Tag: Loudoun County Public Schools

Victim Who Was Sexually Assaulted by Trans Student Files Lawsuit Against Loudoun County School District

Virginia Star Staff

A former female student, who was sexually assaulted by a male student claiming to be transgender, filed a lawsuit Wednesday against Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) for allegedly covering up the attack, according to court documents.

The assault was first reported in 2021 by the Daily Wire after the student’s father, Scott Smith, was arrested for disorderly conduct at a board meeting after he demanded that the board admit they covered up his daughter’s attack. Now the student and her parents, identified in the lawsuit as Jane Doe, Jane Roe and John Doe respectively, are suing the district for $30 million for its “indifference to sexual assault” and failure to protect Jane Doe from harm, according to court documents.

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Court: Virginia Parents’ Lawsuit Can Continue Against Loudoun Schools over Bias Incident Reporting Form

The Center Square
School buses

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit reversed the dismissal of a lawsuit made by Loudoun County, Virginia, parents against their public school system over a bias reporting system, which they argue could chill their children’s freedom of speech.

The appeals court overturned a lower court decision to dismiss the lawsuit Friday, saying that the case against Loudoun County Public Schools’ based on student’s First Amendment rights could continue in federal court.

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Biden Administration to Investigate Loudoun County Public Schools over Sexual Assault Cases

Admin

The Biden Administration’s Education Department (ED) announced its intention to investigate the controversial Loudoun County Public School (LCPS) district over its mishandling of two sexual assault cases by the same culprit at two different schools.

According to the Daily Caller, the investigation will be led by the ED’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR). The case revolves around a male student who used the school’s extremely loose “transgender” policy to identify as a girl by wearing a skirt, and thus was allowed to use the women’s restrooms without hindrance. He then went into a restroom at the Stone Bridge High School in May of 2021 and raped a female freshman.

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Attorney for Indicted Loudoun County Official in School Assault Case Says Client Accused of Lying

Just the News

One of the northern Virginia public school officials indicted last month in connection with how his school district handled two high-profile, 2021 sexual assaults in schools is facing a felony perjury charge in the case, his attorney said Thursday.

The official, Wayde Byard, a Loudoun County Public Schools spokesman, was indicted by a Virginia special state grand jury following an investigation into how the school system handled the assaults.

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Miyares Launches Two-Pronged Investigation into Thomas Jefferson High School

Eric Burk

Attorney General Jason Miyares announced Wednesday a civil rights investigation into Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology amid allegations that school officials suppressed student merit awards until after college early application periods.

“My office will investigate whether the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology administration’s withholding of National Merit Scholarship honors from students violated the Virginia Human Rights Act,” he wrote in a letter to Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid and TJ Principal Ann Bonitatibus, warning that he planned to issue subpoenas if the officials don’t cooperate.

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Youngkin Calls for Investigation into Thomas Jefferson High School After Allegations That School Downplayed Student Awards

Eric Burk

Governor Glenn Youngkin has asked Attorney General Jason Miyares to investigate the administration at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology after allegations that officials downplayed student National Merit awards until after early selection college deadlines.

“We need to get to the bottom of what appears to be an egregious, deliberate attempt to disadvantage high-performing students at one of the best schools in the country,” Governor Glenn Youngkin said in a Tuesday press release. “Parents and students deserve answers and Attorney General Miyares will initiate a full investigation. I believe this failure may have caused material harm to those students and their parents, and that this failure may have violated the Virginia Human Rights Act.”

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Parents Demand Loudoun County School Board Members Resign Following Grand Jury Report

Virginia Star Staff

LOUDOUN COUNTY, Virginia — Parents demanded Loudoun County School Board members resign on Tuesday following the release of a special grand jury report, the Daily Caller News Foundation observed.

Loudoun County parents urged members of the school board to step down and resign over the special grand jury report, which found the district “dropped the ball” on student safety after failing to alert the community of multiple sexual assaults that took place within the district. The comments come after former Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) Superintendent Scott Ziegler was indicted Monday on three misdemeanor charges, including penalizing an employee for a court appearance.

