Our Lawsuit Begins Today Against Loudoun County School Board!

We truly appreciate your prayers today and Friday for our attorneys! As we mentioned in January, the Founding Freedoms Law Center (FFLC), in partnership with the law firm Whitbeck Bennett, filed a lawsuit against the Loudoun County School Board and Superintendent for violations of open meetings laws after school officials have repeatedly prevented parents and citizens from fully participating in publicly held meetings. We are asking the Loudoun Circuit Court to declare their actions illegal and to grant injunctive relief to protect and restore parents' and citizens' rights. 

The past year of the Loudoun County School Board and Superintendent's actions have proven that they are out of control.  These unlawful actions can no longer go unchallenged, so we decided to do something about it.  

The lawsuit is brought under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act, on behalf of three Loudoun County parents.  One of the parents, Megan Clegg, attended a June 22 school board meeting and was signed up to address the Board during the public comment time but was denied the opportunity to speak after the Board abruptly ended public comments. Then LCPS Superintendent Dr. Scott Ziegler suddenly and without warning declared, during a recess of the Board, that the entire public gathering was an “unlawful assembly” making everyone in the room “subject to arrest” unless they left the building immediately. Citizens were not allowed to return even when the Board recommenced its meeting. The Board has continued to keep parents out of the room during public comment time at every subsequent meeting.

FFLC is also representing Mr. Jon Tigges, who was arrested and charged with misdemeanor trespassing at the June 22 meeting when he peacefully declined to leave the public meeting room after Superintendent Scott Ziegler unilaterally declared everyone in the meeting room to be engaged in an “unlawful assembly” - at a public meeting they were invited to. That case is pending appeal at the Loudoun Circuit Court.

Thank you for your prayers, they mean so much to all of us.