MANY QUESTIONS REMAIN IN YOUNG BISD TEACHER'S SUICIDE

 Special to El Rrun-Rrun

Ask any professional journalist what their editors did when they were told there was a death of a young person and the obit got to their editorial desk.

They want the reporter to make inquiries to find out if the deceased passed away due to an illness,  an accident, or whether they were victims of foul play.

In the case of sickness, we left it alone unless it was a public person. If it was a car accident, we usually gave it a few graphs and fulfilled a newspaper's societal role and chronicled it. 

Homicides, of course, were open game for extended coverage as the investigation developed. That's when the who, what, when, where, and the if it was possible, the why (motive) of the homicide is investigated.

In the case of suicides, they were generally off limits unless there was some public person or entity involved in causing it or bearing on the reason for the person taking their own life.

We are in a very gray area when we tread on these parameters. 

Just recently the Brownsville community became aware that troubling case of a suicide involving a 27-year-old teacher. That in itself is tragic, that a young person entering teaching, a profession dedication to educating children, could have found no other way out. We can only send our heart-felt condolences to her family and loved ones.

Then details began to emerge on the "why" this young professional chose to take her life, however, are troubling and bear on the hiring policies of the Brownsville Independent School District and the moral behavior of its board members.

Apparently, the young woman had been hired as a teacher with the BISD for the 2021-2022 school year and was one month on to her job when questions reached Human Resources Director Carmerlita Rodriguez concerning the possible violation of district policy on nepotism. The young woman, the district's Human Resources Dept. was informed, was board member Minerva Peña's daughter-in-law. BISD's nepotism policy states that:

"Except as provided by policy, a public official may not appoint a person to a position that is to be directly or indirectly compensated from public funds or fees of office if: 

*The person is related to the public official by consanguinity (blood) within the third degree or by affinity (marriage) within the second degree; or 

*The public official holds the appointment or confirmation authority as a member of a local board and the person is related to another member of the board by blood or marriage within a prohibited degree. Gov’t Code 573.002, 573.041; Atty. Gen. Op. JC-0184 (2000)

BISD sources say that when confronted with the potential nepotism in the district hiring her daughter-in-law and given the ultimatum to resign her board seat or her son's wife to be terminated, Peña refused to relinquish her seat. 

Four days later (this past Thursday) the distraught young teacher – confronted with loss of employment compounded by marital problems – took her husband's gun and pulled the trigger, killing herself. The fact that it might have been a government-issued weapon (he is a U.S Customs agent), caused the incident to be referred to local prosecutors to determine if any state or federal laws may have been violated.

Now, Minerva had to know that her son's wife had applied and been hired by the BISD. Hell, she probably voted for her employment during the approval of hiring the BISD's teaching staff which included her daughter-in-law, if not taking a more direct personal role in opening doors to get her employment at the BISD. That has not been investigated yet, and if it has, the authorities are keeping the facts close to their vest. 

Did Peña know her daughter-in-law had been hired in violation of BISD nepotism policy? Did she pull some strings for her? It would be unreal to think she didn't. And does that seat mean so much to her that she did not measure the consequences or collateral damage incurred by her hanging on to the board seat at all costs? In fact, there is currently a lawsuit alleging illegal voting in the election which could possibly require that another election be called to fill it. If Peña loses, would all this have been worth it?

These are not only legal questions, but serious moral issues that come to the fore in this matter. Is there a board sanction in the works against Peña, a board member who has constantly cloaked herself in her religious beliefs and moral values? That slap in the hand is trivial compared to the real-life consequences of the violation.