LOUDOUN COUNTY, Va.—“Resign,” scores of Loudoun County residents told the local school board on Nov. 9.
While the Virginia gubernatorial election last week saw a win for conservative candidate Glenn Youngkin, parents told the school board that their fight wasn’t over yet.
“We are still here,” repeated residents in their public remarks.
“This has always been about our children, not an election,” said one mother. “Never underestimate the determination of a mama bear when her cubs are under attack.”
About 100 people signed up to speak in person at the school board meeting on Tuesday evening. Many criticized the Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) Superintendent Scott Ziegler and the school board for allegedly covering up a sexual assault case in a high school bathroom. He later passed a pro-transgender policy that allows students to go to the bathroom of their self-identified gender.
Speakers also questioned whether the law firm Ziegler hired could truly conduct an independent investigation on his handling of sexual assaults in LCPS.
Ziegler had emailed Loudoun County School Board (LCSB) about a sexual assault case in Stone Bridge High School on May 28. Yet, at the June 22 LCSB meeting, the superintendent said, “To my knowledge, we don’t have any records of assaults occurring in our restrooms.” Ziegler acknowledged on Oct. 15 his statement was false, but said he misunderstood the question.
Public viewing of the parents’ comment session was not allowed, so county residents held a rally outside and watched the live broadcast of the meeting together.
Ian Prior, executive director of local advocacy group Fight for Schools, said at the rally that Virginia gubernatorial election was not his organization’s main objective. It is “to have a school board that doesn’t put politics into education, that focuses on the basics.”