A group of Loudoun County parents has, for the third time, filed a recall petition in court with the goal of removing a school board member. The group is taking aim at the school board vice chair Atoosa Reaser of the Algonkian District, and collected nearly 1,900 signatures on a petition to recall her. The Washington Post first reported the news.

Fight for Schools, which calls itself a “non-partisan political action committee,” filed similar documents last week that called for the removal of the school board chair Brenda Sheridan. Last month, the group’s recall efforts led to the resignation of board member Beth Barts, of Leesburg. Sixteen residents have applied to replace her seat. An opposing group of parents, Loudoun 4 All, has previously decried Fight for Schools’ efforts to remove the board members.

State law requires that such petitions receive signatures equal to at least 10% of the district residents who voted for that position in the last election.

Led by former Trump administration senior official Ian Prior, the group launched to “fight against implementing critical race theory concepts in our schools,” according to its website. For months, the group has been working to recall six of the nine board members, citing “neglect of duty, misuse of office, and incompetence in the performance of their duties,” per its Facebook page. School board meetings in the wealthy Virginia county have been the scene of intense debates over the school curriculum, coronavirus procedures, and racial equity proposals; one meeting that centered on transgender students’ rights ended in an arrest. (Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin worked the heated culture war into his campaign, often using the slogan “parents matter.”) This week, the Loudoun school board reinstated and reached a settlement with a physical education teacher who refused to call transgender students by their correct pronouns and sued the school district.

Thursday’s filing in the Loudoun County Circuit Court accuses Reaser of limiting the First Amendment rights of speakers at those meetings by limiting who could speak and for how long. The group also says she didn’t remove herself from an “Anti-Racist Parents of Loudoun County private Facebook group” or another Facebook group where parents discussed school closures and reopenings. Elsewhere in the filing, the group alleges that Reaser had knowledge of a sexual assault at a high school before transferring the accused student to another school, where he committed another assault. According to the Washington Post, the student was found responsible for the first assault and pleaded no contest to the second.

In a statement posted to Facebook, Reaser responded to the petition by saying, “Our democracy is at stake, as is the well-being of thousands Loudoun County Public Schools families.”

“I was chosen by the voters of the Algonkian District to represent them on the Loudoun County School Board for four years. Unfortunately, a small fraction of residents have filed a petition to silence their voices,” Reaser continued. “This matter, therefore, is not simply about removing one elected official, but is an effort to take away the rights of thousands of citizens who chose me as their representative using a process that is intended to remove elected officials for neglect of duty, misuse of office, conviction of certain crimes, or incompetence in the performance of duties – none of which are remotely applicable to me.”

Prior, of Fight for Schools, said in a statement to multiple outlets that Reaser has contributed to a “complete breakdown in trust” between the parents and the board, all for political gain.

Reaser says she plans to fight the petition and serve the remainder of her term. Sheridan is also fighting the recall effort. A judge will determine if the cases against each of them will go to trial.

Fight for Schools is also trying to remove school board members Ian Serotkin (Blue Ridge) and Denise Corbo (At-Large).

Previously: 
Parents File Recall Petition Against Loudoun County School Board Chair
Amid Recall Fight, One Loudoun County School Board Member Resigns
Virginia Supreme Court Sides With Loudoun County Teacher Over Comments On Trans Students
Loudoun County School Board Approves Policy Protecting The Rights Of Transgender Students