Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Wednesday that the Virginia State Police are probing allegations of Fairfax County school staff helping minors terminate pregnancies without parental consent.
According to the governor’s Wednesday press release, school administrators may have been aware of an abortion scheme involving students, teachers and school funds, including local, state and federal tax dollars. Reports online suggest the school at issue is Centreville High School, located about 30 miles outside of the nation’s capital.
The governor’s office directed anyone with knowledge of the alleged abortions to contact the police.
“I am deeply concerned with the allegations that Fairfax County Public Schools officials arranged for minors to get abortions without parental consent and may have misused public funds to pay for them,” the Virginia Republican said. “I am directing the Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation to open a full criminal investigation into the matter immediately.”
Reports emerged online that two students at Centreville High School turned over evidence that school staff facilitated their abortions.
According to a post on X, the girls say they have audio recordings and documents that show they were taken by school staff to Fairfax Health Center, where their abortions were paid for by employees who swore them to secrecy.
A spokesperson from Centreville High School didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
A spokesperson from Fairfax County Public Schools told The Washington Times they’ll cooperate with the investigation.
“We are prepared to fully cooperate in the state police investigation into these 2021 allegations,” the statement read. “As this is an ongoing personnel matter, we are unable to comment further at this time. We remain focused on preparations for the start of the school year — with a focus on academic excellence and opportunity for each and every student in a safe and welcoming environment.”
A spokesperson from the county public school system did tell InsideNoVa that it is investigating the issue, which according to the outlet occurred in 2021 when one of the girls was 17.
“We have serious questions about these allegations that must be answered,” the district previously told the outlet. “At no time would the situation as described in these allegations from back in 2021 be acceptable in Fairfax County Public Schools. We have taken immediate action engaging an external investigator to get the facts. We all deserve to know exactly what happened. We will take appropriate action as necessary.”
According to WJLA, an ABC affiliate, Fairfax County Superintendent Michelle Reid addressed the issue with the Centreville community last week in a letter, stating: “I want to stress that at no time, would the situation as described in these allegations be acceptable in Fairfax County Public Schools.”
WJLA also inquired about standard procedures for the district when counseling a student on a pregnancy, and were told that the school system’s policy reads that “every effort shall be made to encourage and support students suspecting pregnancy to discuss their concerns with their parents or guardians.”
One of the female student’s guardians reportedly said no parental consent was given despite Virginia law requiring that a parent or guardian consent to a minor’s abortion. Without such an OK, a minor can obtain a judicial bypass from a court.
It’s unclear if that occurred in the Centreville incidents. According to the post on X, one of the girls was five months pregnant.
Virginia allows abortions up to the third trimester, which is generally between 26 and 28 weeks. The announcement of the investigation comes after Mr. Youngkin has sparred with northern Virginia schools since taking office in 2022 after winning the election in part by championing parental rights.
The former businessman ran a campaign focused on cultural issues and education in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic when many schools were struggling with reopening and curriculum in 2020.
Shortly after taking office, he sparred with Loudon County Public Schools in defense of a father who was arrested at a school board meeting for confronting staff about allowing biological men to use the girls’ restroom, where his daughter was raped.
Mr. Youngkin later pardoned that father.
• Alex Swoyer can be reached at aswoyer@washingtontimes.com.