SCUCISD HR chief accused of driving intoxicated on district property

Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City Independent School District's human resources director is accused of driving onto district property while intoxicated around lunchtime on Friday, as questions remain over how the district handled the incident.

District officials on Wednesday acknowledged a report of the incident involving Cindy Ward, the district's executive director of human resources, but they did not provide details on what occurred or how it was handled.

On Monday, school district officials informed campus leaders and administrators that Ward had abruptly decided to retire, according to an email obtained by the San Antonio Express-News.

Deanna D. Jackson, SCUCISD's director of communications, sent the email to the district's "Team One" group, which includes principals and senior administrators. She wrote that Ward "will be retiring at the end of the school year and is currently taking leave."

Jackson said that the announcement "may come as a surprise" and noted that "leadership transitions can raise questions." She did not mention the alleged April 24 incident. She emphasized continuity in the human resources department, which is in its busy hiring season, and said an interim director had been named.

Ward's image was removed from the district's website shortly after the incident. Ward did not respond to a request for comment.

Located northeast of San Antonio, SCUCISD enrolled 14,197 students last school year, according to state data.

Jana Cervantes, a former principal at Steele High School who retired amid health issues in May 2024 after a 30-year education career, first raised the allegations publicly on social media.

In an interview, Cervantes said the incident occurred on April 24 in the area behind the district's administrative building, the Malish Administration Building, which is across the street from Lehnoff Stadium, off Elbel Road.

Cervantes said she learned about the incident from at least three district employees, including staff members and administrators, some of whom relayed accounts from individuals who said they had witnessed it. The Express-News reached out to two administrators whom Cervantes identified as witnesses; one declined comment and the other did not respond.

Cervantes alleged that some staff members were present for the incident. She said she believes other district employees in similar circumstances would have been arrested.

According to Cervantes, Ward drove onto the campus area during the school day while intoxicated, struck a curb and remained in her vehicle. Cervantes claimed that the district did not call the police.

The Schertz Police Department told the Express-News it had no record of being contacted about the incident. SCUCISD contracts with Schertz PD for law enforcement services and does not run a separate school district police department.

In response to questions outlining the allegations, district spokesperson Ed Suarez said in a statement that the district "responded promptly" and in accordance with state law and board policy. Suarez said the district met "all mandatory reporting requirements" but did not specify what was reported, when it was reported or whether law enforcement was notified. He also did not say whether the district had conducted an internal investigation.

Texas law requires superintendents to report certain educator misconduct to the Texas Education Agency, including if an educator committed any part of a criminal offense on school property.

In his written statement, Suarez said the district "takes all concerns regarding staff conduct seriously and follows established procedures to ensure each situation is reviewed and addressed appropriately. These standards apply to all employees, regardless of position," Suarez said.

On Thursday, TEA spokesperson Jake Kobersky confirmed that agency staff received an anonymous complaint on Monday related to last Friday's incident. He also confirmed that the district submitted a misconduct report to TEA regarding Cindy Ward on Tuesday morning. He said that TEA is conducting a preliminary review and will decide whether to go forward with an investigation.

Ward describes herself on LinkedIn and X as a "Servant Leader" and educator, emphasizing leadership and school culture. She worked in multiple roles in the district over three separate periods between 2002 and 2026, including as an elementary teacher, assistant principal and associate principal, elementary principal, director of campus leadership support and executive director of human resources, the district said in its statement.

She also worked as a high school principal in Fort Bend ISD near Houston from 2020 to 2023 and held teaching and administrative roles in Pflugerville ISD outside of Austin from 2005 to 2014, according to her LinkedIn profile. In 2018, SCUCISD named her principal of Rose Garden Elementary School, where she led the opening of a new campus. She was hired in April 2024 as SCUCISD's executive director of human resources, according to her LinkedIn.

Cervantes said her decision to speak publicly about the allegations against Ward was shaped in part by what she described as unfair treatment by district leaders, including Ward. She said other employees, including herself, had faced harsher consequences for conduct she considered less serious.

She said that in 2024, five months after her retirement, the TEA notified her that she was under investigation for how she handled an allegation involving a district employee accused of inappropriate communication with a student. Cervantes denied any wrongdoing, saying she reported the allegations to the central office.

Her principal certificate was suspended after TEA found wrongdoing in its investigation, she said. The Texas educator certification database shows that Cervantes' certificates, including those as a teacher, principal and superintendent, are suspended.

In Facebook posts on April 27, Cervantes publicly accused district leaders of protecting Ward.

"I'm honestly disappointed in how situations involving leadership conduct can be handled behind the scenes instead of with transparency," she wrote. "When something serious happens, the community deserves answers-not quiet exits or unanswered questions. Accountability shouldn't depend on position or title. We trust our schools with our kids, our educators, and our community. That trust has to be protected."

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