Parents in Loudoun County, Virginia, blasted their local school board for allowing a boy with suspected ties to MS-13 and who was accused of threatening to kill a fellow student to remain in the school system.
The backlash escalated during the public comment section of Loudoun County’s school board meeting last week, where multiple parents criticized the board’s decision to let the boy stay in class despite his May 2023 threats arrest where he was caught with a gun.
The boy’s past arrest at Blue Ridge Middle School, and his current attendance at Loudoun Valley High School, were first reported by local ABC affiliate WJLA-TV. The station also reported the boy is in the country illegally.
Parents referenced the WJLA report during testy exchanges with board members Tuesday — and subsequently had their microphones cut when Loudoun County Public Schools Board Chair Melinda Mansfield said they were sharing personal information about the student.
“Recently the local media covered a story where a known gang member with a criminal record, that was suspended from LCPS, was allowed back —” parent Michael Rivera said before Ms. Mansfield cut his mic.
Mr. Rivera yelled over the muted microphone to scold board members for stopping a discussion about public information. Ms. Mansfield replied, “I’m sorry that this is happening to you.”
Mr. Rivera then pounded the lectern and said he would finish his statement, which included lambasting LCPS for “minimizing danger and reintegrating juvenile criminals into the schools.”
Ms. Mansfield ended the public comment section after Mr. Rivera’s testimony. Three parents were cut off during the heated portion of the meeting.
Another parent referenced the school system’s alleged coverup of two sexual assaults in 2021 committed by the same boy at two different schools.
In one of the attacks, the male student was wearing a skirt and was in the girl’s bathroom when he sexually assaulted a girl. The attack brought the school system’s policy on letting students use the bathroom of their preferred sex under scrutiny.
The boy, who was 15 at the time, has been convicted as a juvenile for both crimes.
“We are aware of the unscrupulous coverup that betrayed the trust of parents, so here we are again with a reality that this school system continues to play Russian roulette daily with our children,” the parent said during Tuesday’s meeting. “How many ticking time bombs are there? Like the reassignment of yet another student who poses a significant threat to the safety of students — a student with violent gang affiliation.”
Ms. Mansfield then cut the woman’s microphone.
School board member Kari LaBell told WJLA that the situation with the suspected MS-13-involved student “is no longer an issue.”
“Loudoun County Public School students are safe, and that’s all I am permitted to say on this issue,” she said.
A day after the meeting, Ms. Mansfield and LCPS Superintendent Aaron Spence shared a joint statement that, in part, said the school system will continue to fight rising “misinformation.”
“It is our responsibility to call out misinformation when allegations are incorrect, unsubstantiated, or deliberately used to create division within our community,” the statement said. “While local media or social media may share inaccurate or incomplete information, LCPS will not be drawn into these unverified exchanges.”
The statement went on later to say “LCPS is vigilant and we would not ask parents to send their children to school if we had specific or credible concerns about their safety.”
• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.
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