Special to El Rrun-Rrun
A former Brownsville Independent School District employee claims she was fired after more than 22 years of employment with the district as a result of constitutionally-protected comments she made on a on a social media posting (FB) related to the alleged possession of marijuana by BISD Support Programs Director Juan J. DeLeon on April 19, 2024.
The lawsuit, styled Adelida Ruth Vento vs. BISD and Superintendent Dr. Jesus Chavez was filed on March 23, 2026 in United States District Court, Southern District of Texas in Brownsville.
At the crux of the issue, Vento claims her complaint is the result of "retaliation in violation of the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, specifically, while acting under color of law, Defendants took adverse employment action against Plaintiff's employment motivated by political retaliation based on perceived political association that resulted in Plaintiff’s termination. "
Also, she claims the defendants violated her right to free speech guaranteed by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.
At the time, DeLeon was running for re-election to the position of trustee on the board of the Texas Southmost College against Eduardo Camarillo during the 2024 election. Her immediate supervisor, Luis Troncoso, provided Vento with a verbal written warning, even though she said she had posted the comment on her own time, and on her personal social media.
The post did not claim that she was acting on behalf of the school district, or that her views represented the school district’s views. In her lawsuit, Vento claims such posting did not involve her or the candidate’s employment with the district Defendant and that the election was a matter of public concern and the posting did not involve improper language.
Nonetheless, Troncoso ordered her to refrain from “Inappropriate posting or use of social media that targets a school district employee or the school district.” She responded to the written verbal warning issued by Troncoso by saying that: “I did nothing inappropriate. I only defended an opponent (Camarillo) of my choice during election. I can’t help what others reply or post.”
Troncoso was himself directly supervised by DeLeon. Vento was provided by Troncoso on a form provided by the Defendant’s Human Resources Department that she was responsible for unauthorized distribution of written or printed material of any kind.
The Facebook Page, authored by someone named Jas Marie Reyes, referred to the choices of the TSC board candidates; Vento replied as "Ve AR."
She was issued an additional written verbal warning by Troncoso the same day, April 24, 2024, that stated: "The employee posted certain content on their personal public electronic platform (Facebook) that does not align with the professional standards expected of district employees. The employee was reminded that, as per our policy, you are solely responsible for the content present on your page, regardless of its origin, whether added by you, your acquaintances, or members of the public."
Plaintiff replied, “I have 1st Amendment Rights and am being violated by my rights by person in question. I have a right to defend any opponent I support during election.”
Records indicate that way back in 2011, there was a police operation at the (Central Administrative Building) CAB off Palm Boulevard in the parking lot between the CAB and Sam's Stadium.
In a report by an officer, it stated that a drug-sniffing dog hit upon a car in the parking lot and when the owner was found it turned out to be an employee (DeLeon) of the central office. The school cops turned tight-lipped at confirming the identity of the suspect and cited the ongoing investigation as a justification for their discretion.
Workers at the CAB said at the time was that the owner of the car worked at the central building in the office of Area Assistant Superintendent Educational Services Rachel Ayala, who was not the object of the probe herself. DeLeon was Ayala's protege and he was allowed to leave the premises without having to undergo a search of his vehicle.
(We have seen Alejandra Aldrete's machinations and preening as a TSC board member. Like De Leon – another mid-level Brownsville Independent School District bureaucrat – they dragged that district into the ground and have personally benefitted from its general decline. Watching them, it is clear that they are not about the institutional goals and mission, but rather, everything is about them. In the six years each served, we can't remember either one them bringing any meaningful educational initiative of substance before the board.)
Wednesday, June 3
7 PM 
