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Residents press board on special education failures, transportation safety and federal civil‑rights probe
Summary
Several citizens used the public‑comment period to raise claims and requests about special education failures, a federal Office for Civil Rights inquiry about gender‑identity policies, bus‑stop safety for a student with a disability, and overcrowding at an elementary school.
Multiple speakers during the meeting’s public-comment period urged the School Board to act on what they described as serious systemic problems in special education, student safety and civil‑rights enforcement.
Britney (Bridal) Robinson, identified herself as the mother of three autistic children enrolled in the division, recounted long-running disputes over special-education placement and services. Robinson said one child was denied special education for years, suffered severe bullying and suicidal ideation, and was later placed in a school that uses seclusion and restraint over family objections. She reported the family has taken matters to federal court and urged the board to stop treating autistic children “like burdens,” saying, “Awareness without accountability is just performance.”
Jessica Schar (spelled “Schar” in the transcript) told the board she delivered copies of a study titled The Cost of Conflict and warned that litigation and culture‑war complaints drain resources. She also said the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights had notified Prince William County Schools that it had opened an investigation following complaints filed by America First Legal regarding policies on bathroom and locker‑room access and gender identity. Schar reminded the board that federal law and Title IX remain controlling. She asked the board to protect funding for classrooms rather than divert resources to litigation.
Sean Daley gave a personal account alleging long‑standing failures to address complaints about his son and said he had filed formal allegations since August 14, 2023. Daley said he had received no resolution and warned the board that he would publicize his records if he continued to see no action.
Edwin Lohreiro described a transportation safety issue after, he said, bus routing changes stopped dropping off his high‑school student at a familiar stop on Feb. 26. Lohreiro said staff later told his family the student would have to walk about half a mile in darkness along a route with vehicles traveling at high speed; he also said his daughter is missing an arm. Lohreiro said he had repeatedly sought responses from transportation staff and felt the division had been unresponsive.
Ashley Ellingson spoke about overcrowding at Covington Harbor Elementary, which she said had reached an enrollment figure she reported as 948 students and was using eight modular classrooms. She warned projections could require 12–14 trailers and listed safety and security concerns tied to modular classrooms, including evacuation complications, surveillance gaps and traffic congestion at drop‑off.
Board members did not vote on these public comments during the meeting; speakers requested investigations, better responsiveness from staff, and policy or placement changes.
