on the day of the alleged incident.

“During a week in which my community is hurting because of a senseless killing at Maryvale High School, I have been wrongly accused of creating a disturbance and attempting to introduce a weapon onto school grounds,” Hernandez wrote in a statement. “Nothing short of a retraction, an apology, and an independent investigation will suffice.”

The incident came a week after a fatal stabbing on campus, and the move drew the ire of political leaders in both parties.

State Schools Chief Tom Horne, a Republican and former attorney general, called on the women to resign their positions with the school district.

“This was an outrageous and indefensible stunt. For two school board members, one who is also a state legislator, to deliberately provoke a security disruption at a school is unconscionable,” Horne said. “To do it at Maryvale High School, where a student was tragically murdered in a classroom just a week earlier, is unbelievably insensitive to the trauma that was inflicted on the students, teachers and staff of that school. These two board members should resign immediately.”

At the statehouse, House Democratic Leader Oscar De Los Santos issues a strong rebuke, but stopped short of calling for Hernandez to resign.

“Taking a weapon onto an Arizona school campus is a crime. As we have said, these allegations are serious and a police investigation is warranted. We will monitor the investigation as it unfolds. As with any Arizonan under criminal investigation, individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty,” he said.

Other Democrats, including Sen. Analise Ortiz, a Democrat who represents Maryvale, said on social media she supports “the calls for Lydia and Cassandra Hernandez to resign after this insensitive, insulting, and irresponsible stunt.”

Attempts by 12News to reach Lydia and Cassandra Hernandez at their homes and by phone were unsuccessful.

According to a statement from the Phoenix Union High School District, the detectors’ alarm was activated as the two passed through security, resulting in them handing over their bags to the security personnel. 

The school district claims that during a secondary search of Cassandra’s bag, staff reported finding a box cutter inside and confiscated the item. Lydia Hernandez allegedly told staff she was “testing” the weapon detectors.

A staff member then reportedly escorted the two individuals off campus after asking them to leave, the district said.

Lydia Hernandez is a Democrat representing District 24, which includes the Maryvale High School neighborhood. Hernandez additionally serves as president of the Cartwright School District Governing Board.

Two Phoenix council members have called on both Lydia and Cassandra Hernandez to resign their positions.

A statement from Betty Guardado, Phoenix councilwoman for District 5, and Anna Hernandez, Phoenix councilwoman for District 7, said in part:

“The choice to target a school still reeling from trauma speaks volumes about their judgment and priorities as leaders. Such actions jeopardize the safety of students and staff alike, showing an alarming lack of responsibility and failure as public officials.

In light of this egregious lapse in judgment and violation of PXU policy, we urge both Lydia Hernandez and Cassandra Hernandez to resign from their positions immediately. Such actions are intolerable from anyone in leadership, particularly elected officials who are entrusted with the safety and well-being of students and staff.”

On the day of the deadly stabbing, Lydia Hernandez posted on Facebook that she was “incredibly saddened” by the incident.