If you’ve been following school board elections here in the United States (and really, whether or not you have a connection to your local school, it's well worth it to tune in), you’ve likely noticed a concerning degree of conservative hysteria taking over otherwise quiet school board meetings. As covered in the discussions on banned books, for example, conservatives are showing up to read “obscene” or “inappropriate” passages from entirely ordinary books in order to stir hysteria. An unfortunate number of adults, including teachers and staff members, have used school board meetings to rally against trans rights, including against policies that allow trans youth to use the correct bathroom and have their name and pronouns honored.
Loudoun County School Board, serving Loudoun County, Virginia, has made a lot of national headlines, especially after anti-trans conservatives rallied against trans-inclusive bathroom policies in the public school district, as well as backlash over critical race theory (CRT) and mask policies during COVID-19.
Most recently, however, we have some good news coming out of the district, which is that a judge presiding over two recall petition cases against two members of the school board found the cases to be “insufficient” and dismissed them on Monday, as reported by the Loudoun Times-Mirror.
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Judge H. Thomas Padrick Jr. presided over the case. Respondents included school board members Atoosa Reaser and Brenda Sheridan. In short: Thanks to the dismissal, Sheridan and Reaser get to stay on the school board and keep up the good work.
“I have full confidence that the court will see that there is not merit to the removal petition,” Reaser said on Friday. “My ask is actually for the community to show their appreciation for the teachers and the staff at the schools.”
She tweeted her gratitude and relief at the petition to have her removed being dismissed as of Monday morning.
Per local outlet ABC 7, in speaking on Monday after the decision, Reaser said a “blatantly partisan political action committee” has wasted “taxpayer resources” for months in an effort to “undermine” the votes of the community. Speaking with Reaser, Sheridan said the pair are “truly grateful” and eager to get back to work.
The claims against the school board members were ultimately frivolous and came from the right-wing group Fight for Schools. Fight for Schools, in short, is a parent group that has really organized and mobilized against the school district’s equity and equality initiatives, including issues like trans inclusion, CRT, and education in general.
Put simply, Fight for Schools has fought hard to get recalls when their preferred candidates lose an election, as well as to get the state to override decisions and actions meant for local school boards.
“They are using recalls, rather than elections, to gain control,” Amanda Bean, who serves as a member of Loudoun for All, told The Washington Post back in 2021 about the recall efforts coming out of Fight for Schools. “Free and fair elections, not systematic recalls, should decide our future.”