Resident seeking trial to remove Northside ISD trustee
A Bexar County resident has asked a court for a jury trial to consider removal of Northside Independent School District trustee Karla Duran because of her DWI arrest in September, even though the charge recently was dismissed.
The plaintiff, Robert C. Gonzalez, has asked the Northside ISD board at least twice in recent months to take action against Duran, who was elected last year to a four-year term.
During citizen comments at a meeting in September, Gonzalez called himself “a child of an alcoholic” and said the DWI case potentially sent a signal to students that there are “no repercussions to certain actions.”
Gonzalez spoke to the board again in December, saying “board members are to be held
accountable by the public.”
“There’s been zero action” by trustees regarding the Sept. 3 arrest of Duran, he said.
Other speakers have asked trustees to censure Duran, request her resignation or start a process to remove her from the board.
Board policy prevents trustees from demanding Duran’s resignation directly, and any attempt to remove her would require asking a state district judge to order it, the board’s president, Bobby Blount, has said.
According to state guidelines, a school board member can be removed if convicted of “any felony or for misdemeanor official misconduct” or for “intoxication on or off duty caused by drinking an alcoholic beverage.” Duran’s charge was neither a felony nor official misconduct, so any action to remove her would need to rely on that last provision, Blount told the San Antonio Express-news shortly after the arrest.
The lack of a criminal conviction will make that difficult.
County Court at Law No. 4 Judge Alfredo Ximenez dismissed the DWI charge Feb. 2 at the request of Michael Block, the special prosecutor he appointed Oct. 16 after Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales recused himself from the case because he was acquainted with Duran as a fellow Democrat.
Duran had no comment on the petition Thursday.
“My focus is on moving forward with a renewed passion and commitment to serving the NISD community,” she said in a text.
Northside spokesman Barry Perez also had no comment, saying the district had not seen the petition, filed Wednesday in 288th District Court.
Duran stepped down as an assistant principal in the San Antonio ISD after winning the election in May. In August, she began a new position guiding faculty development at the Alamo Colleges District.