XPost: alt.vietnam.veterans, us.politics, alt.atv   
   XPost: co.politics, az.politics, tacoma.general   
   From: noreply@mixmin.net   
      
   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/   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)