The System Is Broken
Individual incidents tell individual stories. But the data tells a bigger one: Northern Virginia’s public school system is structurally failing to protect children — and spending millions to cover it up.
By the Numbers
Staff Arrests
- 15+
- FCPS employees arrested for sexual crimes since 2019 Source: Compiled from WJLA, WUSA9, FCPD reports
- 26 years
- An FCPS teacher taught for 26 more years after assaulting a student Source: WJLA; InsideNoVA; FOX 5
- Hired while under investigation
- A PWC teacher resigned under investigation, got hired by another district Source: WTOP
By the Numbers
Cover-Ups & Accountability
- $250,000
- FCPS demanded in court costs from sexual assault survivor after she lost her Title IX case Source: WJLA
Follow the Money
- $52 million
- Legal costs since 2020 — including fighting sexual assault survivors Source: Compiled from FOIA requests
- $5.76–6.4M
- Annual DEI office budget (56 positions) — FCPS's own documents give conflicting figures Source: Fairfax Times
- $50+ million
- Federal funds at risk after all 5 NoVA districts found violating Title IX Source: U.S. DOE
Transparency Failures
FCPS has established a documented pattern of obstructing public transparency at every level — from training staff to avoid creating records, to suing the parents who request them.
- •Training staff to avoid putting things in writing to thwart FERPA and FOIA requests. [Special Education Action]
- •Over-redacting FOIA responses with bogus exemptions, forcing parents to litigate for records they are legally entitled to receive.
- •Suing parents who received lawfully obtained documents — ultimately losing the case. [Techdirt]
- •Accidentally exposing 35,000+ confidential student records, including sexual assault victims’ names, through a data breach caused by negligence. [The 74]
- •Going to court to delay OCR investigation records, fighting to prevent the release of documents related to federal civil rights investigations.
- •National Merit award scandal — principals at Thomas Jefferson, Langley, and Westfield high schools withheld National Merit commendation notifications from students. Superintendent Reid called it a “one-time human error.” The Virginia Attorney General expanded the investigation after discovering the scope of the cover-up.
Whistleblower Retaliation
When employees speak up, the system punishes them. Two cases illustrate the pattern.
Erin Brooks — Loudoun County
A special education teacher who reported being sexually assaulted by a student dozens of times each day. When she reported it, the principal suggested she wear an apron to “slow down the penetration”. Her contract was later not renewed after testifying before the Loudoun County grand jury. Superintendent Scott Ziegler was convicted of retaliating against her — but the conviction was later overturned on procedural grounds.
Zenaida Perez — Fairfax County
A teacher who alleged that a school social worker helped a student obtain an abortion without the knowledge of the student’s guardian. After raising concerns, Perez was placed on administrative leave. She is suing FCPS for $1 million. FCPS disputes the allegations.
Both cases show the same pattern: speak up, get punished.
The Pattern
This is not a collection of isolated incidents. It is a system that protects itself at the expense of children. When students are assaulted, officials minimize it. When parents ask questions, they’re stonewalled. When employees speak up, they’re fired. When documents are requested, they’re redacted. And when the public finds out anyway, the system spends millions in taxpayer money fighting accountability.
The data is clear. The system is broken.
What are you going to do about it?