Loudoun schools should have prevented sexual assault, grand jury report finds

[Jilly_in_VA]

Just one day after a grand jury found the Loudoun County school district to bear “the brunt of the blame” in the sexual assault of a high school student last year, Loudoun County Superintendent Scott Ziegler was fired Tuesday night, according to WJLA sources.

Ziegler was reportedly fired Tuesday night in a closed-door meeting after a number of parents complained about his performance to the school board. Loudoun County parents told WJLA they were “alarmed about how Ziegler and school administrators handled two sexual assaults that happened at two different schools last year.”

A special grand jury investigation report released Monday, Dec. 5 accused school leaders of practicing “intentional institutional amnesia” and perpetuating a “culture of fear” to prevent key details from becoming public. It also said officials “failed at every juncture” to prevent the situation from escalating.

The grand jury claimed Ziegler lied during a June 2021 school board meeting when he said he didn’t know about any record of assaults that had occurred in the school’s restrooms. The jury cited internal emails that suggested otherwise.

“We believe that throughout this ordeal LCPS administrators were looking out for their own interests instead of the best interest of LCPS. This invariably led to a stunning lack of openness, transparency, and accountability,” the report stated.

https://www.wric.com/news/virginia-news/loudoun-schools-should-have-prevented-sexual-assault-grand-jury-report-finds/

[mahatmakanejeeves]

1. This is a recurring story on WTOP. What a debacle. It helped put Youngkin in the governor's mansion.

[Jilly_in_VA]

2. Which is appalling too

because he just sensationalized it.

This is something that should have been handled quietly and internally, and not by shuffling the assailant around. They are a dangerous kid who needs professional help, not a school transfer. They should have been expelled, charged with sexual assault, and remanded to custody.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

3. Same story, from the Loudoun Times-Mirror

ALERT | EDITOR'S PICK

LCPS Superintendent Scott Ziegler fired

By Amena H. Saiyid [e-mail] 14 hrs ago

Loudoun County Public School Superintendent Scott Ziegler no longer has a job.

He was fired in a unanimous vote taken by the Loudoun School Board at a Tuesday night meeting, Loudoun County Board Chair Phyllis Randall, D-at large, confirmed.

"After reading the grand jury report, there was no option left," Randall said in an interview after learning of the School Board's action.

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