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A Virginia public school system has launched an investigation into allegations that high school officials arranged and paid for two minors to obtain abortions without notifying the girls’ parents, violating Virginia law.
Fairfax County Public Schools’ (FCPS) investigation comes after a bombshell Aug. 5 Substack report by Walter Curt that states that a social worker at Centreville High School, Carolina Díaz, was involved in procuring abortions for two students.
The first incident allegedly occurred in November 2021, when the student was 17 years old. The girl claims Díaz scheduled the appointment, paid for it, and “kept everything quiet without informing my family,” according to Curt. In the second case, a student who was five months pregnant went to an abortion appointment procured for her after Díaz reportedly told her that she “had no other choice.” She ultimately decided against the abortion, choosing to leave the clinic rather than go through with it.
According to the report, Principal Chad Lehman knew about both incidents, and both abortion appointments were apparently paid for by school funds. Both times, the parents and families of the girls were not informed, a violation of a state law that requires at least one parent to be notified before an abortion can be performed for a minor.
Curt wrote in his report, “Legal analysts tell me that if school employees indeed arranged and paid for these procedures, criminal as well as civil liability is in play — everything from contributing to the delinquency of a minor to misuse of public funds.”
The report also states that the second girl told Zenaida Perez, a teacher, about the incident. Administrators attempted to silence her once they realized she knew about the incident, according to written statements from students.
Students reportedly said later that school administrators began looking for ways to fire Perez or pressure her to resign, even attempting to have students bait Perez into minor policy violations.
FCPS told CatholicVote via email that it has engaged an external investigator to look into the claims, adding, “We have serious questions about these allegations that must be answered.”
“At no time would the situation as described in these allegations from back in 2021 be acceptable in Fairfax County Public Schools,” FCPS added.
Local ABC affiliate 7News inquired Aug. 6 as to whether FCPS staff members ever arranged for abortions on behalf of students. I
In response, the school system stated, “Not to [our] knowledge. We have launched an immediate investigation into these concerns as soon as we were made aware.”
FCPS also directed 7News to its policy on counseling pregnant students, which states, “Every effort shall be made to encourage and support students suspecting pregnancy to discuss their concern with their parents or guardians.” The policy also adds, “In no case shall personnel commit themselves to maintain such information confidentially, keeping it from parents, guardians, or appropriate school authorities.”
On X, pro-life organization 40 Days for Life condemned the incident and called it “state-funded child exploitation.”
The organization added, “Every official involved must be held accountable.”
