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Loudoun County Public Schools, Special School Board Meeting – Closed Session, Monday, August 4, 2025

Date: Monday, August 4, 2025
Place: LCPS Administration Building / School Board Room, Ashburn, Virginia
Length: 2h 21m (video)
Official meeting video (Vimeo / LCPS-TV): https://player.vimeo.com/video/1100127951?rel=0

Machine transcript (speech-to-text) produced by Coraggio Consulting. Not an official county record. Names and numbers may be misspelled; check the video at the timestamp before quoting.
Speech-to-text: whisper.cpp, model large-v3-turbo. Produced 2026-10-13. Timestamps are [HH:MM:SS] into the meeting video.

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[00:06:03] a little louder than i expected good afternoon or good morning i called to order this august 4th 2025 loudoun county uh special school board meeting um we will start do we have our virtual

[00:06:20] up yet no okay mr allen should we pause until the virtual comes up or should we just go ahead and and then they can come into closed, and then we would have to vote them in afterwards

[00:06:58] to come into closed or to come in, period. I'm sorry, I can't hear you. Can y'all stop talking? Thank you, Ms. Mansfield.

[00:07:16] You can await them to appear virtually and monitor, and then at that point, the board can entertain a motion for remote participation. So you suggest we just wait here?

[00:07:33] Okay.

[00:08:17] Yes, Vice-Chair Donoghue. Thank you, Chair Mansfield. - Mr. Allen, could I ask you another question? If we were to go ahead and start the meeting, and as is on the agenda, right, it's on the agenda, going to a closed session, when the board members who we expect to request virtual participation are present, would we need to come out of closed to discuss whether they can participate?

[00:08:49] - Thank you, Ms. Donahue. Yes, that would be proper procedure to do so. They'd have to first be admitted to the meeting for remote participation. Wait, do we have to close that meeting first before we come back in to make it an open meeting? Just asking.

[00:09:07] You could recess that meeting. You wouldn't have to come out first and properly close it per se as is procedure because it would still be proceeding thereafter. So you could recess that meeting at that time.

[00:12:46] I can hear you. Good morning. Good morning, Ms. Chandler. We can start with the first one then, I think, at least. Okay, I have been notified that Ms. Chandler would like to remotely participate in today's special school board meeting.

[00:13:10] Ms. Chandler, please state your location and whether this is a medical or personal matter.

[00:13:33] Chair Mansfield, are you able to hear me? We can hear you. Can you hear us at all? Yes. Okay, so would you please state your location, whether this is a medical or personal matter? I am out of town in New Jersey, and it is a personal matter.

[00:13:55] Is anyone present with you at this location? If so, please state their names. My family is together in a large house in New Jersey at the beach, but I am alone in an isolated area in the house and have a great deal of privacy.

[00:14:19] Okay. Sorry. This will be your first personal exemption. So, because this is your first remote participation for this calendar year, I will now entertain a motion that Ms. Chandler's request to participate remotely be granted. Oh, yes. Vice Chair Donohue. Thank you, Madam Chair. I move that

[00:14:55] Ms. Chandler's request to participate remotely in our meeting today be approved. I have a motion by vice chair Donahue do I have a second I second that I have a second by Ms. Chernoff it's been properly moved and seconded we will go ahead and take a vote clerk please open the vote board members please record your vote clerk please close and display the vote that motion passes

[00:15:33] unanimously with Ms. Griffiths Ms. Chandler and Mr. Struffy absent for the vote Ms. Chandler welcome to the meeting um i still have not heard from mrs griffiths you can i tried you can try

[00:16:06] again we'll wait for one more minute and then we're gonna go ahead and start mrs griffiths are

[00:17:30] you able to log into the other link and go into the open session there are two links one is labeled

[00:17:38] open one is labeled closed okay ms griffiths can you hear us ms griffiths yes thank you i'm unmuted

[00:18:28] now. Thank you. You can hear me now, right?

[00:18:44] I can't hear anything going on, though. I can't hear anything. Everybody who's in this room, according to security, needs to please exit

[00:19:00] and be wanded, please. That includes the media, and that means everybody. Ms. Riccardi, have you

[00:19:27] been wanded? You were wanded. Okay, then you need to exit, please.

