The teacher who alleged a Centreville High School employee helped students obtain abortions has filed an amended complaint in federal court. Zenaida Perez is seeking to prove that Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) officials defamed her and are in violation of the Virginia Whistleblower Protection Law. She’s asking for $2 million in damages.
Abortion Case Background
Perez claimed that, in 2021, a Centreville High School social worker helped two female underage students obtain abortions without parental notification. The allegations were published in an August 2025 blog post. Shortly thereafter, former Gov. Glenn Youngkin directed the Virginia State Police to open a criminal investigation. The U.S. Department of Education announced in September that it was also initiating enforcement action against FCPS.
In an October 16 letter to Centreville High School staff and families, FCPS superintendent Michelle Reid said, “FCPS is fully cooperating with these government investigations and today, to meet deadlines of the Senate HELP Committee and the U.S. Department of Education, we submitted detailed responses through outside legal counsel.”
The school system launched its own external investigation, and Perez was placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome.
FCPS Investigation Findings
In a January 9 letter to Centreville High School staff and families, Reid said that FCPS’ external counsel investigation had concluded. “The available facts appear to confirm that these allegations are not only untrue but were based largely on statements that were misinterpreted, mistranslated, taken out of context, or in some cases knowingly fabricated,” Reid said.
Reid stated that the FCPS investigation “found no credible evidence of any actual wrongdoing by school staff or administrators.”
“As important as it was to take these allegations seriously, we also believe we have a duty to be transparent about our findings and, regrettably, it appears that innocent CHS personnel in this case were wrongly and publicly accused of criminal acts without any sound factual basis,” Reid’s statement continued. “This situation has had a significant impact on those involved, and it reminds us of the responsibility we all share to act thoughtfully and compassionately as a caring, connected community.”
Reid said that FCPS had shared the findings with the DOE and Virginia State Police.
Perez’s Lawsuit
Perez originally filed a $1 million defamation suit against FCPS in October 2025. She spoke outside the Fairfax County courthouse, saying, “I felt retaliated against. 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.
In a legal supplemental statement published as part of its external investigation, FCPS addressed the lawsuit. “The additional information Mrs. Perez and her lawyers have shared lends no additional credence to her claims and at most appears to raise new doubts and inconsistencies,” FCPS said.
Perez’s latest case was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia in the Alexandria division, Virginia Mercury reported. She is being represented by attorneys from anti-abortion group Americans United For Life (AUL). She is seeking a trial by jury.
“AUL has filed an amended complaint on behalf of Mrs. Perez, and we are expecting a renewed motion to dismiss the case from Fairfax County’s lawyers,” AUL spokesman Gavin Oxley said on January 30. Oxley also told Virginia Mercury that AUL and Perez were intent on “prosecuting the case as far as necessary.”
Feature image, stock.adobe.com
