Schools
Effort To Recall 2 Loudoun School Board Members Dismissed By Judge
A Loudoun County judge rejected an attempt to recall two school board members, stating that there was not enough evidence available.
LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA — An effort to recall two Loudoun County School Board members died in Loudoun County Circuit Court on Monday. The petitions to recall Brenda Sheridan and Atoosa Reaser failed after a judge found that they did not present enough evidence to warrant the board members' removal.
The petitions and recall efforts were led by Fight For Schools, a conservative political action committee that has been active in Loudoun County since 2021. The PAC was founded by Ian Prior, a former Trump administration officials.
On its website, Fight For Schools cited several reasons for the recall effort, including concerns about how the board members handled a sexual assault case. Since 2021, the group has organized petitions against six different members of the Loudoun County School Board.
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Read more: Teen Sentenced In Loudoun School Sexual Assault Cases
Judge Thomas Padrick Jr. was appointed to oversee the recall efforts by the Virginia Supreme Court after the judges in Loudoun County Circuit Court recused themselves. The judge approved a motion by Reaser to dismiss the case after a prosecutor agreed.
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"I am so grateful that today an independent Commonwealth’s Attorney found that their petition lacks ‘any reasonable factual basis,” Reaser said in a statement on Monday. “I will never be able to put into words the toll this process took on my family, and on the families I serve.”
Sheridan and Fight For Schools have not released statements. In her statement, Reaser also expressed concerned about the precedent that the petitions would set.
"If an angry group can abuse the court for their own political agenda, it will be the end of democracy as we know it," Reaser said.
Loudoun's school system is still being investigated for their handling of a pair of sexual assaults that happened in county high schools last year. Attorney General Jason Miyares ordered an investigation in January. Authorities also convened a grand jury to investigate the school system's actions.
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