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An external investigation found no truth to allegations that a Centreville High School social worker arranged and paid for student abortions without parental consent, Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Michelle Reid told families Friday.

Reid said King & Spalding completed the investigation months after releasing initial findings. Investigators concluded that statements behind the accusations had been misinterpreted, mistranslated, removed from context or, in some cases, knowingly fabricated.

A teacher had accused the social worker of encouraging students to obtain abortions and helping arrange and pay for the procedures. The allegations date to 2021.

The school district said in October that its preliminary investigation determined the teacher fabricated the claims, most likely in retaliation against the social worker.

The accusations nevertheless led to inquiries beyond the school system. The U.S. Department of Education opened an investigation, Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy sought information in his role as chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, and Gov. Glenn Youngkin directed Virginia State Police to investigate.

The Education Department confirmed that its investigation remains open. Reid said the external counsel’s findings were shared Friday with both the department and Virginia State Police.

Reid said the district had an obligation to take the accusations seriously and to disclose the outcome. She added that innocent Centreville High employees appeared to have been publicly accused of crimes without a sound factual basis, causing a significant impact on those involved.

School system documents also found that Centreville High Principal Chad Lehman did not conceal allegations or evidence. Lehman investigated the claims in 2022 and determined that they lacked factual support.

One unnamed student told investigators that the social worker never pressured her to have an abortion. The school nurse also told the student that parental consent would be necessary if she pursued the procedure.

In a supplemental statement, the school system said the teacher appeared to have manipulated a statement obtained from another student whom the teacher claimed had been pressured into seeking a late-term abortion.

According to that statement, the teacher acknowledged wanting to draw negative attention to the social worker, whom she regarded as her “in-school enemy.”