‘Serious questions’ must be answered, spokesperson says
The largest school district in Virginia is investigating claims that school officials helped arrange and fund abortion services for students without parental notification.
Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) says it has initiated a comprehensive investigation following allegations that staff at Centreville High School arranged and funded abortions for two minor students in 2021 without notifying their parents, in apparent violation of Virginia law.
The claims, which surfaced in a viral report by independent journalist Walter Curt and were amplified on social media, have sparked outrage and raised questions about the district’s adherence to state regulations and parental rights.
According to the report, two female students, both minors at the time, allege that school officials, including social worker Carolina Diaz, arranged abortions at Fairfax Healthcare Center without parental consent. One student, a 17-year-old 11th-grade student, claims Diaz scheduled her appointment, paid the clinic’s fees, and instructed her to keep the procedure secret. The abortion allegedly took place in November 2021.
A second student, five months pregnant, says Diaz told her that she “had no choice” but to proceed with an abortion. That student fled the clinic, unwilling to go through with the procedure, and later confided in her teacher, Zenaida Perz, who provided Curt with an audio recording of the family confirming that the school never informed them of the intent to terminate their daughter’s pregnancy.
Under Virginia state law, a physician is required to certify in writing that at least one parent has been notified before performing an abortion on a minor, unless a judicial bypass is obtained.
In response to the allegations, a spokesperson with FCPS, which serves over 180,000 students with a $3.5 billion budget, told The Christian Post Thursday that the district has “serious questions about these allegations that must be answered.”
“At no time would the situation as described in these allegations from back in 2021 be acceptable in Fairfax County Public Schools,” the spokesperson stressed. “We have taken immediate action engaging an external investigator to get the facts. We all deserve to know exactly what happened. We will take appropriate action as necessary.”
The district’s policy, outlined in FCPS Regulation 2504, states that “every effort” should be made to encourage staff to support students suspecting pregnancy to discuss their concerns with parents but does not mandate parental notification. “In no case shall personnel commit themselves to maintain such information confidentially, keeping it from parents, guardians, or appropriate school authorities,” the policy states.
Students seeking health-related services are referred to public health nurses employed by the Fairfax County Health Department. Under Regulation 2504, school staff members are asked to “avoid influencing the student regarding the pregnancy.”
