Former Mercedes ISD Superintendent Carolyn Mendiola is no longer employed by the district, which is anticipating litigation related to complaints she made about her time as superintendent.
Board trustees placed Mendiola on paid administrative leave in the wake of her arrest for interference with public duties in June.
She was still on leave and still held her position as superintendent as of mid-August, although the district confirmed Thursday that she is now “no longer employed.”
The district did not respond to questions about when Mendiola exited her post or whether she was terminated or resigned.
John Shergold, an attorney representing Mendiola, declined to comment on his client’s current employment status with the district.
Shergold did say that Mendiola has a bone to pick with Mercedes ISD from her three years there. He says she’s filed a complaint alleging gender discrimination and violation of the Equal Pay Act of 1963, alleging that she was not being paid at the same rate and was being treated differently than comparable male superintendents both within and outside the district.
Mendiola, Shergold said, also requested the district appoint an investigator to look into her allegations.
“It’s currently being investigated by the school district’s administration,” he said Wednesday.
The Monitor submitted an open records request for any complaints filed by Mendiola this year, any documentation regarding gender discrimination or pay violations and any documents related to the appointment of an investigator.
The district is seeking an attorney general’s opinion to withhold those documents, arguing that “litigation is reasonably anticipated” and that those documents should not be released under the Texas Government Code.
Officers with the Mercedes Police Department arrested Mendiola in June for allegedly interfering with an abuse investigation the department conducted a month prior. That investigation resulted in the arrest of a teacher at the district, who was charged with having an inappropriate relationship with a student and two counts of indecency with child sexual contact.
Police documents allege Mendiola yelled at police officers investigating that teacher and told reporting parties not to cooperate with law enforcement.
Terry Canales, another attorney representing Mendiola, steadfastly denied any wrongdoing on the superintendent’s part and said in June that allegations against her are politically motivated.
So far the interference with public duties charge against Mendiola has not made its way to a courtroom.
It’s unclear when, or if, she’ll sue in regards to the arrest or her workplace discrimination and pay complaints.
Mendiola’s arrest came after significant turmoil at the district and disagreement with its board of trustees. She announced — a week and a half after allegedly interfering with that investigation in May — her intention to retire sometime during the beginning of the 2022-23 school year.
In August, trustees inked a two-year contract with current Interim Superintendent Richard Rivera and suspended their search for a superintendent.
At the time, Rivera told The Monitor that his salary remained the same as his predecessor’s, which, he said, was low compared to other superintendent salaries.
