SAN ANTONIO — A routine school board meeting in Edgewood turned into a tense confrontation Tuesday night when a mother of two was handcuffed and escorted out of the district conference center after exceeding her speaking time.
Maribel Gardea, 42, was addressing the board on student safety when her microphone was cut. The Edgewood ISD board president had announced at the start of the meeting that with 11 people signed up for public comment, each speaker would have two minutes.
Gardea, who has two children in the district and leads the grassroots nonprofit MindShiftED , was given four minutes since she delivered her remarks in both Spanish and English. The organization advocates for underserved families and children with disabilities across San Antonio.
But when the beep signaling her f