Loudoun Schools Superintendent Ziegler Fired After Grand Jury Released Findings

LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA — The superintendent of Loudoun County Public Schools, Scott Ziegler, was fired by the school board at a closed-door meeting on Tuesday, according to reports from Loudoun Now and WJLA.

The reports said the school board voted unanimously to remove Ziegler.

On Wednesday, Broad Run representative Tiffany Polifko confirmed the move.

On Monday, a Loudoun County grand jury released a report on the school system's handling of a pair of high-profile sexual assaults that occurred in two high schools in 2021. The same boy was responsible for both assaults.

The grand jury claimed that Ziegler, other administrators, the sheriff's office, and the commonwealth's attorney's office could have prevented the second assault if they had been more proactive and communicated more effectively.

"They [LCPS administrators] failed at every juncture," the report says. "A remarkable lack of curiosity and adherence to operating in silos by LCPS administrators is ultimately to blame for the October 6 incident."

The grand jury claimed that high-ranking administrators, including Ziegler, were looking out for their own interests 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.

Ziegler was hired to be the school system's superintendent in June 2021 after serving in the position in an interim capacity since January 2021.

"Advocating for the most important stakeholders (children) begins with a demand for strong leadership that encompasses accountability and responsibility for ensuring the safety of children, working in their best interest, and fostering a relationship of trust between parents/caregivers and the school system," Polifko wrote on Facebook. "As a newly elected board member, I will continue my strong advocacy in calling for these traits from leaders within our school system, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to assist in rebuilding trust amongst the constituency of LCPS as we begin our search for a new superintendent."

In a Facebook post on Tuesday night, former school board member Andrew Hoyler confirmed the news.

"I am shocked it was a unanimous vote, knowing the lengths many of my former colleagues went to defend him and his staff," Hoyler wrote. "I do think the public pushback combined with the effect that elections are coming up for all 9 seats played a large factor, as there wasn't much new information in the Grand Jury report that board members didn't already know."

The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors was meeting at the same time as the school board on Tuesday night. County supervisors, including at-large Chair Phyllis Randall, called on the school board to remove Ziegler.

"Let me say this as clearly as possible: Dr. Scott Ziegler needs to be fired,” Randall said on Tuesday, according to Loudoun Now. “I’m not dancing around this. We had a young woman violently raped and another one assaulted, and this was for all intents and purposes, on his part, a cover up.”

The grand jury's full report is available online.

Related:

• 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

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.