[00:20:00] Okay, Mrs. Griffiths, can you hear us? Yes, I can. Great. All right, I have been notified that Mrs. Griffiths would like to remotely participate in today's special school board meeting. Mrs. Griffiths, please state your location and whether this is a medical or personal matter. My location is Cambridge Village in Wilmington, North Carolina, and this is a personal matter. Is anyone present with you at this location? If so, please state their names. No one is present with me at this location right now.

[00:20:33] Sorry. Have you guys been wandered yet? Thank you. Thank you Okay, so I'm sorry mrs. Griffiths This will be your first personal exemption for this count because this is your first remote participation for this calendar year I will now entertain a motion that mrs. Griffiths request to be participate To participate remotely be granted. Yes, mrs. Donahue. Thank you madam chair. I move that mrs. Griffiths be that mrs

[00:21:11] griffiths request to participate virtually in our meeting this morning be granted i have a motion do i have a second yes second yes dr deans has a second um it's been properly moved and seconded at this time we will go ahead and take a vote clerk please open the vote board members please record your vote clerk please close oh oh ms chandler can you please state your vote yes okay

[00:21:46] clerk please close and display the vote that motion passes unanimously with mrs griffiths and mr struffy absent for the vote welcome to the meeting mrs griffiths um okay we will move on to item 2.0 motion to convene a closed meeting vice chair donahue do you have a motion yes thank you madam chair i have i have a motion i'd like to make please i'd like to move

[00:22:21] that we hold this meeting in open session rather than closed I'm sorry miss LaBelle that's not a proper that's not a proper motion you can go ahead and like not vote for the motion and you can make we can do that discussion after miss Donna Hughes okay motion okay vice chair Donahue thank you madam chair I move that the levin county school board recessed this public meeting and enter into a closed meeting pursuant to section 2.2 dash 3 7 1 2 of the code of

[00:23:00] Virginia for the following consultation with legal counsel and briefings by staff members or consultants pertaining to actual or probable litigation where such consultation or briefing an open meeting would adversely affect the negotiating or litigating posture of the public body as authorized by section 2.2 - 3 7 1 1 sub a sub 7 of the code of Virginia and consultation with legal counsel employed or retained by a public body regarding a specific legal matter requiring the provision of legal advice by such counsel as authorized by section 2.2-3711 sub-A sub-8 of the Code of Virginia. Thank you, Vice Chair Donohue. Do I have a second? Second. I have a second by

[00:23:40] Dr. Rasheed. Is there any discussion? And now Ms. LaBelle would be your time. Thank you. I believe that the reason for holding this meeting in closed is very weak and invalid. We are not negotiating anything and we already know the legal advice that they want to give us. We only have one thing to decide and that is either compliance or non-compliance. We already know what the consequences will be. I move that we hold this meeting in open forum because

[00:24:19] every person who is bothered to come here this morning is very concerned about what's happening and we need to be transparent in every single way possible thank you thank you ms labelle um i have a motion on the floor do i have a second second i have a second by um uh ms shirnoff um it's been properly moved and seconded is there any discussion yes ms donahue thank you madam chair i just wanted to say that I understand Ms. LaBelle's position and I understand the

[00:24:58] desire to want to have this the con to want to have a conversation about 80/40 in public and I don't think that that is the wrong choice broadly speaking but in these circumstances with what we are with what is before us right now in that we have to make a decision on responding to a legal investigation and And regardless of, to Ms. LaBelle's point, that we have had the opportunity to receive certain legal counsel about this particular matter.

[00:25:30] This division is facing multiple lawsuits and multiple investigations. And I don't think that it is as simple as us saying, well, we've received legal advice about one insular matter, and therefore we all individually know what we want to do, so let's just do it openly.

[00:25:48] I think we need to discuss with our counsel ramifications of the options on everything that our division is facing and then have a full and open conversation amongst our fellow board members about how to respond given the full legal landscape of where we are right now.

[00:26:07] And because we need to maintain attorney-client confidentiality between our counsel and our board, I believe that is a conversation that has to happen in closed session, which is not to say that there cannot be additional discussion about 80 40 or about other matters later publicly but I I believe strongly that we need to have a closed session meeting first any other discussion yes Ms. Chernoff thank you Madam Chair um and I will I would support this being an open meeting as well I tend to agree with Ms. LaBelle on this I understand that there

[00:26:43] are legal ramifications but I would support this being an open meeting um if it is the will of the board today to go into closed and have the session that is planned on the agenda. I would ask that we do have this open dialogue as soon as next Tuesday at our school board meeting to be public facing. If we get the information that we need today, it is time for us to face the public and have this conversation. We have been on this board for 18 months and it is time and we've had chances to do so, and we haven't. So I agree with Ms. LaBelle and transparency. I do think we will

[00:27:18] ultimately choose to go into closed, but I believe that that conversation will need to be had next week. Any other discussion? Yes, Mrs. Griffiths. I believe I'm definitely with my colleagues, Ms. LaBelle and Ms. Chernoff, but I believe it is a choice. We can make a decision. We can vote on it. And it's two things. It's either you lose $50 million or you don't. That's the choice.

