A Loudoun County, Virginia, judge is ordering the school system to make public its internal investigation into two sexual assaults and a rape that occurred on school grounds.
The ruling is a win for Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, who has been fighting to expose how he says the school district mishandled the incidents.
Loudoun County Circuit Court Judge James P. Fischer ordered the county school system to turn over its investigation to prosecutors within seven days.
The judge agreed with prosecutors from the Miyares’ office that the internal report on the 2021 sexual assaults and rape on school grounds was not protected under attorney-client privilege — noting that then-Superintendent Scott Ziegler gave the perception that any findings from the independent investigation were for the public’s benefit.
In a statement, Miyares’ spokeswoman Victoria LaCivita said in part, “We appreciate the courts time and attention to this matter.”
A grand jury indicted Ziegler and schools spokesman Wayde Byard in connection with what it called “a lack of openness” in its handling of the incidents.
In a statement, Ziegler said he supported the release the internal investigation.
“The time for transparency and healing is long past, and I am perplexed why the LCSB voted on multiple occasions to keep the report secret,” Ziegler said. “As I have maintained, releasing the report was never my decision. As the events unfolded after the report was provided to the LCSB, I came to strongly believe that the Blankenship & Keith Report should be released to the public.”
