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A Fairfax County Public Schools teacher who accused another employee of helping minors obtain abortions without parental consent has taken her dispute with the school system to federal court, seeking $2 million and a jury trial.
Zenaida Perez alleges that FCPS officials defamed her and retaliated against her in violation of Virginia’s whistleblower protection law. Her case, filed in the Alexandria division of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, also centers on a First Amendment free-speech claim.
FCPS investigated Perez’s allegations and said it found “no credible evidence” to support them. Superintendent Michelle Reid said the claims relied largely on statements that had been misinterpreted, mistranslated, removed from context or, in some instances, knowingly fabricated.
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 Congress for a federal inquiry.
Allegations surfaced years after initial reports
Perez first raised concerns with Centreville High School administrators in 2021 and 2022, according to her lawsuit. The accusations became public in August 2025, when the conservative blog WC Dispatch published them along with a note purportedly recounting a student’s abortion.
The issue gained political attention ahead of Virginia’s gubernatorial and House of Delegates elections that fall, becoming a Republican campaign talking point.
Virginia generally requires minors seeking abortions to obtain consent from a parent or guardian or receive authorization from a court. Records involving those judicial petitions are exempt from the Virginia Freedom of Information Act, leaving the circumstances described in Perez’s allegations unclear.
The student note included in the court filing said the student sought an abortion because she feared her family’s reaction to the pregnancy. Although it was presented as the student’s account translated from Spanish, FCPS said its review found similarities between the note’s handwriting and Perez’s.
Perez later acknowledged writing it. During an Americans United for Life webinar in late 2025, she said the student could not write well in either English or Spanish and had only a short break from her restaurant job in Chantilly. Perez said she wrote the statement while the student dictated it.
Americans United for Life, an anti-abortion organization, is representing Perez. Spokesman Gavin Oxley said the group filed an amended complaint and expected Fairfax County’s attorneys to renew their request to dismiss the case.
Lawsuit alleges retaliation and lasting harm
Perez claims Centreville High officials responded to her reports with disciplinary memoranda, reprimands and a suspension. The lawsuit says she was prescribed medication for depression and anxiety.
Her attorneys argue that the school system’s actions caused lasting emotional damage and could harm her prospects for future teaching positions by leaving a permanent mark on her employment record.
FCPS has continued to reject those claims. In materials sent to the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, the school system said its review uncovered no credible evidence supporting Perez’s account.
The district said it remains willing to examine relevant new information but sees no current need for another investigation. It also accused Perez of withholding evidence when the Centreville High principal initially examined her reports in 2022.
According to the school system, Perez waited nearly three years to disclose evidence she said pointed to serious criminal conduct, then released it through a sensational social-media story containing numerous unsupported allegations.
Perez is requesting $2 million in damages and a jury trial. Oxley said Americans United for Life and Perez intend to pursue the litigation as far as necessary.