Lydia Hernandez and her daughter, Cassandra Hernandez, allegedly filmed each other going through security checks at the school on Tuesday as a "test" of the school's security in the wake of the Aug. 19 killing of 16-year-old Michael Montoya II. The box cutter was found during a screening and the pair were escorted off the campus and asked "multiple times" to leave, according to the district.
The district said it is "actively reviewing evidence, video surveillance, and witness statements. We will pursue all legal options, including pressing charges and trespassing the individuals from coming back to our campuses."
Spokespersons for the Phoenix Police Department and the Maricopa County Attorney's Office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Lydia Hernandez is the president of the Cartwright Elementary School District and is also a Democratic state representative. Cassandra Hernandez was elected to the school board in November. Lydia Hernandez did not respond to a request for comment sent to her Arizona Legislature email. Victor Rodriguez, a spokesperson for the Cartwright Elementary School District, said he would attempt to reach them with questions from Phoenix New Times.
Maryvale High is still reeling from the stabbing. Students only returned to campus on Monday. The suspected killer, 16-year-old Chris Daniel Aguilar, has been charged as an adult with second-degree murder.
According to the Phoenix Union statement on the incident, the two Hernandez women entered Maryvale High's main office and were subjected "advanced weapon detection screening." Cassandra Hernandez, who the district said did not identify herself, passed through the detectors first as her mother filmed on her phone. The system alerted and Cassandra passed through a second time before handing over her bag for inspection.
Lydia Hernandez then passed through the detectors — still filming — and set them off as well. She handed over her bag while "recording the safety team and questioning the system settings."
Week after fatal stabbing at Maryvale HS, State Rep Lydia Hernandez & woman believed to be daughter Cassandra tried to bring box cutter into HS in apparent test of security, per Phoenix Union. District weighing charges. 2 women sit on Cartwright School Board, feeder for Maryvale. pic.twitter.com/2YPYLOxGAK
— Brahm Resnik (@brahmresnik) August 28, 2025
The safety team found a box cutter in Cassandra's bag, the statement said, at which point Lydia Hernandez said she was recording the interaction and "testing the weapon detection systems." The women were then escorted off campus. Neither, the school district said, is a current parent of a student at the high school.
After Phoenix Union issued its statement, two Phoenix City Councilmembers — both Democrats — called on both Hernandez women to resign their school board positions. In a joint statement, councilmembers Anna Hernandez and Betty Guardado urged "to resign from their positions immediately. Such actions are intolerable from anyone in leadership, particularly elected officials who are entrusted with the safety and well-being of students and staff."
"Their actions disrupted the fragile environment at Maryvale High School, were a blatant disregard for safety and school protocol, and were gravely insensitive to the students, families, and school staff still mourning the Maryvale student who died last week," the statement continued.
"Despite being fully aware of the recent tragedy that had deeply affected this community, Lydia and Cassandra made a conscious decision to circumvent security measures, violate district policy, bring a weapon onto school grounds, and film the incident. This behavior is incomprehensible, unacceptable, and likely illegal.
"The choice to target a school still reeling from trauma speaks volumes about their judgment and priorities as leaders. Such actions jeopardize the safety of students and staff alike, showing an alarming lack of responsibility and failure as public officials."
The incident isn't the first time the Hernandez women have waded into controversy.
State law forbids immediate family members from serving on the same school board together if they've cohabitated in the past four years, which would seem to disqualify the pair from sitting on Cartwright's board at the same time. Earlier this year, Lydia Hernandez unsuccessfully attempted to pass a bill in the Arizona Legislature that would have evaded that requirement. The bill was criticized by many as an attempt to legalize nepotism.
In 2018, Lydia Hernandez was also issued a two-year ban from attending conferences of the Mexican American School Boards Association over allegations about how she behaved at an event that year.
