Father arrested at Loudoun County school board meeting later cited in NSBA letter
Scott Smith was arrested for disorderly conduct at a June 22, 2021 Loudoun County, Virginia school board meeting after speaking about his daughter's assault. His arrest was among incidents cited in the National School Boards Association's September 2021 letter asking the federal government to treat threats against school officials as 'domestic terrorism.'
On June 22, 2021, Scott Smith was arrested by Loudoun County Sheriff's deputies during a heated public-comment period at a school board meeting in Ashburn, Virginia, where he had come to speak about an assault on his daughter at a county high school. His arrest photo circulated widely and was among incidents that contributed to the National School Boards Association's September 29, 2021 letter to President Biden requesting federal review of threats against school officials, including possible application of the PATRIOT Act and 'domestic terrorism' statutes. Days later, Attorney General Merrick Garland issued an October 4, 2021 memorandum directing the FBI and U.S. Attorneys to coordinate with local officials on such threats. The NSBA letter was repudiated by numerous state school board associations and the NSBA later apologized. Smith was convicted of disorderly conduct in August 2021; a Virginia appeals court overturned the conviction in 2023.