Loudoun County Elementary School Teacher Accused Of Assaulting Student: LCSO

ASHBURN, VA – A Loudoun County Public Schools teacher has been charged with assault and battery of a student, the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office announced Friday.

Valerie Bowen, 49, of Ashburn, a teacher at Horizon Elementary School in Sterling, is facing assault and battery charges after an incident with a student, LCSO says. The sheriff’s office says Horizon Elementary School’s school resource officer was notified of the alleged incident on Thursday and that its investigation is ongoing.

Bowen is listed as a special education teacher on Horizon Elementary School's website.

Bowen was issued a summons and is to appear in court, LCSO said. No charges or court date had been published on Virginia’s statewide database as of Friday afternoon.

In April, a Loudoun County Public Schools substitute teacher was arrested and charged with making threats against a county high school. Hadyn Dollery's trial is set to begin on Oct. 5.

According to an LCPS letter sent to Horizon Elementary parents and shared with Patch, Bowen was placed on leave when the district learned of the allegation. "We recognize that news of a situation like this may be concerning to our school community," the school wrote. "The safety and security of our students and staff is our highest priority, and we take any allegation of inappropriate conduct involving a staff member extremely seriously. We are cooperating with LCSO as its investigation continues and are conducting our own review consistent with LCPS procedures."

This story has been updated to include information from LCPS' letter to parents.