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Former Loudoun County Superintendent Indicted on Three Misdemeanor Charges

Admin

The former superintendent of Loudoun County Public Schools in Virginia has been indicted following a special grand jury report that concluded the school district mishandled several sexual assault cases involving students.

The Loudoun County Special Grand Jury charged former Loudoun County Public Schools Superintendent Scott Ziegler Monday on three misdemeanor charges, including penalizing an employee for a court appearance, while Loudoun County Public Schools Public Information Officer Wayde Byard was indicted with felony perjury. The Loudoun County School Board fired Ziegler Dec. 7 “immediately and without cause” following the special grand jury report.

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Loudoun Schools Fires Superintendent Ziegler

Eric Burk

The Loudoun County School Board voted unanimously to fire Superintendent Scott Ziegler without cause after a grand jury report blamed Ziegler and his administration for much of the district’s mishandling of two 2021 sexual assaults.

The board spent much of the Tuesday evening meeting in closed session and didn’t publicly discuss Ziegler’s termination; there is an emergency meeting schedule for Thursday to appoint Chief of Staff Daniel Smith to be interim superintendent.

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Loudoun Schools Grand Jury Finds Administration Mishandled 2021 Sexual Assaults, Failed to Prevent Second October Assault

Eric Burk

A final report on the grand jury investigation into the Loudoun County Public School district’s handling of two sexual assaults on campuses says senior LCPS administration “were looking out for their own interests instead of the best interests of LCPS,” kept school board (LCSB) members in the dark about critical facts, and also described breakdowns in communication between LCPS, the Sheriff’s Office (LCSO), and the Commonwealth’s attorney’s office that contributed to a failure to prevent the second assault.

“There were several decision points for senior LCPS administrators, up to and including the superintendent, to be transparent and step in and alter the sequence of events leading up to the October 6, 2021 BRHS [Broad Run High School] sexual assault. They failed at every juncture,” the report states. “We concluded there was not a coordinated cover-up between LCPS administrators and members of the LCSB. Indeed, except for the May, 28, 2021 email from the superintendent, the LCSB, both as a body and its individual members, were deliberately deprived of information regarding these incidents until after the October 6, 2021 sexual assault — and even then they learned not from the superintendent’s office but instead from public reporting that the assailant was the same one from the May 28 incident.”

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Hanover County School Board Passes Transgender Policy Crafted with Help from Conservative Legal Group

Eric Burk

The Hanover County School Board passed a transgender policy crafted with help from conservative legal group the Alliance Defense Fund. The policy includes an extensive process for transgender students to request access to their preferred bathroom, including allowing the board to request the student’s criminal history documents.

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Trump Advisor Stephen Miller’s Legal Organization Sues Loudoun County Public Schools

Eric Burk

America First Legal, helmed by former Trump advisor Stephen Miller, announced a lawsuit against Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS)on Wednesday, alleging that district policy takes away parental rights.

“The Defendants’ policies and practices are intended to force or have the effect of forcing Plaintiffs into choosing between their fundamental right to direct the education, moral instruction, and upbringing of their children, and their right to free public elementary and secondary education,” the complaint states.

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Former RPV Chair Representing Loudoun Teacher in Suit Against School Board

Eric Burk

Former Republican Party of Virginia Chairman John Whitbeck, Jr. is representing Loudoun teacher Erin Brooks in a lawsuit against the school board and Principal Diane Mackey. Brooks, a special needs teacher, alleges that a student repeatedly touched her in inappropriate ways, that the school failed to respond adequately, and that Mackey retaliated after Brooks spoke out.

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Teachers Say Loudoun County Public Schools Didn’t Renew Their Contract After Testifying to Grand Jury and Expressing Concern About Students’ Inappropriate Touching

Eric Burk

Two Loudoun County Public Schools teachers said in a public comment period Tuesday that their contracts weren’t renewed after they were subpoenaed by a grand jury investigating the district and after their complaints about teachers being inappropriately touched.

Erin Brooks said she had a student who was repeatedly touching teachers and students in a sexual way.

