n LOUDOUN
Pg. 4 | n LEESBURG
VOL. 6, NO. 28
Pg. 6 | n PUBLIC SAFETY
Pg. 10 | n OBITUARIES
Pg. 24 | n PUBLIC NOTICES
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Pg. 26
JUNE 10, 2021
Ziegler Tapped as New Schools Superintendent BY HAYLEY MILON BOUR hbour@loudounnow.com
Norman K. Styer/Loudoun Now
Byron “Tanner” Cross speaks to a crowd of supporters outside Cornerstone Chapel on June 4, following an emergency court hearing on his bid to be reinstated to his position at Leesburg Elementary School.
Schools Ordered to Reinstate Teacher LOUDOUN NOW STAFF REPORT
A Loudoun Circuit Court judge on Tuesday granted a temporary restraining order to a Leesburg physical education teacher who was placed on leave last week, two days after speaking at a School Board meeting to object to a proposed policy on the division’s protocols for addressing transgender students.
Following a three-hour hearing Friday, Judge James E. Plowman concluded that school division administrators violated Byron “Tanner” Cross’s constitutional rights to free speech and religious freedom when they suspended him from his job and barred him from school properties. “The Court finds that the Plaintiff ’s
speech and religious content are central to the determination made by the Defendants to suspend Plaintiff ’s employment. The Court further finds that the weight of the evidence and the totality of the circumstances, clearly show that the four prongs for issuance of temporary injunction have been satisfied,” Plowman wrote. TANNER CROSS continues on page 39
Following a nationwide search, the Loudoun County School Board on Tuesday found the division’s next superintendent was already in the job. After serving as interim superintendent since Jan. 1, Scott A. Ziegler was selected by a unanimous School Board vote. He served as the assistant superintendent for Human Resources and Talent Development before being tapped as the interim superintendent in January, following the departure of Eric Williams who took a job leading a school district near Houston, TX. In announcing the choice, School Board members praised his leadership in returning students to the classroom following months of debate over whether that could be accomplished during the pandemic, among other leadership qualities. “Consider where we were on January 1, and where we are now, the difference is really clear,” said Ian Serotkin (Blue Ridge). During his first month on the job, Ziegler hatched a plan to return students to classrooms. After nearly a year of strife from parents, students were able to return to classroom learning four days a week. NEW SUPERINTENDENT continues on page 38
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