Loíza mayor Julia Nazario responded to the controversy involving several students from her town who were transported, allegedly without their parents’ consent, to a political activity by Senator Héctor Joaquín Sánchez. Eleventh-grade students from the Segunda Unidad Belén Blanco de Zequeira school were taken to a New Progressive Party event in Camuy during school hours.
Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz ordered the start of a proceeding against the lawmaker before the Senate Ethics Committee, the Department of Justice is evaluating a referral against Sánchez, and the Department of Education opened an investigation involving two teachers. On social media, Nazario urged that the matter be resolved quickly “for the good of the 4 students,” said the mothers’ complaints are not a scheme by Popular Party members, and stressed the mothers have different ideologies.
“It is brave to accept... but it is not brave to blame others for what we did,” she wrote. Sánchez responded that the students’ participation arose from the youths’ own interest and had the verbal authorization of their parents, which he said will be evidenced. He called the complaint politically motivated by Popular Party adversaries in Loíza acting behind the scenes, but said he is open to a thorough investigation and will hand the information he has received to the Senate Ethics Committee.