Parents in Virginia's largest school district collected enough signatures to recall a school board member who ignored parental concerns and kept schools closed during the pandemic.

Open FCPS Coalition, a bipartisan group of parents, on Wednesday 
filed with a county circuit court a petition to recall school board 
member Laura Jane Cohen. The group accuses Cohen of ignoring studies 
that showed reopening was safe and keeping students isolated from 
peers for more than a year was harmful for their mental health.

Republican candidates swept Virginia's statewide elections in 
November, victories many attributed to parents' frustration with 
school closures. But that momentum may not be enough to recall 
Cohen, who was not up for reelection this cycle. A local attorney 
backed by left-wing megadonor George Soros quashed Open FCPS 
Coalition's attempt to recall a school board member.

In a statement Thursday, Open FCPS Coalition founder Dee O'Neal 
Jackson said the 8,000 signatures gathered show the group's mission 
resonates with the community.

"For over 18 months, the Fairfax County School Board has focused on 
every political issue of the day," O'Neal Jackson said. "In turn, 
[it] has not focused on what's best for our students and families in 
Fairfax County."

A judge will verify the authenticity of the signatures and decide 
whether to hold a trial and special election to replace Cohen. The 
coalition also wants to recall at-large school board member Abrar 
Omeish, who in May came under fire after she in two social media 
posts referred to Israel as an "apartheid" state.

Open FCPS Coalition in July petitioned to recall school board member 
Elaine Tholen. Like Cohen, Tholen also voted against reopening 
schools. But the group's efforts were tanked by a progressive 
prosecutor backed by Soros.

The Washington Free Beacon reported in August that Commonwealth's 
Attorney James Hingeley (D.) dismissed the coalition's case after he 
was appointed to represent the group. Hingeley received $5,000 from 
Soros's Justice and Safety PAC during the 2019 election cycle, in 
which he campaigned alongside Tholen.

Fairfax County commonwealth's attorney Steve Descano (D.), who 
received $600,000 from Soros during his campaign, tapped Hingeley 
after he recused himself from the case because he is facing his own 
recall.

Before Fairfax parents recalled Cohen, she sent a fundraising email 
in which she referred to Open FCPS Coalition as a Republican "dark 
money" operation. Cohen said "rabid" parents have "taken over" 
school board meetings with demands to burn books, spread 
"misinformation" about the coronavirus pandemic, and promote 
"hateful speech" about LGBT people.

O'Neal Jackson told the Free Beacon that Cohen's email was "tone-
deaf." She noted that Open FCPS Coalition is a bipartisan effort 
united by the belief that keeping schools closed is harmful to kids.

Prior to the pandemic, Virginia was one of the worst-ranked states 
for student performance. Most Fairfax students spent more than one 
year learning remotely and didn't return to the classroom until 
April 2021. Closing schools for months and leaving children to learn 
at home had a detrimental impact on students' reading and math 
performance, initial test scores show.

The school board's "indifference was disgusting," O'Neal Jackson 
told the Free Beacon. "They just seemed like they didn't care. It's 
really hard to swallow that they were not really invested in our 
kids."

Parents across the country this year clashed with school boards over 
coronavirus mitigation strategies and radical curriculum changes. 
Grassroots organizations in Texas and elsewhere bolstered slates of 
candidates who oppose school closures and radical race and gender 
ideology's infiltration into the classroom.


https://freebeacon.com/campus/virginia-parents-move-to-recall-
school-board-member-who-opposed-reopening/