LOUDOUN COUNTY, Va. — The new superintendent of Loudoun County Public Schools is working to win back the trust of parents. On Wednesday, Dr. Aaron Spence kicked off a series of listening sessions, where parents were able to share some of their concerns. This comes after a rough few years for the district.
Parents at Wednesday's meeting said communication and transparency topped their list of wants and needs for Spence and the district as a whole. Improving safety and security was another big priority.
Spence, who has been on the job now for about three weeks said he is confident that the LCPS community can move forward together, and these listening sessions are the start of that.
Spence is replacing former LCPS Superintendent Dr. Scott Ziegler who was fired after a special grand jury report criticized the way the school district handled two sexual assaults at two separate schools, by the same student.
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The investigation has caused years of controversy for the school system. Ziegler is also facing three misdemeanor charges stemming from that grand jury investigation.
Parents met with the new superintendent in the cafeteria of Broad Run High School to discuss what changes they would like to see. After the meeting, there was a meet-and-greet with Spence for about 30 minutes.
Spence told WUSA9 that improving the relationship between schools and law enforcement is important to him. He said he is confident parents will feel heard after this.
"One of the things that's really important to me as a leader is that we listen, we learn and collaborate to solve our problems," Spence said. "That all starts with having candid conversations about how are we doing? How are we meeting your needs? Sometimes that's going to be good, you're doing a great job. Sometimes it's things you don't want to hear, but you need to hear so you can make good decisions moving forward."
The community listening sessions will continue for the next six months. A full list of upcoming sessions can be found here. Following the sessions, LCPS will come up with an action plan.
Former superintendent Scott Ziegler is expected in court Wednesday. He is hoping a judge will throw out those misdemeanor charges for what his attorney calls "extensive abuse of the grand jury process."