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VA-10 GOP Nominee Hung Cao: Focus on Economy and National Security

Eric Burk

GOP nominee for Virginia’s tenth congressional district Hung Cao said his top priorities if he’s elected to Congress will be the economy and national security.

“We have to stabilize this economy. This is spiraling out of control,” Cao told The Virginia Star. “We have to cut spending. This is not just about my kids and your kids, but our grand kids and our great grand kids. This is going to resonate for years.”

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Youngkin Takes Final Action on 30 Bills, Signs Loudoun School Board Bill Without Requirement to Make Board Run Again

Eric Burk

Governor Glenn Youngkin signed 23 bills and vetoed seven after the General Assembly voted to accept, accept in part, or reject Youngkin’s amendments to the original legislation. Although the Senate rejected Youngkin’s amendment to force the whole Loudoun County School Board (LCSB) to run again this year, Youngkin approved Delegate David Reid’s (D-Loudoun) underlying bill, originally created to facilitate beginning a staggered election cycle for the various seats on the board.

“Governor Youngkin has signed the unamended version of HB1138, bringing a peaceful closure to his attempt to undermine the duly elected members of Loudoun’s locally elected school board. This is a victory for free and fair elections across the entire Commonwealth,” Reid tweeted Friday.

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Virginia Beach School Board Removes ‘Gender Queer’ from Libraries; Other Books Stay

Eric Burk

Virginia Beach School Board Chair Carolyn Rye is directing staff to remove Gender Queer: a Memoir from school libraries, following the recommendation of a work group.

“I think the removal of this book is a win for parents and students,” Board Member Victoria Manning told The Virginia Star.

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Circuit Court Dismisses One of the Convictions Against Father Arrested at June 2021 Loudoun School Board Meeting

Eric Burk

The Loudoun County Circuit Court dismissed one of the convictions Scott Smith was facing after being arrested at a June 2021 Loudoun County School Board meeting. Smith, represented by State Senator Bill Stanley’s (R-Franklin) legal firm, asked the judge to recuse Loudoun County Commonwealth’s Attorney Buta Biberaj from the case; a written opinion from the judge is pending after Monday’s court appearance.

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Loudoun County Public Schools Announces Town Halls, Parent Advisory Group

Eric Burk

Loudoun County Public Schools has announced that it will hold town hall sessions at four locations on April 18, 19, and 21, with some sessions held simultaneously. On Tuesday evening, the school board also voted to form a parent advisory group.

“These Community Town Hall meetings will be facilitated by RTI International, an external firm leading strategic planning on behalf of the division. Loudoun County School Board members will also be in attendance. These sessions are designed to create a space for community members to think about and articulate their vision for all students in LCPS moving forward. Participating community members will have an opportunity to offer input and provide feedback on the most important actions they’d like to see the division take over the next five years, as well as programs and practices that they hope will be added, discontinued, or otherwise considered,” the district announced.

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Virginia’s 10th District GOP Picks Canvass to Nominate a Challenger to Rep. Wexton

Eric Burk

Virginia’s Tenth Congressional District has attracted 11 candidates for the GOP nomination canvass, scheduled to be held on May 21. After redistricting, Republicans see an opportunity to defeat incumbent Representative Jennifer Wexton (D-Virginia-10).

“We think we’ve got a really good shot at winning this, and I think that’s why we have 11 candidates running,” Tenth District GOP Chairman Geary Higgins told The Virginia Star.

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Virginia General Assembly Passes Bill Protecting Teachers Who Speak Out Against School Policy

Eric Burk

While it was in session, the General Assembly passed a law protecting state and local government employees from being penalized by their employer for expressing their opinion about policy or proposals during public comment periods.  According to a Monday email update, The Family Foundation asked for the bill after Loudoun County teacher Tanner Cross was fired from his position after he spoke against the district’s proposed transgender policy.

“If you’re a science teacher, and you don’t believe in evolution, that’s fine. But your job requires you to teach it, so you have to teach it; but on your own time, if you want to say evolution is BS, you can do that and you can’t be penalized for it. But you have to do your job,” bill sponsor Education Committee Chair Glenn Davis (R-Virginia Beach) told a committee in February. “I’ll use the other example, the Pledge [of Allegiance.] A teacher doesn’t believe in the Pledge, their job is when the day starts, as directed by the principal, to have their class stand up and say the Pledge. But on your own time, if you want to go out and speak against it, that’s your right. We can’t be penalized for it.”

