The teacher who claims a Centreville High School social worker assisted underage students with obtaining abortions has filed a $1 million defamation lawsuit against Fairfax County Public Schools.
Case Background
ESOL teacher Zenaida Perez claims that, in 2021, a Centreville High School social worker helped two female underage students obtain abortions without parental notification.
After a published report of the allegations in August, Gov. Glenn Youngkin directed the Virginia State Police to open a criminal investigation. In September, the U.S. Department of Education announced it was also initiating enforcement action against FCPS. The DOE investigation required FCPS to supply requested documentation by October 17.
In an October 16 letter to Centreville High School staff and families, superintendent Michelle Reid said, “Our external investigation is still ongoing, but new details have emerged providing a clearer picture of what happened. Based on the interim findings, which are deeply concerning, these 2021 allegations are likely untrue. We have an obligation to protect our staff from wrongful and unjustified accusations.”
Perez was placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
Lawsuit Filed
Based on Reid’s statement that the allegations are “likely untrue,” Perez filed the lawsuit against FCPS, Reid, and several administrators.
On October 29, Zenaida Perez and her attorneys spoke outside the Fairfax County courthouse. “I felt retaliated against,” Perez said. “I was absolutely slandered, and they told a lot of things in the media that were absolutely not true, and we will come out with the truth, and we will prevail with honesty,” NBC4 reported.
Her attorneys said Perez has been defamed, and her First Amendment free speech rights and protections as a whistleblower have been violated.
FCPS Statement
In a statement to NBC4, FCPS said, “Once we have been served with this complaint, FCPS will respond in court through external counsel. We do find it regrettable that Mrs. Perez has taken this step. She has publicly accused FCPS and individual staff members of serious misconduct involving alleged student abortions. As we have now explained in detail, the interim findings of our ongoing external investigation show that Mrs. Perez’s accusations appear to lack credible support and are likely untrue.”
Feature image, stock.adobe.com
