Pajaro Valley Trustee Gabe Medina will be prohibited from entering the PV High campus for two weeks.
In a tense Wednesday meeting characterized by arguments amongst board members, callouts from the audience and multiple calls for recess, Medina’s fellow board members agreed to issue him a stay-away letter.
The trustees voted 4-1 in favor of the item after President Carol Turley cleared the room. Community members were not allowed back in for the remainder of the meeting.
The vote followed an incident on Jan. 30, when PVHS students participated in a nationwide walkout protesting the expanding operations of federal immigration enforcement.
While school staff and administrators encouraged students to remain on campus during the walkout, organizers not associated with the school reportedly encouraged them to march to downtown Watsonville, according to a letter sent to The Pajaronian from a group of teachers and school employees.
Medina then went to campus to confront Principal Todd Wilson to address rumors that Wilson had threatened punishment for students who left campus. Wilson said those statements are “categorically untrue” and that school administrators only wanted to keep students safe. He declined to comment on his later interaction with Medina.
In addition to the stay-away letter, the board voted to require a mediated conversation between Medina and Principal Wilson.
Trustees Olivia Flores, Jessica Carrasco, Misty Navarro and Carol Turley voted in favor of the motion. Trustee Medina voted against it. Trustees Daniel Dodge Jr. and Joy Flynn were absent from the meeting.
During the public comment component of the meeting, numerous parents, teachers and community members spoke, many in defense and many in critique of Medina.
Two sophomores from Pajaro Valley High School, Karina Aguilar and Alyah Mendoza, read a statement together about their frustration with Medina’s behavior.
“Trustee Medina, you are sitting here on this board as someone that we can clearly not trust and confide in when it comes to showing up for our school and our students, specifically regarding the incident that happened on the day of our walkout.” Aguilar said. “That day you showed us students what a perfect example of immaturity and a lack of clarity can cause within our school community.”
Lourdes Barraza, a parent of two PVHS students, expressed disappointment in the board that the incident became a divisive public discussion.
“What are you doing? I don’t understand how this is productive, I really don’t,” Barraza said. “You all are constantly talking about how student outcomes are more important. How is this contributing to student outcomes?”
Flores said that while she did not want the incident to become a public disagreement, the Brown Act—a California open meeting law—requires that issues involving a trustee be handled in publicly available board meetings.
“If a parent had done this, it would have been handled differently.” Flores said. It would have been handled within the school office, probably the district. But because this involved a trustee, it has to be done this way.”
During discussion, Medina said that not enough was done in advance to ensure safety and notify students and parents of their legal options.
He argued that preventative action would have entailed assigning administrators to monitor students if they left campus, communicating with students and parents on excused absence law, coordinating with community partners and documenting a safety return plan.
Medina frequently referenced California Senate Bill 955, which allows for one excused absence per year, but requires parental approval in advance.
The following morning, Trustee Medina shared a written response with the Pajaronian
“Last night’s vote to approve a 14 day stay away letter is disappointing, but not surprising,” he wrote. “I believe the action was unnecessary and disproportionate. There was no completed investigation, no formal findings shared publicly, and no genuine attempt at mediation before escalation. That raises serious concerns about fairness and governance. ”
