Tempers flared and accusations of a cover up flew after the Loudoun County School Board voted Tuesday night against releasing an independent report into the school district's handling of two sexual assaults.
Parents have been calling on the board to release the report for months, but on Tuesday, officials cited attorney-client privilege and student privacy for keeping it under wraps.
A student sexually assaulted a female student at Stone Bridge High School in May 2021, but was allowed to transfer to Broad Run High School, where he abducted and sexually assaulted the second student in October of 2021. The teen was later convicted in juvenile court.
“Every parent who has children in this school system right now, don't send them to school tomorrow!” Scott Smith, the father of one of the victims, said. “Don’t send them to school any longer! You’re not safe!"
We're making it easier for you to find stories that matter with our new newsletter — The 4Front. Sign up here and get news that is important for you to your inbox.
Emotions ran high and other parents also sounded off after the controversial 3-6 vote.
“I’m the father of the first sexual assault student,” Smith said. “What are they hiding in there? What are they hiding? They are hiding something big.”
Many said the report would detail what the school system knew and when, and despite several board members previously signaling they would support the release, on Tuesday the majority claimed it would violate attorney-client privilege.
“Being open and transparent is incredibly important, but so is the rights of our students and staff,” school board member Ian Serotkin said.
“I do believe that transparency is important, and yet in order to protect the identities of minors and make sure we aren't contributing to and prolonging the trauma of the victims, I will not support the motion,” board member Erika Ogedebe said.
Smith stormed out after the decision and did not mince words.
“This just goes to show you right now that this school board is corrupt,” he said. “It needs to end!”
The vote is just the latest controversy for the school district.
Late last year, it voted unanimously to fire former Superintendent Scott Ziegler after a special grand jury released a report saying administrators were looking out for their own interests instead of students after a Virginia teen was convicted of sexually assaulting two classmates on separate campuses. A district spokesman is also facing a felony charge. Both men deny wrongdoing.