[00:27:57] So I agree with Ms. LaBelle and Ms. Chernoff that I think it should be an open session. And the public did come here. They went out of their way this morning at 8 o'clock in the morning to be here to hear us decide whether we're going to lose $50 million or not. So I think that it should be open.

[00:28:18] And if we do end up going into closed, I do agree with Ms. Chernoff that we should carry on this conversation into the August 12th meeting. Thank you. - Thank you, Ms. Griffiths. Any other discussion?

[00:28:33] Okay. There is a motion on the floor to put this open and it has been properly moved and seconded. We've had discussion. We'll now take a vote. Clerk, please open the vote.

[00:28:48] This is to keep it open. Board members, please record your vote. Ms. Chandler, can you please state your vote? No. Ms. Griffiths? Yes. Clerk, please close and display the vote.

[00:29:13] That motion does not pass 5-3 with Ms. Chandler, Dr. Deans, Chair Mansfield, Vice Chair Donoghue, Dr. Rasheed in opposition, and Mr. Estreffi absent for the vote. So we go back to the initial motion to go into closed.

[00:29:34] Is there any other discussion? Okay, we'll go ahead and vote. Board members, clerk, please open the vote. Board members, please record your vote. Ms. Chandler, can you please state your vote?

[00:29:55] Yes. Mrs. Griffiths? No. Clerk, please close and display the vote. That motion passes five to three with Ms. Griffiths, Ms. Chernoff, and Ms. LaBelle in opposition, and Mr. Struffy absent for the vote.

[00:30:18] The board is now enclosed. Thank you.

[02:17:56] The board is now coming out of closed. Vice Chair Donahue, do you have a motion? Yes, thank you, Madam Chair. I move that the closed meeting be adjourned, that the Loudoun County School Board reconvene its public meeting, and that the minutes of the public meeting reflect that no formal action was taken in the closed meeting.

[02:18:15] Do I have a second? Second. I have a second by Ms. Chernoff. It's been publicly moved and seconded. Is there any discussion? Seeing none, we will go ahead with the vote. Clerk, please open the vote.

[02:18:31] Board members, please record your vote. Ms. Chandler, can you please state your vote? Yes. Ms. Griffiths, can you please state your vote? Yes. Clark, will you please close and display the vote?

[02:18:52] That motion passes unanimously with Mr. Astruffy absent for the vote. Vice Chair Donahue, do you have a second motion? Yes, thank you, Madam Chair. I move that the following resolution certifying the closed meeting be adopted and reflected in the minutes of this public meeting.

[02:19:07] Resolution number 04-25-26, whereas the Loudoun County School Board has convened a closed meeting on this date pursuant to an affirmative recorded vote in accordance with the provisions of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act and whereas section 2.2-3712 sub D of the Code of Virginia requires a certification by the school board that such closed meeting was conducted in conformity with Virginia law now therefore be it resolved that the Loudoun County School Board hereby certifies that to the best of each member's knowledge one only public business matters lawfully exempted from open meeting requirements by Virginia law were discussed in the closed meeting to which this certification applies and two only such public business matters as were identified in the motion convening the closed

[02:19:46] meeting were heard discussed or considered by the loudon county school board i have a motion by vice chair donahue do i do have a second i have a second by miss labelle uh any discussion seeing none clerk please open the vote board members please record your vote miss chandler will you please state your vote yes miss griffiths will you please state your vote yes clerk will you

[02:20:22] please close and display the vote motion passes unanimously um and with mr streffy absent for the vote okay we'll move on to before i adjourn adjourn the meeting um before i close on behalf of the board the board has received a lot of information and will continue to process and evaluate this matter and we will plan to further discuss at our next school board meeting and with that i adjourn the april i mean april august 4th 2025 lawton county special school board meeting thank you

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