Loudoun GOP hands out controversial flyer to families at back to school event

LOUDOUN COUNTY, Va. — Loudoun County Public School parents got a surprise at a pre-first-day-of-school event when they flipped over a school flyer to find a political message from the county GOP. 

Flyers handed out outside a local elementary school had the calendar of school holidays on one side, but when parents turned them over, they found a very specific message: vote for Donald Trump, Mike Clancy and Hung Cao in the upcoming November general election.

Next to the “vote for” section of the flyer was a back-to-school checklist telling them to learn about school policies on gendered sports teams and bathrooms, political candidates’ opinions on school choice and to check the content of books in school libraries, among other things. In small font in the bottom right corner, the flyer is attributed to Loudoungop.com.

One person posted the flyer on Reddit with the comment, “From ‘wow this is convenient’ to ‘wow... this is..?’ during orientation today. To advertise outside of a public school, your party should AT LEAST be in support of public education.”

LCPS sent out a press release saying that the school system did not know anything about the flyer and that it did not create or endorse the flyers.

“Loudoun County Public Schools wishes to reaffirm that we do not endorse any particular political party, message, or candidate. While we respect the political process and the right of individuals to express their beliefs, our primary concern is maintaining a safe and welcoming environment for all students and families,” the school system wrote in an email to families in response to multiple complaints.

Though people can pass out flyers outside school grounds, LCPS policy states that any person distributing materials must be 40 feet away from the school entrance and stay in one location. 

LCPS said it has reached out to both major political parties to reiterate these guidelines.

Loudoun County GOP has been in controversy recently when the organization was served a cease and desist to stop selling mugs and T-shirts with photos of former president Donald Trump after the assassination attempt on July 13.