LOUDOUN COUNTY, Va. — The Loudoun County School Board met with the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors Thursday night to present its budget for the upcoming school year. However, at times, the conversation seemed more focused on events of the past.
Loudoun County Supervisor Caleb Kershner wrote on Facebook, two weeks prior to the meeting, that he would like to see Loudoun County Public Schools publicly release its independent report into how it handled two, widely publicized sexual assault cases in 2021. Kershner said the release would be a necessary condition for him to support a $75 million budget request by the school system.
Loudoun County Public Schools stated in January it would not publicly release the report due to privacy concerns.
At Thursday's meeting, Kershner got the chance to directly tell Superintendent Scott Ziegler his feelings on how the school system is being run.
"I'm especially concerned with not only the Loudoun County school budget, but how fast and how hard one of the finest school districts in America has fallen," he said. "Mr. Ziegler, you have lost my confidence and I'm not alone."
Another Supervisor, Matthew Letourneau, later shared a sentiment similar to Kershner's.
"I simply want to know what happened," he said. "And, if there was a mistake, if it's been corrected."
That all came an hour after Loudoun County resident Scott Smith said in a press conference outside the Loudoun County Government Center that the report should be released publicly too. Smith is the father of one of the students who was sexually assaulted last year at Stone Bridge High School.
"We know the truth, we know what's in that investigation, we know who the players are," he said. "It would be just nice if the public saw it."
However, school leaders pushed back at Kershner's request and critique of Ziegler.
"Dr. Ziegler's committment to support student privacy and be the lightning rod for criticism is a perfect demonstration of his integrity," said LCPS School Boardmember Brenda Sheridan.
Ziegler also took issue with people questioning his leadership over the last year.
"Integrity, to me, means when information needs to be kept confidential, it’s kept confidential," he said.
No decision was made regarding LCPS' budget Thursday evening. The budget process will last through March.
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