Public School Ignores Parents’ Concerns About Student Who Was an MS-13 Member

The public school environment has continued to become more toxic for students, in terms of safety, learning outcomes, and other factors.

However, one extremely concerning risk is how the rise of MS-13 gang members can have a major impact on local high schools, as this gang recruits many younger students. MS-13 is the largest and one of the most deadly gangs in the country.

So why not send kids to public school to… *checks notes* … hang out with MS-13 gang members?

No wait.

That’s a terrible idea.

A recent case with a public school in Virginia shows that many schools are not equipped to deal with these risks. More importantly, they often may be unable to communicate specifics about the safety of the school. During this recent school board meeting, board members ignored the parents’ questions and ended the meeting early.

It is becoming more difficult for parents to trust public schools for so many reasons. In this environment, it may be more suitable to home school or consider other options like private schools or charter schools, which may be less risky.

Loudoun County Public School Ignores Concerns About an MS-13 Gang Member 

A new video reveals that the board of Loudoun County Public Schools ended the public question period and left the room early during a school board meeting. Many parents attended this meeting and voiced their concerns over the fact that the school let an MS-13 gang member attend the school and couldn’t verify his current enrollment status.

The student was a clear danger to other students, as he was an MS-13 member and was arrested for having a stolen handgun before school. This student was illegally living in the United States, had dangerous gang connections, and was a threat to students during his time there.

LCPS did not respond to any parents’ questions about this student during this meeting, and it has also dodged questions from other news companies that have inquired about the situation. 7 News recently asked this question and did not receive an answer from the school.

“Did Loudoun County Public Schools move a student - who was arrested before school for stealing a gun and has MS-13 gang ties - from Loudoun Valley High School to another high school? If so, which school was he moved to?”

The school did not reply to these emails, and others sent by other news employees, so it is unclear where this student is currently studying. This fact is very concerning, as this student could be posing a massive risk to students at another school.

Why the Rise of MS-13 is a Major Threat for High Schools

Parents should rightfully be concerned about any school that admits a student with a criminal background, especially as it relates to gang activity and firearms. However, the MS-13 affiliation is even more concerning, as this gang has a decade-long track record of performing violent actions in this country.

This gang was established in the 1980s and quickly rose over the following decades. By 2012, MS-13 became the first gang to be classified as a transnational crime organization by the United States government. The gang has 6,000 members in the United States and around 30,000 members abroad. The Department of Justice has had to prosecute nearly 200 MS-13 gang members every year, and around 74% of these gang members were living illegally in the United States.

As MS-13 continues to grow in the United States the risks for high schools in the United States is high, as this gang often recruits younger teenagers. In a recent case, one MS-13 gang member killed two teenagers with a baseball bat and machete, after these high school students got into an argument with another student. This could create many dangerous situations at schools, if students get into arguments or fights with MS-13 gang members, and are unaware of their gang connections.

School Board Members Provide No Assurance of Safety

The latest information shows that the student is not attending the school in person, and is in an alternative placement. This information is very concerning because parents are still not sure where he will be attending school and why he was allowed to attend LCPS in the first place. It is still unclear as to whether this alternative placement will include a virtual school or if he will attend another school in person.

The school board members refused to answer this question, citing that they could not give away any personally identifying information. From what information is available, it appears that this student will be transferred to another high school, where he could be a risk to other students.

One parent was cut off by a school board member before she could finish voicing her concern.

“Where is the protection and the safety for our children who are in school with other children who have known threats, who have been arrested and who are back in school, and my daughter's terrified to go to school with him.” 

The school board members failed to answer any of these questions and ended the meeting early. Based on other concerns presented by parents, this school has a history of allowing dangerous students to attend the school and not ensuring that there are proper precautions. Another parent shared about how one student who sexually assaulted a student at LCPS, was later reassigned to another school and sexually assaulted someone else there.

The school board was unable to address any of these relevant concerns and cited that they had to keep this student’s personal information private. However, they clearly used this as a pretext to avoid difficult conversations and accountability. One school board member noted that she could only say that they had addressed the situation. This statement was not reassuring to many parents, who were ignored during the meeting.

School Safety and Home Schooling

Many public schools have shown that they can’t prevent serious safety issues, such as gang violence, sexual assault, and other key issues. While this was just one school, it clearly shows how many school board members can have limited power to provide solutions, and may not act in the best interest of parents or students. Homeschooling can be a much more popular option for so many reasons. Research from Harvard has shown that homeschooled students turn out better in many categories. But most importantly, homeschooling can help you provide more control over the safety of your child, as public schools are often not equipped to act in students’ best interest.