Virginia school board silenced parents concerned about MS-13 affiliated student at school, lawsuit claims

A group of parents is suing the Loudoun County School Board northern Virginiaclaiming they were silenced by the board when they tried to raise concerns about a student who was allowed to return to school despite alleged ties to the notorious MS-13 gang.

The parent group at the center of the lawsuit claims they were silenced by the board during a public hearing when they tried to raise concerns about reports that a student who was in the country illegally and affiliated with MS-13 was allowed to return to school despite being arrested for carrying a gun and threatening to shoot another student.

“Time and time again, the Loudoun County School Board has demonstrated through its actions an unwillingness to respect those rights exercised by community members and parents who comment with concerns about the actions of their public schools. This latest violation of the Constitution is even more pronounced given that the subject matter was related to student safety,” America First Senior Counsel Ian Prior, whose organization represents the parents, said in a statement.

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The parents, suing in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, allege their First Amendment rights were violated during an Oct. 8 public school board meeting where some of them tried to convey concerns to the board about their decision. for the reintegration of the student only for the board to cut its microphones and end the public comment period.

In a press release after the incident, the board claimed the parents had violated the rules of the public comment period and were trying to prevent the spread of “misinformation.”

“A number of people have attempted to discuss what has been reported in the media and discuss a particular student despite repeated requests from the Chair of the Board not to do so. As a result, the Board Chair closed public comment to restore order, according to the School Board. public comment procedures,” the statement said. “Misinformation is on the rise, and school divisions like LCPS must be vigilant in actively combating it. It is our responsibility to report misinformation when allegations are incorrect, unfounded or deliberately used to create division in our community.”

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Blackboard also argued that the allegations against the student at the center of the controversy “are not facts” and that naming the student or talking about the student body would do a “disservice not only to the individuals involved” but to “the entire community.”

“This is especially dangerous when it involves our children and their safety,” the statement said.

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The incident isn’t the first time the Loudoun County School Board has been in the spotlight, generating controversy in recent years for its policies on transgender students and bathroom policies that allow transgender students and changing rooms based on chosen, not biological sex.

In the board’s latest controversy, parents argue they have the right to voice concerns about district policy during public hearings.

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“While Loudoun County Public Schools might think it can concerned First Amendment rights based on its claims of so-called ‘disinformation,’ the Bill of Rights makes clear that in the United States, the government is not the arbiter of truth,” Prior said.

The Loudoun County School Board did not respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.