Droves of parents have called for Loudoun County School Board members to resign Tuesday after the release of a special grand jury report.
Loudoun County parents demanded that members of the school board step down in wake of the special grand jury report, which concluded the district “dropped the ball” on student safety after it neglected to inform the community of numerous sexual assaults occurring within the district.
The former Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) Superintendent, Scott Ziegler, was indicted on three misdemeanor charges Monday, including penalizing an employee for a court appearance, according to the Daily Caller.
“You and your allies tried and failed to discredit and obstruct the grand jury and then you spiked the football on your own 20-yard line,” one Loudoun County parent said at the meeting. “You chose to be history’s notes. There is no escape from that legacy. You have a choice: unconditional surrender or unconditional surrender.”
It was not long before Ziegler’s indictment when the board expressed that it was “pleased” that “not a single indictment was filed as a result of this lengthy process.”
One of the board members, Brenda Sheridan, has gone on the record to praise Ziegler for his “integrity” and for being a “lightning rod” for criticism directed at the school district after it allegedly refused to take action against a male pupil who sexually assaulted female students at the school.
As long as Brenda Sheridan remains on the Loudoun County School Board I’m going to repeatedly tweet this video of her praising his “integrity” and calling him the school board’s “lightning rod” for criticism. 🤔 pic.twitter.com/SZDgewSlHC
— Ian Prior (@iandprior) December 14, 2022
“You have wasted enough of our time and our money and you have shown that you put politics and agendas above the best interest of our children, putting them in harm’s way,” Loudoun County parent Elicia Brand-Leudemann declared at the board meeting. “More indictments will come down and you are all compromised. Shame on you, [Loudoun County School Board Vice Chair] Ian Serotkin for your premature victory lap post celebrating no indictments.”
The grand jury found the district knew of multiple sexual assaults that took place within its grounds in 2021. The school district reportedly refused to tell community members about the assaults, excusing it due to “privacy concerns” for the students involved.
“Loudoun County Public School administrators were looking out for their own interests instead of the best interests of LCPS,” stated the report. “This invariably led to a stunning lack of openness, transparency, and accountability both to the public and the special grand jury.”
A disgruntled parent of the Loudoun County School district lambasted the board’s statement of approval as it pertains to a lack of filed charges, referring to the actions as “disgusting.”
“We are never going away. We’re never going to turn a blind eye,” said the parent. “Our children are online. Their education and their future matter. To make a statement, a formal statement no less, an official statement indicating that you’re pleased is disgusting. It is so disgusting. My seven-year-old was suspended for wearing a mask. You didn’t even suspend the rapist. Do the right thing. Resign.”
