A pair of Republican congressmen are demanding an investigation after some Loudoun County, Virginia residents — including one parent who quoted a Bible verse while speaking out against LGBTQ+ practices in schools — reportedly received death threats online.
Reps. Bob Good, R-Va., and Chip Roy, R-Texas, sent a letter to Loudoun County School Board Chairman Ian Serotkin Thursday in response to a WJLA report that detailed how several Loudoun County residents were targeted and threatened by members of a Facebook group called "Loudoun Love Warriors." Messages posted in the Facebook group reportedly called for parents who spoke up at school board meetings to be ousted from their jobs, referred to law enforcement and even shot.
"We are deeply concerned by recent reports that staff and associates of Loudoun County School Board members and County officials orchestrated a campaign of smear attacks, harassment, and intimidation against local parents simply for exercising their First Amendment rights to petition the government about their children’s education," the lawmakers wrote.
The "Loudoun Love Warriors" group includes people who appear to be associated with Loudoun County Commonwealth’s Attorney Buta Biberaj, County Supervisor Juli Briskman, School Board Chair Ian Serotkin, school board member Brenda Sheridan, school board member Atoosa Reaser, school board member Erika Ogedegbe, school board candidate Anne Donohue, sheriff candidate Craig Buckley, and Chair Phyllis Randall.
None of these elected officials personally made any threats, but the Republicans noted they belonged to the online group while other users made threatening statements like, "Lives need to be ruined beyond repair" and "Im soooo ready to show up with guns lol."
The GOP letter cited the case of Mark Winn, who said at a Dec. 2022 school board meeting that "[LGBT] behaviors should never have been promoted, taught, or encouraged in the schools that you oversee" before paraphrasing Jesus in the Gospels.
"If any man or woman causes one of these little ones to stumble, it would be better for [them] if a millstone to be put around your neck and thrown into the lake," Winn said, adding, "Get back to reading, writing and arithmetic and quit grooming and pimping."
Winn's comments sparked outrage at the time and prompted 19-year-old Loudoun County community organizer Andrew Pihonak to start a petition banning "hate speech" at future school board meetings. That petition gained nearly 1,000 signatures and said statements like Winn's "empower people to commit acts of violence" against LGBTQ+ people.
HUNDREDS SIGN PETITION TO BAN 'HATE SPEECH' AT LOUDOUN COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS
Members of the "Loudoun Love Warriors" group posted angry and threatening comments against Winn and others, including threats to "find his employer" and "make him unemployable by love or by force," WJLA reported.
"It shocked me," Winn told the outlet after he learned about the messages threatening his livelihood.
"Quoting scripture in a public forum, that never has been, and never should be considered hate speech," said Winn. "When they threaten someone’s employment or threaten somebody’s life, or threaten their home, yeah that’s hate speech."
Good and Roy said the threats appeared to be "an aggressive and orchestrated campaign to infringe upon parents' First Amendment rights through fear and intimidation — specifically, by scaring them away from ever petitioning their local or State government and advocating on behalf of their children’s wellbeing and education in the public square."
"We hope you would agree that engaging in this type of behavior is appalling and should not be tolerated," they wrote to the school.
A spokesperson for the Loudoun County Public Schools previously directed Fox News Digital to statements that some Loudoun County officials have made in public regarding the controversy.
"Violent threats are never acceptable and at times can be criminal. I personally condemn all violent language and my office will be investigating whether a crime was committed. Due to the possibility of a criminal investigation, I can not comment further at this time," Loudoun County Commonwealth’s Attorney Buta Biberaj said in response to the WJLA report.
Loudoun County school board meetings have been host to a series of confrontational exchanges between parents and board members over LGBTQ+ policies, objectionable or pornographic content in school libraries and allegations that school officials covered up sexual assaults. The school district was at the center of a national controversy when the National School Board Association asked the Biden administration to investigate protesting parents as "domestic terrorism."
After pointing out these controversies and the fact that Loudoun County schools received more than $13 million in federal funds under President Biden's COVID-19 relief programs, the Republicans demanded a full investigation into the Facebook group's activities.
"Any attempts by staff and associates of Loudoun County officials or school board members, to further harass, intimidate, or otherwise silence American parents must be fully investigated and those responsible must be held accountable. We call on all of those representing Loudoun County Public Schools to stand with parents and condemn these attacks, launch a full investigation into the extent to which staff and associates of Loudoun County officials and school board members were involved in targeting parents like Mr. Winn, and hold all those responsible fully accountable," the letter reads.
"Failure to do so would further erode trust in public education and send alarm bells ringing from Richmond to Washington about the abuse of parental rights and free speech with federal taxpayer dollars. We look forward to responsible action."
Fox News' Jeffrey Clark and Kristine Parks contributed to this report.