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Loudoun County Public Schools Won’t Comment After Judge Orders It to Follow Executive Order on Masks

Peter D'Abrosca

After a group of parents sued Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) for forcing students to continue wearing masks despite Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) issuing executive order banning that practice, LCPS declined to comment on the situation. 

Wayde B. Byard, LCPS’ public information officer, told The Virginia Star Thursday that the only comment he could offer was already made by Superintendent Scott Ziegler. 

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Loudoun County Schools Security Directed Administrators to Seek Warrants for Students Without Masks

Peter D'Abrosca

In yet another scandal involving Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS), an email published on Twitter shows school security officials told school administrators to seek warrants from magistrate judges to arrest students who refused to wear masks. 

An email from security head John Clark, posted on Twitter by commentator Ned Ryun, shows Clark giving teachers instructions on February 1 about how to obtain those warrants. The instructions were given just after the school vowed to defy Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R), who banned mask mandates on his first day in office. 

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Virginia Attorney General Miyares: Loudoun County School’s Trespassing Threat for Ignoring Mask Rules ‘Astonishing’

Peter D'Abrosca

Virginia’s Attorney General Jason Miyares joined radio host Jeff Katz of The Jeff Katz Show on WRVA, where he expressed his dismay about Loudoun County Public Schools’ (LCPS) current mask mandate policy. 

“I’ve gotta admit, that was a pretty astonishing even coming from the Loudoun County administrators,” Miyares said.

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Loudoun County Schools Respond After Students Refuse to Wear Masks

Peter D'Abrosca
group of students walking into school

After a large group of students at Woodgrove High School, part of Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS), decided to defy the school’s mask mandate Monday, LCPS has responded. 

“This morning 30 Woodgrove students (out of a student body of 1,585) refused to wear a mask. They were asked to move to the auditorium where they could use the Schoology platform to continue their studies,” Wayde B. Byard, LCPS’ Public Information Officer, told The Virginia Star by email. “Teachers dropped periodically in to help students with their work. A lunch period and bathroom breaks were arranged. Several students opted to go home and were allowed to do so.”

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Virginia NAACP Chapter Accuses Parents of Racism for Trying to Recall School Board Members Who Covered Up In-School Sexual Assaults

Admin

Parents trying to recall members of a northern Virginia school board were accused of racism for these actions by a local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) on Tuesday.

Michelle Thomas, a pastor and president of the Loudoun, Virginia, branch of the NAACP called the recall effort “a Jim Crow-esque effort of 2022 to suppress votes, and to silence the will of the people,” according to the Loudoun Times-Mirror. Thomas was announcing an effort to join the legal battle seeking to remove school board members Brenda Sheridan and Atoosa Reaser when she made the comment.

Thomas took aim at Fight for Schools, the parents group behind the recall effort, which began after a secret Facebook group targeting parents who opposed Critical Race Theory (CRT) in Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) came to light.

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Four Major School Districts Plan to Defy Youngkin Mask Mandate Ban

Peter D'Abrosca

After inaugurated Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) banned schools from establishing mask mandates on his first day as Virginia governor, four major school districts say they won’t abide by his new rule.

Executive Order Number Two (2022) and Order of Public Health Emergency One banned the mandates. 

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Delegate McGuire Introduces Repeals of Democratic Criminal Justice Reforms

Eric Burk

Delegate John McGuire (R-Henrico) has introduced several bills that would repeal Democratic criminal justice reforms. McGuire’s proposals include bills to lower thresholds for felony larceny, make it easier to execute search warrants, and end local governmental authority to establish law enforcement civilian oversight bodies. Chief on the list is HB 59, which requires school principals to report misdemeanors to law enforcement and to the victim’s parents.

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Loudoun County Schools Ignore CDC, Will Continue 10 Day Quarantine

Peter D'Abrosca

Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) will not follow new U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines for quarantine length after exposure to COVID-19. 

