LOUDOUN COUNTY, Va. — Parents in Loudoun County had their voices heard one way or another Tuesday night.
Some parents gathered for a parent empowerment rally to advocate for private schools, while others gave feedback on the future of Loudoun County Public Schools through a strategic planning town hall.
The parent empowerment rally was organized by the Herzog Foundation, a Christian education non-profit based in Missouri. In attendance were notable opponents of the LCPS school system and how it handled alleged sexual assault incidents, mask policies, and critical race theory, which is not actually taught in Virginia schools.
The rally encouraged parents to seek what the Herzog Foundation calls education freedom and learn about resources being deployed to Christian schools in Northern Virginia.
A new Christian school is scheduled to break ground in Leesburg on Saturday with Virginia First Lady Suzanne Youngkin expected to be in attendance.
“Loudoun County is ground zero for the parental rights movement,” said Herzog Foundation Chairman Todd Graves in a news release. “The parents of Loudoun County deserve education freedom for their children, and we’ll make sure they have it. Christian schools in this area are already thriving, and we want to extend our resources so they continue to succeed for many years to come.”
Loudoun County mother Elicia Brand spoke at Tuesday’s parent empowerment rally and said she is planning on moving two of her children from public school to a private faith-based school.
“I gave Loudoun County Public Schools a chance and they failed my children. They do not share our values, they do not educate our children so that they can have the American dream,” Brand said.
Meanwhile, across town, some LCPS parents shared what they believe could make their schools better at an LCPS strategic planning town hall.
At times the event got tense as several of the nearly two dozen people at Tuesday’s forum expressed distrust in LCPS and its facilitation by RTI International, which analyzed strategic planning responses from the community.
The goal of the town halls was to provide feedback on concerns parents have with issues affecting LCPS students.
Parents wrote down what they would like to continue seeing within the district, start seeing and stop seeing.
“I’m a little concerned about all the anger, and I come from a diverse family and live in a diverse community, and I just feel like a lot of unrepresented voices aren’t being heard enough in these kinds of things," Melanie Srivisal, an LCPS mother said. “And I think it’s really important and I want our children to be safe and happy and educated.
"I thought I’d bring some positive things I would like to see like music, art and instruments earlier in the year and things we know will make our students happier and healthier," Srivisal said.
Srivisal said she appreciated what the district was doing soliciting parent feedback, and said she hopes it is taken to heart.
On Thursday, April 21, another town hall session will be conducted for the public to attend in the LCPS Administrative Offices, 21000 Education Court, Ashburn, from 1 to 3 p.m.