LCPS Spokesman Fund Not Guilty Of Perjury Regarding Handling Of Sexual Assaults In Schools

LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA — Loudoun County Public Schools spokesman Wayde Byard was found not guilty of perjury on Wednesday after a two-day jury trial, court records show.

Byard had been indicted by a grand jury in December as part of an investigation into the school system's handling of two high-profile sexual assaults in 2021. A student sexually assaulted one girl in a bathroom at Stone Bridge High School in May 2021 before going on to assault another girl in a classroom at Broad Run High School in October 2021.

The jury deliberated for an hour and 45 minutes on Thursday, NBC4 reported.

Prosecutors had claimed that Byard lied under oath during the grand jury investigation about when he first learned of the sexual assaults, according to WTOP.

"I'm not really happy. I'm relieved," Byard told NBC4 reporters on Thursday.

Byard told NBC4 that he was unsure whether or not he would return to his position with Loudoun County Public Schools.

"It might be hard to be the face of Loudoun County again because people would automatically associate me with something else," Byard said.

Byard was placed on administrative leave in December after he was indicted.

According to WTOP, prosecutors claimed Byard lied about the first major sexual assault incident, which occurred at Stone Bridge High School in May 2021. They noted that Tim Flynn, the principal of Stone Bridge High School, wrote a detailed letter to school district officials after the assault.

After the initial assault at Stone Bridge High School, the boy was transferred to Broad Run High School. There, he assaulted another student in an empty classroom.

The boy was eventually convicted in connection with both assaults.

Byard's defense claimed that he did not intentionally cover up anything, but he was left out of the loop, WTOP reported. Byard's attorney noted that while Flynn emailed school officials, none of the emails were sent to Byard.

The grand jury determined that former Loudoun superintendent Scott Ziegler and other school administrators acted in their own self-interest as they responded to the assaults.

"There were several decision points for LCPS administrators, up to and including the superintendent, to be transparent and to step in and alter the sequence of events," the report says.

The grand jury also believed that Ziegler lied to the public in the aftermath of the first assault.
"At the June 22, 2021, LCSB meeting, the superintendent, in response to a question, said 'to my knowledge, we don't have any records of assaults occurring in our restrooms.' We believe this statement is a lie," the grand jury report said.

A Loudoun County judge unsealed the indictments in December, making them publicly available for the first time.

The grand jury's full report is available online.

Related:

• Loudoun Schools Superintendent Scott Ziegler Fired On Tuesday
• Loudoun School Sexual Assaults: Grand Jury Releases Report
• Teen Sentenced For 2 Sexual Assaults At Loudoun County High Schools: Report
• Loudoun Teen Pleads No Contest To 2nd Sexual Assault
• Loudoun Teen Found Guilty Of Assaulting Girl In Bathroom
• Sentence Changed For Teen Convicted In Loudoun Sexual Assaults
• LCPS Employees Indicted By Grand Jury

The National Sexual Violence Resource Center can provide information about reporting and coping with sexual abuse. Their website also features training materials and tips to prevent sexual abuse. The Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network operates a 24/7 hotline for victims of sexual assault. The hotline can be reached at 1-800-656-4673.