The new recommendation is a five-day isolation period, instead of the original 10-day isolation period. 

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Over 500 Freedom of Information Act Requests Filed Against Loudoun County School District

Virginia Star Staff
Man looking at folders

The Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) district, which has faced widespread backlash and scrutiny over its handling of a two-time rapist, is now dealing with over 500 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests filed by county parents, Breitbart reports.

The sheer amount of new requests represents an increase of more than five times the previous yearly average; from 2012 to 2018, the average amount of FOIA requests for LCPS was about 90. Roughly 40 percent of the new requests have been filed on behalf of the group Fight for Schools, a nonprofit watchdog group that has been fighting for transparency from the school board.

As the process of fulfilling a FOIA request under Virginia state law, much like the federal equivalent, is a time-consuming process, LCPS “has begun billing VFOIA requesters because it cannot handle the current volume free of charge,” according to LCPS Public Information Officer Wayne Byard. In addition, the district has had to hire twice as many staffers to focus solely on processing such requests.

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Fight for Schools Files Recall Petition Against Loudoun School Board Vice-Chair Atoosa Reaser

Eric Burk

Fight for Schools has filed a recall petition aimed at Loudoun County School Board Vice-Chair Atoosa Reaser. The petition cites her involvement in two controversial Facebook groups, alleges Reaser’s knowledge of an assault at Stone Bridge High School, and says she has limited First Amendment rights of speakers during public comment.

Fight for Schools Executive Director Ian Prior said in a press release, “As Vice-Chairwoman, Atoosa Reaser has been part of the leadership team that has overseen and personally contributed to a complete breakdown in trust between the community and the Loudoun County School Board. From violating open meetings law, to ignoring the school board’s code of conduct, to neglecting to keep our children safe, all in the name of politics, Reaser has failed to lead and collaborate with parents and teachers that want a quality, safe education that respects the diversity of thought and viewpoint of the parents and students in her district.”

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Mother of Raped Loudoun County Teen Blasts School District in First Interview Since Incident

Peter D'Abrosca

In an interview with Daily Mail, the mother of the teenage girl who was raped in a bathroom at Stone Bridge High School in Loudoun County blasted the school district.

“This is not about politics,” said Jessica Smith. “This is about sexual assault and how we need to make changes in our schools in order to protect victims, get them the help they need sooner, and believe them. And don’t allow a perpetrator back into another school.”

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‘We’re Still Here,’ Loudoun Parents Say, ‘We’re Not Spiking the Ball Because Youngkin Won’

Virginia Star Staff

“We are still here” even though the election is over, about 150 parents reminded the Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) school board outside its Tuesday meeting.

Concerned community members, parents, grandparents and students spoke out during the meeting to tell the school board that although Glenn Youngkin won the gubernatorial race last Tuesday, the problems at LCPS still remain.

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Loudoun County Public Schools, Superintendent Zeigler Won’t Commit to Supporting School Board Member Sheridan in Recall Battle

Peter D'Abrosca

After Tuesday’s recall petition filed against Loudoun County School Board (LCSB) Chair Brenda Sheridan, who represents the Sterling district, Loudoun County Public Schools remained noncommittal in the recall fight. 

Notably, embattled LCPS Superintendent Scott Ziegler, who has refused to resign in the wake of a coverup of a 14-year-old girl’s rape by a biological boy wearing a dress, will not take a position on the recall efforts. 

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Loudoun County Schools Chief Orders Outside Review of How His Office Handled Sexual Assault Claims

Virginia Star Staff

The superintendent of Loudoun County Public Schools in Virginia announced he has commissioned an outside review of how his office handled allegations of sexual misconduct at two high schools.

“We believe we have followed all mandatory reporting protocols and aided law enforcement to the fullest extent allowed in all investigations regarding these matters,” Superintendent Scott Ziegler wrote in a Nov. 5 email to parents and staff. “We acknowledge that these matters need to be fully reviewed.”

