Petition seeks to remove Canutillo ISD board president
UPDATE - ABC-7 heard back from Canutillo ISD trustee Breanne Barnes, who was mentioned by name in the statement provided by the board president Armando Rodriguez.
She told ABC-7 in an email that, "I have no involvement with the petition!"
Barnes also described the statement from Rodriguez in response to the petition as "accusatory, baseless, and pure assumption."
Plaintiff Chris Stewart did confirm to ABC-7 that Barnes works for him, however he too told ABC-7 that Barnes has no part in this petition.
Update: A representative for the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) sent ABC-7 the following statement regarding the lawsuit.
"Since this lawsuit appears to have just been filed, it’s too soon to know whether this petition will have any impact on Armando Rodriguez’ trustee position on the Canutillo ISD Board or his position on the TASB Board. At present, he is a seated Texas school trustee and a TASB officer in good standing with our Association."
Tiffany Dunne-Oldfield
Deputy Executive Director
Texas Association of School Boards
Update: ABC-7 has received a written statement from Canutillo ISD board president Armando Rodriguez regarding the petition filed against him.
The full statement reads:
"The petition is a frivolous and meritless attempt by a sitting board member to attack my pro-public education stances. Ms. Breanne Barnes has asked her colleagues to file this ridiculous attempt at circumventing the people’s vote so that she can continue to push school vouchers, faith-based education and other anti public education initiatives.
The group that filed the petition failed in their attempt to defeat the bond election and they are now resorting to theatrics to intimidate the district and reverse the will of the voters. It’s my hope that an impartial judge will respect the electors that selected me to serve.
I have been upfront about my legal issues and have worked to address them. I have not been convicted of any crime that merits my removal and I intend to continue to serve the children and taxpayers of Canutillo."
Armando Rodriguez
Breanne Barnes is member of the Canutillo ISD board member. One of the plaintiffs on the petition is Chris Stewart, and he said to ABC-7 that Barnes has no part in the petition. ABC-7 has reached out to Barnes for comment.
CANUTILLO, Texas (KVIA) -- A petition has been filed to remove the Canutillo ISD board president.
The petition seeks to remove Armando "Mando" Rodriguez from the board of trustees for Canutillo ISD.
The suit claims that Rodriguez has been arrested three times for driving while intoxicated. ABC-7 is working to independently verify that claim.
Read the petition for yourself here:
Rodriguez was elected to the board in 2005 and has served five terms.
Canutillo ISD says they cannot comment on the petition, as it is a personal matter for Rodriguez.
We have reached out directly to Rodriguez for his response. We have not yet heard back.
Count on ABC-7 to bring you the very latest on this developing story.
