A Virginia school district has announced it is investigating claims that staff members at a local high school arranged abortions for students without notifying their parents.
Officials with Fairfax County Public Schools told WJLA-TV they are investigating school staff at Centreville High School in Union Hill, VA, to determine whether they arranged and paid for abortions for two girls.
“We learned yesterday of these concerning allegations from 2021,” FCPS said in a statement to the outlet last week. “We are launching an immediate and comprehensive investigation as we take all concerns of student wellbeing very seriously.”
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Virginia law currently requires parental consent unless the teenager appeals for a judicial bypass.
However, while “Counseling Pregnant Students” guidelines set by FCPS state that “every effort shall be made to encourage and support students suspecting pregnancy to discuss their concerns with their parents or guardians,” it does not require FCPS employees to inform parents about those conversations.
“If a student requests counseling services or is considered to be in need of such services, school staff members should refer the student to the public health nurse or Fairfax County Department of Health and avoid influencing the student regarding the pregnancy,” reads the directive.
Last week, FCPS Superintendent Michelle Reid sent a letter to the Centreville High School community addressing the allegations.
“I want to stress that at no time, would the situation as described in these allegations be acceptable in Fairfax County Public Schools,” she explained. “We all have serious questions about these allegations that must be answered. We all deserve to know what happened.”
A hand-written note from one student, cited by WC Dispatch, explained that she was 17 and five months pregnant at the time of her abortion.
“(The teacher) scheduled the appointment for me at the abortion clinic in Fairfax, paid the cost of that medical procedure, and kept everything quiet without informing my family,” reads the note translated from Spanish. “I feared my family would react very badly if they found out about my pregnancy and the abortion.”
The abortion took place in November 2021, according to the 11th-grade ESOL student.
The second Centreville student was unsure about killing her unborn baby and wrote in her letter naming the same teacher, reporting that she told her she “had no other choice.”
A separate teacher, Zenaida Perez, told the WC Dispatch that the student ran from the clinic and confided in her about what happened. In a recording to the outlet, the family confirmed that they were not informed about the intent to terminate the pregnancy.
The letters from both girls claim the school’s principal knew about the abortions and paid for them.
“If two frightened teenagers can describe the same counselor, the same locked-door clinic, and the same hush-money trail, common sense says Centreville is nursing a deeper wound,” wrote investigative reporter Walter Curt, founder of the WC Dispatch.
“Parents across Virginia must now stare that question in the eye—and demand answers—because unless swift accountability follows, an unmarked door in Fairfax will stand as a grim reminder that parental rights, the backbone of any free republic, can be pushed to the curb with a sly smile and a deadbolt,” he added.
Pro-life advocates are reacting to the announcement of the investigation.
“A Fairfax high school secretly arranged and paid for student abortions—without telling parents,” 40 Days for Life wrote on X. “This isn’t ‘healthcare.’ It’s state-funded child exploitation. Every official involved must be held accountable.”
Karen Hamilton, Republican Nominee for VA House of Delegates, wrote, “This is extremely troubling!! Also, if democrats pass their abortion amendment, parents will be cut out of situations like this. Your kid can’t take Tylenol at school without your permission, but your daughter could undergo a dangerous surgical procedure without your knowledge.”
Penny Nance, CEO and President of Concerned Women for America, released a statement on social media requesting Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares to investigate.
“This is something that I don’t doubt if it has happened over the years, multiple times, and I would strongly urge Virginia officials (and) particularly our Attorney General, Jason Miyares, and others to look into this.”
She added, “This is absolutely outrageous if this is true and a complete affront to parental rights.”
CBN News has reached out to FCPS for comment. If they respond, we will post it here.
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