According to an internal document in the Ysleta ISD, the district's general council "reviewed Texas statute and determined that the candidate's participation in the parade was inappropriate and did not comply with Texas Education Code..."
This however is not the first time Mr. Buchino may have violated the Texas Education Code that forbids Unlawful Use of Public Funds for Political Advertising (Texas Education Code 255.003). Earlier in the year Buchino participated in the Del Valley High School Homecoming Parade.
Violators of this portion of the code are officers of political subdivisions or employees thereof that allow the Unlawful Use of Public Funds for Political Advertising and are guilty of a Class A misdemeanor. It is unclear if the participants (Buchino) are also guilty of a Class A misdemeanor.
Homecoming parades are school activities even if they are not conducted in their entirety on school grounds.
The internal document not only acknowledges that the district was aware of the participation before the start of the parade but failed to pull the candidate from the parade, but it also acknowledges that this occurred previously at Del Valle High School.
Other points of note from the document include:
- the district conducting an inquiry into the process utilized to establish participation in the parade
- initiation of an investigation into whether staff ignored a previous memorandum on this matter
- looking into whether the Buchino campaign submitted the proper documentation to participate
- the sending of a letter to the Buchino campaign notifying them that it is inappropriate to use school district resources, including events to promote his candidacy.
The next document shows the Superintendent actually sent a reminder to employees BEFORE the second violation very clearly reminding employees what they can and cannot do as it relates to campaign activity.
EPISD is being very careful with political activities right now because of the bond election.
It appears from social media that campaigning at local high schools is a particularly favorite practice of the Buchino campaign. As you can see from these screen shots from his own campaign Facebook page, Buchino has not only participated in other homecoming activities but has used Canutillo, Franklin, and Coronado High School for the purposes of taking photos to promote his candidacy.
So it is possible that EPISD and CISD may also consider taking action in the wake of the Ysleta Homecoming Parade incident.