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Loudoun County Sheriff Rejected School Superintendent’s ‘Extraordinary’ Security Requests for School Board Meetings

Virginia Star Staff
Scott A. Ziegler and

Recently-unearthed documents revealed a disagreement between the superintendent of Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) and the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO), after the former requested increased security measures from the latter in order to combat protesting parents at school board meetings, the Daily Caller reports.

The correspondence was revealed by a public records request from the Fight for School PAC. Documents show that superintendent Scott Ziegler’s requests included an increased presence of officers, a K-9 sweep of the meeting venue, and undercover officers in the crowd, among other measures, all of which were rejected by LCSO as excessive.

The LCSO even went so far as to disagree with Ziegler changing the rules for the school board meeting, including the decision to shut down the public comment section of a meeting that took place on June 22nd; LCSO told Ziegler that measures such as this amounted to silencing political opposition.

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Teachers Union President Backing McAuliffe Promotes Article Claiming Parents Don’t Have a ‘Right’ in What Kids Are Taught

Admin

American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten shared an article that claimed parents do not have a right to shape what their children learn in school.

“Great piece on parents’ rights and #publicschools,” Weingarten commented on the article by The Washington Post. The piece describes movements by parents to influence what schools teach their children as “paranoid” and a “frenzy,” and it characterizes parental involvement as an obstacle of sorts to children “[thinking] for themselves.”

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Juvenile Court Finds Sufficient Evidence in Loudoun School Assault Case

Eric Burk

A juvenile court judge found sufficient evidence to sustain charges of a May sexual assault in a Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS)  bathroom, allegedly committed by a “gender fluid” student. The judge’s decision in the Monday trial is equivalent to a guilty verdict, The Washington Post reported.

“We are relieved that justice was served today for the Smith’s daughter.  This horrible incident has deeply affected the Smith family, and they are grateful for today’s outcome,” Senator Bill Stanley (R-Franklin) said in a Monday press release. “No one should have to endure what this family has endured, and now their focus is completely upon their daughter’s health and safety as she progresses forward with her life.  She is a very smart and strong young woman, and she is deeply loved by her parents.”

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Exclusive: Loudoun County Superintendent Not Planning to Resign After More Details Emerge in Alleged Rape Coverup

Peter D'Abrosca

Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) and the communications office for Loudoun County Superintendent Scott Ziegler ignored The Virginia Star’s comment requests Friday, as more evidence emerged that the district covered up the alleged rape of a teenaged girl. 

WTOP reported Thursday that Ziegler sent an email to the Loudoun County School Board (LCSB) on May 28, the day when a male student in a skirt allegedly raped a ninth-grade girl in the bathroom at Stone Bridge High School.

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Exclusive: Loudoun County Superintendent Not Planning to Resign After More Details Emerge in Alleged Rape Coverup

Peter D'Abrosca

Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) and the communications office for Loudoun County Superintendent Scott Ziegler ignored The Virginia Star’s comment requests Friday, as more evidence emerged that the district covered up the alleged rape of a teenaged girl. 

WTOP reported Thursday that Ziegler sent an email to the Loudoun County School Board (LCSB) on May 28, the day when a male student in a skirt allegedly raped a ninth-grade girl in the bathroom at Stone Bridge High School.

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Delegate Wendy Gooditis Facing Serious Challenge from Republican Newcomer Nick Clemente

Eric Burk

Virginia House District 10 is one of Republicans’ best chances to flip a House seat in the election; Republicans hope to retake the majority by winning a net six seats. The district includes part of Loudoun County, where the local school board has become a battleground and a national bellweather for the GOP’s new messaging on education. Statewide politicians have made repeated stops in the area, and GOP challenger Nick Clemente and Delegate Wendy Gooditis (D-Clarke) have together raised over $2 million, placing the district number one among the 100 House seats for fundraising, according to The Virginia Public Access Project.

“I think Gooditis is probably the second most likely Democrat to lose in the House,” CNalysis Executive Director Chaz Nuttycombe said. “I think Nick Clemente is definitely the strongest recruit that the GOP has going up against the Democrats.”

