Youngkin Amends Bill To Require Loudoun School Board Elections A Year Early In 2022

LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA — Most of the seats of the Loudoun County School Board are scheduled to be up for election in November 2023. However, under a bill amendment proposed by Governor Glenn Youngkin, all nine of Loudoun's school board members would have to face a special election in November 2022.

Youngkin's proposed special election for the Loudoun School Board in 2022 would shorten the terms of seven school board members. There would still be another, regularly scheduled school board election in November 2023.

This week, Youngkin vetoed 25 bills and amended more than 100 more. The Virginia General Assembly will reconvene later this month and vote on the governor's proposed bill amendments.

On Tuesday, Loudoun School Board member Andrew Hoyler took to social media to express his surprise at the governor's proposal. "I woke up this morning to surprising news; while my seat was up for election already this November, my colleagues won a fair election in 2019, allowing them to serve a full 4 year term," Hoyler wrote on Facebook. "The original bill that was passed was to allow our county to move to staggered terms starting in 2023, instead of possibly having 9 new board members every 4 years."

Delegate David Reid, who represents Loudoun County's 32nd district, shared similar sentiments in a statement. "This is another attempt by some Republicans to subvert our democracy and hold it hostage to a right-wing minority," Reid said. "By adding this unnecessary amendment to a simple administrative bill, which was requested by the Loudoun Board of Elections, Governor Youngkin is opening the door for any future majority and Governor to undermine local elections and local control."

On his first day in office, Youngkin signed an executive order allowing the Virginia Attorney General to investigate the Loudoun County School Board. Youngkin and Attorney General Jason Miyares have expressed concerns about how the school board handled two high-profile sexual assault cases in 2021.

"One of the reasons Virginians get so fed up with government is a lack of transparency — and that's a big issue here," Miyares said in a statement in January. "Loudoun County Public Schools covered up a sexual assault on school grounds for political gain, leading to an additional assault of a young girl."

Read more: Investigation Into Loudoun Schools Announced By Attorney General

In 2021, a pair of sexual assaults were reported at different Loudoun County high schools. The same person, a 15-year-old boy, was convicted in both assaults.

The first assault occurred at a bathroom in Stone Bridge High School in May 2021. The boy accused in the assault was then transferred to Broad Run High School, where he was accused of another sexual assault in a classroom in October 2021.

Read more: Teen Sentenced In Loudoun School Sexual Assault Cases: Report

The boy was found guilty of both assaults, and received his sentence earlier this month. He will be required to partake in a locked residential program until he is 18 years old and will be under supervised probation until he is 18 years old.

In November, the Loudoun County school system said leaders hired a law firm to conduct an independent review of the schools' handling of the sexual assaults. The investigation has been completed, though officials have not released the report, citing laws on attorney-client privilege and identifying personnel information.

Miyares has not said whether the attorney general's office has completed their investigation.

The Virginia General Assembly is scheduled to vote on the governor's amended bills on April 27.

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.