GOOCHLAND COUNTY, Va. — The vice chair of the Goochland County School Board has filed a lawsuit against her fellow board members.
Angela Allen claims they damaged her reputation and tried to silence her by issuing a censure against her, which is a formal statement of disapproval. Allen called it a "gross overstatement" and said it defamed her character.
“It was uncalled for and violated my First and Fourteenth Amendment rights. You have to have the courage to stand up and recognize that all viewpoints have value and deserve to be heard,” she said.
The four other board members stated that a post Allen made on her school board Facebook page in January 2023 violated their code of ethics, created division, and instilled fear in students.
They also added that it undermined the board's goal of maximizing the potential of every learner in the district.
The post stated, "As a Goochland School Board member, effectively representing your interests is my duty. This week I learned that GCPS students are allowed to use restrooms different from their biological gender. Is this our community’s expectation?"
“The statement was inflammatory and was incomplete and a distorted characterization of Goochland counties practices and policies whereas the statement grossly it affected parent and citizen confidence in Goochland County schools,” said Michael Newman during the May meeting.
The school board chair, Sandra Barefoot-Reid, issued a statement Wednesday on behalf of herself and the other board members calling the lawsuit "meritless" and an effort to intimidate them into silence.
"The lawsuit is unlikely to succeed in achieving its goals. However, it will surely succeed in costing school board members scarce time that would otherwise be available to support students and staff of schools,” she wrote.
One parent, who has asked to remain anonymous, said she is glad Allen filed the lawsuit. She doesn’t believe Allen should have been censured.
“If they are willing to censure her over such a simple post on social media. What's to say they are not going to do that for other school board members or reasons in the future,” she shared.
While other parents, like Lauren Comstock, agree with the board’s action and question what the lawsuit does for the kids and the school district.
“I’m happy she was censured. It shows some sort of accountability. That’s not what the community expects of the conduct of a school board member,” Comstock said.
Allen is seeking $850,000 in damages.
Barefoot-Reid also noted that Goochland County school board members each receive an annual salary of $8,000 — the chair $10,000 — for their work on the board, which is 106 times less than the amount Allen is seeking in damages.
All Goochland County school board members are up for reelection in November.
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