oun County School Officials Indicted // John Hinderaker

The parents’ revolt in Loudoun County continues to reverberate. A grand jury indicted Scott Ziegler, Superintendent of Schools, and Wayde Byard, Public Information Officer.

Scott Ziegler, former Superintendent, is facing one count each of false publication, prohibited conduct, as well as one count penalizing an employee for appearing in court. All three charges are misdemeanors. Ziegler was fired last Wednesday, just one day after the grand juror released the results of its eight-month investigation into the Loudoun County Public Schools sexual assault scandal.

Wayde Byard, Public Information Officer, was indicted on a count for felony perjury. This charge carries a maximum sentence of 12 months in prison and a maximum fine of $2,500.

The Office of the Attorney General appointed a special grand jury in April to investigate the handling of two separate sexual assaults by the student within a matter of months.

You may recall that the victim’s father was forced to leave a meeting of the public school board because he objected to the events that took place to his daughter. Sincerely, I believe there are many public school officials who, were all the facts known, could be indicted.