Mother-daughter school board members attempt to bring weapon into Phoenix school

A week after a fatal stabbing at Maryvale High School left the west Phoenix community in mourning, calls for the resignation of two school board members are mounting after they attempted to bring a weapon onto the same campus in an effort, according to a district statement, to test the school’s security system.

Arizona State Rep. Lydia Hernandez, who for over two decades has served as a member on the Cartwright Elementary School District Board and is the current president, and Cassandra Hernandez, her 20-year-old daughter who in 2024 was elected onto the same school board, are under fire after causing a “disruption” at the high school.

On Monday, they attempted "to circumvent our safety systems and knowingly bringing an unauthorized weapon onto campus,” a statement from the Phoenix Union High School District (PXU) states.

According to the school district, the school board members — neither of whom is a parent to a student on campus — attempted to bring in a box cutter, filming their entire interaction with campus security as they walked through a metal detector and were subsequently searched. PXU noted that upon finding the box cutter in “the bag believed to be owned by Cassandra Hernandez," her mother then informed security that this was a test of the campus’s weapon detection system and that she was recording the interaction.

Demands for the mother-daughter duo to resign have increased since news of the incident came to light, with leaders at the local and state levels urging them to step down from the board that governs 20 elementary schools in one of Phoenix’s most populous Latino neighborhoods.

In a joint statement, councilwomen Betty Guardado for District 5 — who represents Maryvale — and Anna Hernandez for District 7 called their actions “a blatant disregard for safety and school protocol, and were gravely insensitive to the students, families and school staff still mourning the Maryvale student who died last week.”

The councilwomen were referencing the fatal stabbing that took place on Aug. 19 at Maryvale High School, which led to the death of 16-year-old Michael Montoya II after succumbing to multiple stab wounds.

A 16-year-old student was arrested and transferred to a Maricopa County jail, where he awaits trial for a second-degree murder charge.

“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,” the councilwoman wrote.

State Rep. Cesar Aguilar expressed his disappointment toward both his colleague at the Legislature and her daughter. “I am demanding accountability for the safety of our children!” he wrote in a Facebook post.

Arizona Sen. Analise Ortiz supported the calls for resignation as well after the “insensitive, insulting, and irresponsible stunt. Our community is still reeling from the tragedy at Maryvale High School. It is unacceptable for an elected official to bring a weapon on campus and cause chaos… Accountability is needed,” she wrote on Instagram.

As of Thursday, neither member had made a statement regarding the allegations. In a statement, Arizona House Democrats condemned the actions, adding that “We have reached out but not yet had an opportunity to speak with Rep. Hernandez to get an explanation from her perspective. However, it should go without saying that nobody — elected official or otherwise — should engage in such reckless and potentially criminal behavior on a school campus.”

After the weapon was secured on Monday, security escorted the board members off campus and continued to investigate the incident.

“We will pursue all legal options, including pressing charges and trespassing the individuals from coming back onto our campuses,” PXU said in its statement.