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Despite Soft-on-Crime Approach, Progressive Prosecutor Wanted to Throw Loudoun County Dad in Jail for Disorderly Conduct

Peter D'Abrosca

A Loudoun County Commonwealth’s Attorney, known for her soft-on-crime approach to prosecuting, reportedly want to throw Scott Smith in jail for two misdemeanors after he was arrested at a June 22 Loudoun County School Board (LCSB) meeting. 

Smith, who was charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest, was protesting anti-transgender bathroom policies in the Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS).

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In Surprise Win for Recall Proponents, Loudoun School Board Member Beth Barts Announces Resignation

Eric Burk

Loudoun County School Board Member Beth Barts announced her resignation, effective November 2, on Friday. Barts is facing a recall effort, and a judge recently declined to dismiss the recall petitions.

“This was not an easy decision, or a decision made in haste,” Barts wrote to the board and school officials. “After much thought and careful consideration, it is the right decision for me and my family.”

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Senator Stanley Representing Family Against Loudoun County Public Schools in Alleged Assault

Eric Burk

Senator Bill Stanley’s (R-Franklin) legal practice is representing the Smith family in their lawsuit against Loudoun County Public Schools over the school’s failures in an alleged sexual assault.

“The facts are that a male student claiming to be ‘gender fluid’ was permitted to enter the girls’ bathroom on May 28 and sexually assault our daughter. Making matters worse, the school system repeatedly failed to protect her thereafter. Then, they concealed the sexual assault from the public while considering formalizing a bathroom access policy that would have – and now has – increased the likelihood of sexual assaults like these. As a result, our daughter and our family has suffered, and continue to suffer, from the very real consequences of a policy that endangers the safety of every student,” the victim’s parents said in a Thursday press release.

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Virginia ACLU Insists Trans Kids ‘Not a Threat’, Dodges Questions on Loudoun County Scandal

Peter D'Abrosca

The Virginia American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Wednesday insisted that transgender students are “not a threat,” amid the bombshell report that a ninth-grade girl in Loudoun County was allegedly raped by a transgender girl – biologically male – in the bathroom at Stone Bridge High School.

“TRANS KIDS ARE NOT A THREAT,” the group said nine times in one tweet.

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Prominent Virginia Dems Silent on Alleged Loudoun County Rape Coverup

Peter D'Abrosca

Virginia’s most prominent Democrat Party leaders aren’t talking after the nationwide scandal involving the Loudoun County School District exploded earlier this week.

The Daily Wire reported earlier this week that Scott Smith, the man who was arrested for protesting transgender bathroom policies at a June 22 Loudoun County School Board (LCSB) meeting, has a ninth-grade daughter who was allegedly raped in school bathroom less than one month prior. The girl was allegedly raped by a transgender girl – a biological male – in a school bathroom at Stone Bridge High School.

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Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) Says He Has No Knowledge of Loudoun County Schools Rape Coverup Allegations

Peter D'Abrosca

The Virginia Star Wednesday asked Virginia Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) at Reagan International Airport in Washington, D.C., about the recent rape coverup allegations in Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS). 

Warner claimed he had no knowledge of what has become a bombshell national news story.

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Crowds Gather with Matt Walsh to Protest Loudoun County School’s ‘Indoctrination and Psychological Abuse of Kids’

Virginia Star Staff

A few hundred protestors gathered Tuesday evening outside of a Loudoun County Public Schools board meeting to push back against what they say are far-left Critical Race Theory and transgender policies.

Many of the protestors told the Daily Caller News Foundation that they were inspired to attend the rally by The Daily Wire’s Matt Walsh, who flew in from Tennessee to speak to the the school board of Loudoun County, a battleground for progressive education policies including LGBT issues, Critical Race Theory, and racial reparations.

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Loudoun County School Board Passes Policy That Protects First Amendment Rights in Response to Teachers’ Lawsuit

Virginia Star Staff

The Loudoun County school board voted on a revised professional conduct policy to specifically mention “Protected Speech” and the First Amendment rights of employees.

The new policy is a response to Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) teacher Tanner Cross who went viral for his comments at a school board meeting in May, where he spoke out against the district’s gender policy and was put on administrative leave shortly afterward. On Aug. 30 the Virginia Supreme Court ruled to reinstate him, calling his removal “likely unconstitutional.”

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