The U.S. Department of Education (ED) has initiated enforcement action against Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) for reportedly facilitating a 17-year-old female student’s abortion and pressuring a second female student to abort her preborn child.
The Daily Citizen initially covered this story in August.
In 2021, a Centreville High School social worker allegedly scheduled a 17-year-old female student for an abortion, paid the required clinic fees, and demanded the girl keep it a secret without informing the student’s parents.
The student subsequently gave a hand-written note to a media outlet, which read,
Last year I went to see social worker Carolina Díaz. She helped me with the termination of my pregnancy – that is, an abortion.
Mrs. Carolina Díaz scheduled the appointment for me at the abortion clinic in Fairfax, paid the costs of that medical procedure, and kept everything quiet without informing my family.
I feared my family would react very badly if they found out about my pregnancy and the abortion. When the abortion was performed, I was only 17 years old.
The social worker also pressured a second female student to have an abortion, telling her she “had no other choice” but to kill her preborn child, and directing her to the same clinic for an abortion. Ultimately, the student refused to abort her child.
“It shocks the conscience to learn that school personnel in Fairfax have allegedly exploited their positions of trust to push abortion services on students without parental knowledge or consent,” U.S. Department of Education’s Acting General Counsel Candice Jackson said in a statement.
She added,
Children do not belong to the government – decisions touching deeply held values should be made within loving families.
It is both morally unconscionable and patently illegal for school officials to keep parents in the dark about such intimate, life-altering procedures pertaining to their children.
As a result of the allegations, the ED’s Student Privacy Policy Office (SPPO) is requiring Fairfax to determine whether these practices continue today and provide a written response by October 17.
The action was taken under the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA), a federal law affording parents of students the right to receive notice and an opportunity to opt a student out of any non-emergency, invasive physical examination or screening.
The SPPO is requiring Fairfax to provide:
- A copy of Fairfax’s general notice to parents notifying them of their rights under PPRA during the 2021-22 through 2025-26 school years.
- A copy of any policies or procedures in effect during the 2021-22 through 2025-26 school years that relate to non-emergency, invasive physical examinations or screening.
- Documentation of any communications, directives, or training materials provided to school staff regarding the handling of sensitive medical services, including abortion-related referrals or procedures.
- Any records related to the alleged incidents of school personnel facilitating the provision of abortion services to minors.
- A statement explaining whether any U.S. Department of Education funds were used, in whole or in part, in connection with the sensitive medical services, including abortion-related referrals or procedures.
“The Trump Administration will not stand by idly as these abuses unfold in our schools,” Jackson continued.
“We will take swift and decisive action to put an end to this and restore parental authority, which stems from their ultimate responsibility for their children’s wellbeing.”
At Focus on the Family, we have been working to turn the cultural tide and save mothers and babies from abortion for years. Since beginning the Option Ultrasound Program in 2004, Focus has helped save over half a million lives. Just $60 will help save a life through Option Ultrasound. Will you partner with us to save lives from abortion?
If you are experiencing an unexpected pregnancy and want to learn more about your options, you can visit My Choice Network.
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Become an Option Ultrasound Life Advocate
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Photo from Getty Images.
