A group of parents in Loudoun County, Virginia, is taking legal action against the school board, claiming their First Amendment rights were violated. They allege that they were silenced during a public meeting while attempting to voice concerns about a student allegedly linked to the notorious MS-13 gang.
The parents, who are now plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, contend that they were prohibited from discussing the student’s alleged association with the gang and his return to school following an arrest for carrying a gun and threatening another student. The incident occurred at an October 8 public school board meeting where some of the parents tried to bring their concerns to the board’s attention. However, they claim that the board abruptly cut off their microphones and ended the public comment period, effectively silencing their voices.
Ian Prior, Senior Advisor at America First Legal, the organization representing the parents, stated in a statement, “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 commenting concerned with the actions of their public schools. This latest constitutional violation is even more pronounced, given that the topic was related to the safety of students.”
In a press release issued after the incident, the school board countered the parents’ claims, stating that they violated the rules of the public comment period and were attempting to spread “misinformation.” The release asserted that the parents were trying to discuss matters reported in the media and bring up a specific student despite repeated requests from the Board Chair to refrain from doing so. The Board Chair, according to the release, decided to end public comment to restore order, following the school board’s public comment procedures.
The board also argued that the allegations against the student in question were “not facts” and that publicly discussing the student would be detrimental to both the individuals involved and the entire community. “This is particularly dangerous when it involves our children and their safety,” the release added.
This lawsuit marks yet another controversial episode for the Loudoun County School Board, which has faced scrutiny in recent years for its policies on transgender students and bathroom policies allowing transgender students to use locker rooms based on their chosen gender identity, not their biological sex.
The parents involved in this lawsuit maintain that they have the right to express their concerns about the district’s policies during public hearings. Prior emphasized, “While Loudoun County Public Schools may believe that it can deprive First Amendment rights based on its claims of so-called ‘misinformation,’ the Bill of Rights makes clear that in the United States, the government is not the arbiter of truth.”
The Loudoun County School Board has not yet responded to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.