Virginia Superintendent Fired After Lying About Reports Of Sexual Assault Involving A Student

Fairfax County school buses at a depot in Virginia — Reuters

A superintendent in Virginia has been fired after a new report revealed he mishandled sexual assault cases involving a student.

The Loudoun County Public School Board voted to fire school superintendent Dr. Scott Ziegler on Tuesday night after a new report stated he intentionally lied about a sexual assault involving a student that occurred in a women's restroom.

An investigation by Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, at the request of Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin, revealed Ziegler was aware of the assault and even emailed members of the school board about the incident.

"The Special Grand Jury's report contains important recommendations and information," LCPS spokesperson Wayde Byard said Wednesday in a statement.

"I'm glad to see that the school board is taking the report seriously and hope it results in positive change for the LCPS community."

Last year, a student, who was assigned male at birth, sexually assaulted classmates at two different high schools.

The first incident occurred in May 2021, ahead of a school board meeting to discuss policies for transgender students, including whether they could use restrooms based on their preferred gender.

When asked about the attack during the June 2021 school board meeting, Ziegler said, "to my knowledge, we don't have any records of assaults occurring in our restroom."

The student who was convicted of the assaults was dressed in a skirt during the first attack. The same student sexually assaulted a peer later that year in October. The student's gender identity has not been disclosed.

In 2021, the Virginia Department of Education policies for transgender students allowed them to use bathrooms consistent with their gender identity.

However, after Youngkin won the election for governor in 2022, the DOE replaced the policy stating students should use bathrooms based on their sex.

Following news of Ziegler's termination, Youngkin vowed to continue to "push for accountability" on the behalf of students.