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A Fairfax County teacher’s $2 million lawsuit accusing school officials of defamation and retaliation has moved to federal court, escalating a dispute over her claims that an employee helped minors obtain abortions without parental consent.
Zenaida Perez alleges that Fairfax County Public Schools violated the Virginia Whistleblower Protection Law and punished her for reporting another staff member. The school system says its internal investigation found no credible evidence supporting her allegations.
The case, filed in the Alexandria division of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, also rests on a First Amendment free-speech claim. Perez is seeking a jury trial.
A separate Virginia State Police investigation, ordered by former Gov. Glenn Youngkin in late summer 2025, remained active as of January 2026. FCPS has also provided materials to members of Congress for a federal inquiry.
Allegations date back to 2021
Perez publicly accused another school employee in 2025 of helping students obtain abortions. The issue soon became a Republican talking point ahead of Virginia’s gubernatorial and House of Delegates elections that fall.
Her lawsuit says she first attempted to alert Centreville High School administrators about the matter in 2021 and 2022.
Under Virginia law, a minor generally needs the consent of a parent or guardian to obtain an abortion unless a court authorizes the procedure. Records involving such court petitions are exempt from the Freedom of Information Act, leaving the circumstances surrounding the alleged abortions unclear.
The claims gained broader attention in August 2025 when a conservative blog published them alongside a note purportedly from a student who had received help obtaining an abortion. In a Spanish-to-English translation included in the court filing, the student reportedly said she sought the procedure because she feared her family’s reaction to the pregnancy.
An FCPS review found similarities between the note’s handwriting and Perez’s handwriting. Perez later acknowledged that she wrote the note but said she recorded what the student dictated while the student was working at a Chantilly restaurant. Perez said the student could not write adequately in English or Spanish and had only a 15-minute break.
FCPS disputes the account
Superintendent Michelle Reid said Perez’s allegations relied heavily on statements that had been misunderstood, incorrectly translated, removed from context or, in some instances, knowingly invented.
Materials FCPS sent to the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions said the school system’s investigation uncovered no credible evidence substantiating Perez’s account. FCPS said it remains willing to review pertinent new information but sees no current need for another investigation.
The school system also accused Perez of withholding evidence when the Centreville High principal examined her reports in 2022. FCPS argued that she waited nearly three years to release material she had privately collected and then helped present it through a sensationalized social-media report containing numerous unsupported claims.
Perez alleges lasting retaliation
Perez’s amended complaint says Centreville High officials retaliated against her with disciplinary memoranda, reprimands and a suspension. According to the filing, a medical provider prescribed medication for depression and anxiety.
The suit argues that the school system’s actions have caused lasting emotional harm and could damage Perez’s prospects for future teaching jobs.
Attorneys with Americans United for Life, an anti-abortion organization, are representing Perez. The group initially filed her lawsuit in Fairfax County Circuit Court in October 2025 and expects Fairfax County’s attorneys to renew their request that the case be dismissed.