Virginia high school staff accused of secretly helping students get abortions—including pressuring girl who was 5 months along

The claims involve Centerville High School in Fairfax County, where employees allegedly helped at least one 17-year-old obtain an abortion in 2021. The story was first reported by the WC Dispatch, which said that there were two instances of female minor students saying "school officials arranged and bankrolled abortions at Fairfax Healthcare Center without so much as a phone call to their parents." Under Virginia law, physicians must attest that at least one parent or guardian was contacted before performing the abortion on a minor.

The 17-year-old student was allegedly assisted by a school social worker, who scheduled and paid for the appointment, and kept the information from the student's parents. A second female student who was five months pregnant was allegedly told by the same social worker that the student "had no other choice," but the student fled from the clinic and did not go through with the procedure. Per the outlet, school principal Chad Lehman allegedly green-lit the procedures, which were paid for with school funds.

“We learned yesterday of these concerning allegations from 2021,” Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) said in a statement Wednesday to local outlet WJLA. “We are launching an immediate and comprehensive investigation as we take all concerns of student wellbeing very seriously.”

The district told WJLA that it was unaware of any other incidents where school staff arranged abortions for students. “Not to [our] knowledge. We have launched an immediate investigation into these concerns as soon as we were made aware,” the statement said.

District policy encourages staff to support students who suspect they are pregnant by urging them to speak with a parent or guardian. But the policy does not mandate that employees inform families about those conversations.

Pro-life advocates condemned the alleged actions, calling for accountability. “A Fairfax high school secretly arranged and paid for student abortions—without telling parents,” wrote 40 Days for Life on X. “This isn’t ‘healthcare.’ It’s state-funded child exploitation. Every official involved must be held accountable.”