It looks like things are going from bad to worse for Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS), the Northern Virginia school system embroiled in a growing scandal over allegations that a social worker at one of its high schools arranged for underage girls to obtain abortions, possibly at taxpayer expense and allegedly without the knowledge of the students’ parents/guardians. A whistleblower with firsthand knowledge of the events has come forward maintaining that the school knew about this years ago and failed to take action.
The whistleblower, Zenaida Perez, is a Cuban immigrant who works as an English as a second language (ESOL) teacher at Centreville High School in Clifton, Virginia. The school is described as “majority-minority,” with a significant number of its students taking ESOL classes and participating in the reduced-price meals program. Perez says she was shocked when then-Principal Chad Lehman asked her back in May of 2022 if she had provided a pregnancy test for a student. She had not.
READ MORE: VA HS Allegedly Arranged Abortions for Underage Girls—and Taxpayers May Have Footed the Bill
Upon further investigation, Perez—who became a confidante to many of her students due to their shared immigration and cultural backgrounds—learned from one of the victims that school social worker Carolina Diaz had made an appointment for the minor at a Falls Church, Virginia, abortion mill and had paid the bill. Some reports indicate Lehman approved school funds to be used to cover the cost of the abortion; if true, that means taxpayer money could have been used to pay for the abortions of underage girls.
Meet teacher and whistleblower Zenaida Perez. Born in Cuba, she has been teaching English as a second language for 20+ years, many of her students young Hispanic immigrants. A native speaker of Spanish, she builds strong bonds with her students.
Last week, she went public with allegations that a social worker at Centreville HS in Clifton, Va., facilitated and funded an abortion in the fall of 2021 for a 17-year-old girl from Guatemala — without her legal guardian’s knowledge.
The next day, @FCPSNews @FCPSSupt Michelle Reid claimed the school district had just learned of the allegations the day before. Read the young woman’s witness for yourself in the [thread].
In a @FoxNews exclusive, I write about how Ms. Perez torched Superintendent Reid’s claim in a 2-hour, 45-minute interview with a school board lawyer, Mary McGowan yesterday.
Ms. Perez documented how she warned school district officials 7 times over 3 years, dating back to May 2022.
The student in question later provided written testimony of what had happened, stating, “[Diaz] helped me with a pregnancy termination, or abortion. [She] made the appointment for me at the abortion clinic in Fairfax. She paid for the procedure and kept quiet about it, not letting my family know. I was worried that my family would react very badly if they knew about my pregnancy and the abortion.” The girl added, “When the abortion was performed, I was only 17 years old.”
RELATED: Education Department Slams Door on Funds for Illegal Alien Students
Upon learning of Diaz’s supposed actions, Perez says she immediately alerted Lehman and other school officials, and followed up with an email detailing the allegations. This was May 13, 2022. After the story exploded on social media last week, FCPS officials stated that they had only just learned of the allegations and were immediately launching an investigation. Either they are lying or the Centreville HS administrators having been covering up for the social worker these last three years.
Over the past three years, Perez maintains that she had at least seven meetings or interviews with school officials or investigators over the allegations. To date, it appears that nothing has been done to truly investigate what’s going on at the school or hold those involved accountable. Chad Lehman, former Centreville principal, was even given a promotion.
Perez learned a few months ago of another Centreville student who had been preyed upon by the school social worker. This time, luckily, the underage girl fled the facility before the abortion could take place, and is now happily raising her child.
As a new school year gets underway, Perez is sure to face backlash from some of her coworkers, but she is undeterred, saying, “I feel strong. I have truth and God on my side.”
Editor’s Note: President Trump is fighting to dismantle the Department of Education and ensure America’s kids get the education they deserve.
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