By Rebecca Aguilar
Texas Metro News Correspondent
Judy Bautista couldn’t wait to see her Spanish National Honor Society students graduate from Summer Creek High School in North Houston on Saturday.
The Spanish teacher purchased each graduating senior a brightly colored Mexican stole with the embroidered name of the group and “Class of 2023” so they could wear it as they crossed the stage.
Bautista said that opportunity was abruptly taken away by school administrators who, without explanation or warning, confiscated the stoles.
In a video that has gone viral since Saturday’s graduation, Bautista, in tears, calls out the school administrators because she said they forced the students to take off the Mexican stoles right before they got their diplomas, “I had students crying…this was more mental abuse to them.”
Kevin Gonzalez was beaming with pride as he wore his Mexican stole on Saturday, ”I’m the second in my family to graduate from high school; the first was my mom.”
The 18-year-old said he was in line to get his diploma and was surprised when he was told to remove the stole before stepping on the stage.
“I was going to say something, but I was ready to walk, and I was just like, take it,” he said, adding that he was embarrassed and hurt by the school’s decision because the stole meant more than a piece of fabric around his neck. “I wanted to represent a Mexican who graduated.”
In a phone conversation on Monday, Bautista said she was the Spanish National Honor Society group adviser at Summer Creek High School, and 20 students earned their stoles for completing 100 hours of community service while maintaining a 3.5 GPA or higher.
Summer Creek High School Principal Brent McDonald also spoke to Texas Metro News in a phone conversation on Monday. He said he had no idea the students were being told to remove the stoles.
”I am front and center shaking all 817 hands, so removal of stoles while graduation, I was completely oblivious to anyone doing that, until after the ceremony,” he said.
Bautista said she has emails to prove she went through the proper channels to get approval for the stoles. McDonald has final approval on all stoles worn by graduates, and he said he would have approved Bautistas request but he did not recall any emails because he has been busy with graduation and his retirement this year.
The principal added, “The kids involved in our Spanish National Honor Society are just the best kids in the world, and I just love those kids are spectacular.”
According to McDonald, the school is made up of 40 percent Latino, 40 percent Black, and 20 percent white students. “I’m so sorry that this happened, and quite honestly, I don’t know why it happened.”
Bautista disputes McDonald ’s claims that he didn’t know what was going on.
After our interview with the principal, Bautista provided Texas Metro News with a video clip of McDonald seen grabbing the stole out of the hands of a Latina student after she shook his hand and attempted to put it on again.
We contacted McDonald again to discuss his actions in the video. His text instructed us to contact the school district’s General Counsel because Bautista had told him she was exploring legal action.
Bautista confirmed that she is talking to a lawyer because she feels her student’s rights of freedom of expression and speech were violated.
She also said she resigned more than a month ago and won’t be returning to Summer Creek next school year.
For her, the graduation incident confirms that school administrators have no respect for Latino students or their parents. “It’s been seven years, and I have struggled; there has been no support for the Latino community.”
Bautista said McDonald contacted her after Texas Metro News talked to him. In a text message, he told her that he planned to apologize to the students formally.
She believes any apology now will not make a difference. “An ‘I’m sorry’ won’t do it. They are not going on the stage again. This was their opportunity. And it’s gone.”
Rebecca Aguilar is a seven-time Emmy award-winning television reporter and multimedia journalist. She is the immediate past president of the Society of Professional Journalists (the first Latina elected). In 2022 she was inducted into the National Association of Hispanic Journalists Hall of Fame.
