Sexual harassment charges against two Loudoun County Public Schools officials were unsealed Monday, less than a week after former Superintendent Scott Ziegler was fired over the scandal.
Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares announced Monday that Ziegler has been indicted on three felony charges and school spokesman Wade Byard has been charged with perjury.
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The jury found Ziegler guilty of false advertising, prohibited conduct and punishing an employee for appearing in court.
Parents and teachers debated Loudoun County Public School Board 8,040’s transgender student policy at its Oct. 11 meeting.
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Two of the misconduct counts relate to Ziegler’s actions against Erin Brooks, a former LCPS special education teacher. According to the indictments, Ziegler “unlawfully used his public position to retaliate or threaten retaliation against Erin Brooks” and “unlawfully discharged or took adverse action against Erin Brooks.”
The attorney general’s office said it could not comment on pending litigation.
Teacher Laurie Vandermeulen speaks at the Loudoun County School Board meeting in Ashburn.
(Fox News screenshot/Ian Prior Twitter)
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A grand jury report released last Monday found the district “lacked openness, transparency and accountability, both to the public and to the ad hoc grand jury,” following two campus sexual assaults. The report also criticized Superintendent Scott Ziegler for denying any knowledge of the first assault at a school board meeting.
As a result of that report, the school board fired Superintendent Scott Ziegler at a regular meeting.
A school district grand jury previously expressed relief last week that it found no evidence of criminal wrongdoing or indicted any employees.
“Despite the recent indictments against Loudoun County School Board (LCSB) members and Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) employees over the past several months, we believe that an extensive Special Grand Jury investigation found criminal conduct We are pleased that no evidence of wrongdoing has been found. No one within LCPS has been charged as part of this lengthy process,” school board chairman Jeff Morse and school board vice chairman Ian Serotkin wrote in a statement last Monday. .
Parents protest in Loudoun County, Virginia, June 22, 2021.
(Reuters)
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Ian Prior, chief executive of parent rights group Fight for Schools, welcomed the news on Monday.
“We are pleased that families who have been harmed by the serious failures of Loudoun County Public Schools’ leadership through repeated acts of deceit and dishonesty will receive some measure of justice,” Prior said.
He continued, “We must also recognize the Loudoun County parents who have been calling out the arrogance, incompetence and gross negligence of those leaders for years. received slings and arrows from elected officials and others in their communities for speaking truth to power – yet they never backed down.
“Loudoun County should serve as a beacon of hope for the rest of the country. Citizens can come together and change the name of truth, justice and accountability from their government,” he concluded.
Loudoun County Public Schools, Scott Ziegler and Wade Byard did not respond to requests for comment.