Virginia attorney general drops case that accused ex-superintendent of firing teacher in retaliation
Virginia attorney general drops case that accused ex-superintendent of firing teacher in retaliation
Virginia’s attorney general has dropped a case against a former school superintendent who was accused of firing a teacher because she spoke out about a student inappropriately touching her.
The former teacher, Erin Brooks, wanted to put the matter behind her and recently resolved a lawsuit against the former superintendent and the Loudoun County Public Schools, the attorney general’s office said in a court filing Thursday.
“Words cannot express how grateful I am to the office of and the Attorney General himself, for the unwavering support and dedication to this case,” Brooks said in a statement released by Attorney General Jason Miyares.
The former superintendent, Scott Ziegler, maintained his stance that the case was politically motivated. Ziegler also said in a statement that “new evidence would have demonstrated that I acted in the best interest of Loudoun County’s most vulnerable students.”
The attorney general’s office was pursuing a conviction against Ziegler for the second time. He was convicted in 2023 on a misdemeanor count of violating Virginia’s conflict of interest laws for retaliating against Brooks.
A judge ruled last year that faulty jury instructions rendered the conviction illegitimate, even though there was “ample evidence” to support a jury’s conclusion of retaliation. A new trial was supposed to start next month.
Brooks had worked as a special education teacher in Loudoun County, which is outside of Washington. She spoke to a special grand jury that was investigating the school system for its handling of sexual assaults.
Brooks told the grand jury and school system critics about her difficulties dealing with a special needs student in elementary school who had been touching her inappropriately.
Prosecutors said Ziegler’s efforts to ensure Brooks’ teaching contract was not renewed amounted to retaliation for her speaking out on a matter of public interest.
Ziegler argued at trial that the teacher’s dismissal was unrelated to her speaking out. His lawyers also argued that the prosecution was politically motivated.
Miyares, a Republican, and Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin had criticized Loudoun school system administrators during their successful 2021 campaigns for office.
They claimed that school leadership ignored parent concerns about the handling of transgender students, as well as the school system’s handling of a student who sexually assaulted classmates at two different high schools that year.
The case received outsized attention because the boy who was convicted in both attacks wore a skirt in one of them, assaulting a girl in the women’s bathroom. It played into a national debate over how schools should treat transgender students and whether they should be allowed to use restrooms different to their biological sex.
Miyares had convened the special grand jury at Youngkin’s request in January 2022. A scathing report that December accused the school system of mishandling the high school assaults, the superintendent of lying to the public, and authorities of ignoring multiple warning signs.
In his statement Thursday, Ziegler said prosecutors in his case disregarded facts and wasted taxpayer money.
“At its core, this effort was designed to sway voters in Northern Virginia, prioritizing political gain over truth and justice,” he said.
In his news release, Miyares said he would “protect the rights of teachers and parents without hesitation.”
“Sometimes it takes the courage of one person to stand firm to create change,” Miyares said. “Today, the entire national narrative has changed thanks to Erin’s resilience. Erin’s demand to be respected was upheld by a jury of her own peers.”
By BEN FINLEY
Associated Press
