Dear Loudoun County Public Schools Families and Staff–
As many of you know, an incident involving one of our students who used racial slurs toward a young Asian American child has received both local and national attention. Although this occurred outside of school hours and off school grounds, it has deeply impacted our community and raised important questions about who we are and what we stand for.
Let me be clear: hate speech and racial slurs have no place in our schools or in our community. Every child, every family, and every staff member deserves to feel safe, respected, and valued. In a wonderfully diverse county like Loudoun, it is not just our responsibility, it is our moral obligation, to honor the dignity and humanity of each individual. We must teach our children to see their classmates and their neighbors not as “others,” but as fellow human beings deserving of compassion and respect. We recognize the powerful expectation that schools lead the way in modeling what is right and just. And we embrace that responsibility.
Here are the specific steps we are taking within LCPS to address this incident:
1. Discrimination is not tolerated and incidents of harassment, hate speech and bullying are addressed in the Student Code of Conduct. LCPS Policy is already clear on this.
a. Policy 8030
b. Regulation 8030.32. The school has been directly engaged with the students and parents involved and is offering support through the school’s Unified Mental Health Team, including for the 5 year old child and his family, who were the target of hate speech.
3. The Division of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility is offering supports and resources to the school, and the school’s Equity Team is developing a campaign through the school’s advisory program to ensure students and staff are reminded about LCPS’ expectations for non-discrimination and to help students and staff think about positive and proactive steps we can take to end racial harassment in the school and community.
4. LCPS takes a strong position against these behaviors and has the following resources available for staff, families, and students:
In addition to the resources above, students and families have access each year to the division’s Student Rights and Responsibilities, to advisory lessons at school, and to restorative practices and resources. Staff engage in Sensitive Conversations Training as well as required Safe Schools training on Diversity Awareness Staff-to-Staff, Diversity Awareness Staff-to-Student, Discrimination Awareness in the Workplace, and acknowledgement of these expectations in the Annual Employee Handbook Acknowledgement. Our schools also have Student Equity Ambassadors, Equity Leads and Equity Teams focused on ensuring that students and staff have the support they need to learn about, address and end hate speech and discriminatory practices.
At the same time, schools are also mirrors of the communities they serve. If we are to raise young people who respect and care for one another, we must come together—as educators, parents, neighbors, and leaders—to set that example every day. Our students need the adults in this community to be role models of civility, empathy, and kindness.
Since this incident became public, we have been made aware of threats directed at the student who made the offensive comments and threats directed at the school, including its staff. Retaliatory bullying, intimidation, or threats, whether in response to this or any other situation, are unacceptable and will not be tolerated. We must be resolute in rejecting hate in all forms, even as we hold each other accountable with compassion and a commitment to growth.
This moment offers us a chance to pause, reflect, and recommit to the shared values that bind us: inclusion, empathy, and a deep belief in the worth of every person. Let us use this as an opportunity to reset how we treat one another and how we teach our children to do the same.
We will continue to do the work in our schools to build environments where all students feel they belong. But we cannot do this work alone. We need your partnership, your voice, and your example as we work toward a more inclusive and compassionate future for all of us here in Loudoun County.
Sincerely,
Aaron Spence, Ed.D.
Superintendent