The Phoenix Police Department has initiated an investigation regarding a controversial incident at Maryvale High School involving Arizona State Representative Lydia Hernandez and an adult woman, allegedly her daughter, trying to bring a box cutter onto campus. FOX 10 Phoenix reports the pair’s attempt to test the school’s weapons detection system occurred mere days after a tragic stabbing that resulted in the death of a student.
The school district, Phoenix Union High School District (PXU), stated that the lawmaker and her companion triggered a disruption by deliberately trying to pass the unauthorized weapon through the school’s security apparatus. When confronted, Representative Hernandez claimed she was “testing the weapon detection systems” while recording the incident on her phone, as stated in the PXU news release. Both women were told to leave the campus, as per the district’s release. However, in a statement obtained by ABC15, Hernandez has denied these allegations and contested that her daughter was present.
Following these assertions, Phoenix City Council members along with Arizona Sen. Analise Ortiz have called for Hernandez and her daughter to step down from their respective positions. “I honestly and strongly believe that Lydia should step down. Her and her daughter have no good intentions on doing this. This was about them. This was not about the families,” Councilwoman Betty Guardado expressed her outrage in an interview with FOX 10 Phoenix. In contrast, Rep. Hernandez told ABC15 that her actions were misinterpreted and retaliatory due to her support for parents upset over the recent stabbing…