Legal group accuses Virginia public school district of felony after hosting Dem political rally for free

A nonpartisan, public-interest litigation steadfast is calling for a transgression probe into Portsmouth Public Schools (PPS) aft the schoolhouse part allegedly utilized payer dollars to big a governmental rally for Democratic campaigner for Virginia politician Abigail Spanberger successful August.

The Liberty Justice Center is calling for an authoritative probe aft Spanberger, who was elected politician of Virginia past week, held the rally astatine I.C. Norcom High School escaped of charge, with arguable lawyer wide candidate, present AG-elect, Jay Jones successful attendance.

"This is conscionable a gross misuse of nationalist wealth and resources," Brendan Philbin, elder counsel astatine the Liberty Justice Center, told Fox News Digital. "The clip of teachers and the attraction unit and everyone should be, astatine this point, getting acceptable to commencement the caller schoolhouse year. But instead, they're utilizing each this clip and resources to big this gratuitous governmental event."

A ineligible advocacy radical is demanding a transgression probe into Portsmouth Public Schools for allegedly utilizing payer funds to big a governmental rally for Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

"If an authoritative causes nationalist assets, resources oregon labour to beryllium utilized for a origin different than what they are intended for, and the worth of that is implicit $1,000, past it's a felony successful Virginia," Philbin added.

PROTESTER TROLLS SPANBERGER WITH TRANSGENDER PEDOPHILE'S MUGSHOT AS HE'S DUE IN NEARBY COURT

The radical alleges that PPS is successful usurpation of Virginia instrumentality 18.2-112.1(B), which specifies the "misuse of nationalist assets."

The instrumentality reads: "‘public assets’ means idiosyncratic spot belonging to oregon paid for by the Commonwealth, oregon immoderate city, town, county, oregon immoderate different governmental subdivision, oregon the labour of immoderate idiosyncratic different than the accused that is paid for by the Commonwealth, oregon immoderate city, town, county, oregon immoderate different governmental subdivision."

"Any full-time officer, agent, oregon worker of the Commonwealth, oregon of immoderate city, town, county, oregon immoderate different governmental subdivision who, without lawful authorization, uses oregon permits the usage of nationalist assets for backstage oregon idiosyncratic purposes unrelated to the duties and bureau of the accused oregon immoderate different morganatic authorities involvement erstwhile the worth of specified usage exceeds $1,000 successful immoderate 12-month period, is blameworthy of a Class 4 felony," according to Virginia law.

Spanberger yet won the predetermination for governor, with an endorsement from erstwhile President Barack Obama. (Win McNamee/Getty)

TRUMP TARGETS VIRGINIA SCHOOLS OVER ALLEGATIONS OF STAFF-ARRANGED STUDENT ABORTIONS WITHOUT PARENTAL CONSENT

The Liberty Justice Center alleges that the worth of services rendered to the run was implicit $1,000 owed to the outgo to rent respective rooms successful the school, teachers that were connected the timepiece successful attendance, and the labour and clip of the enactment unit and groundskeeping to heighten nationalist grounds.

At 1 constituent successful the email speech betwixt the run and the nationalist school, the main of I.C. Norcom, Teesha Sanders, offered up classrooms to the run should the soundproofing of the archetypal abstraction beryllium an contented oregon if much abstraction was needed for the governmental event.

The lawsuit was held connected the archetypal time of the teacher-work period, a clip typically reserved for teachers to hole for the upcoming schoolhouse year. Teachers were required to beryllium astatine enactment that time successful their authoritative capableness arsenic summertime abrogation had officially ended.

The Liberty Justice Center claims the lawsuit violated Virginia laws connected the misuse of nationalist assets and run concern disclosure requirements. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

FORMER ROANOKE WOMEN'S SWIMMER RIPS SPANBERGER FOR REFUSING TO COMMIT TO PROTECTING WOMEN'S SPORTS

The Liberty Justice Center besides alleges that Spanberger ethically violated 24.2-947.4(B)(2) of Virginia instrumentality by failing to study the "in-kind" publication by the schoolhouse board.

"For each contributor who has contributed an aggregate of much than $100, including currency and in-kind contributions, arsenic of the ending day of the report, the run committee shall itemize each contributor connected the study and database the pursuing information," the instrumentality reads.

The misuse of nationalist funds was primitively uncovered done a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) petition from Restoration News, wherever the schoolhouse part contested to the outlet that the rally was a closed lawsuit and fees were waived due to the fact that the gathering was already open.

However, per emails obtained done the FOIA, a run authoritative for Spanberger created an invitation nexus that was publically disposable connected the gubernatorial official’s website which was sent to Dr. Jerry L. Simmons, the main operations serviceman for PPS, by a run authoritative who told him to "share this RSVP invitation nexus with immoderate teachers who are interested."

The ineligible radical called connected sitting Attorney General Jason Miyares to behaviour a transgression investigation.  (Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

A spokesperson for Portsmouth Public Schools explained to Fox News Digital that the schoolhouse was unaware the lawsuit was a run event, alternatively believing it was an acquisition event. Once the main saw it was a run event, she told unit not to attend. The schoolhouse district's medication is present reviewing its process and procedures to guarantee it is successful amended alignment with Board policies and authorities code.

The schoolhouse territory besides explained that the lawsuit was not unfastened to the nationalist and did not complaint guests. The schoolhouse buildings were already unfastened and determination were nary installation oregon custodial fees, a PPS spokesperson said. Security was provided by the Spanberger campaign. 

The Liberty Justice Center wrote to Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares and Portsmouth Commonwealth’s lawyer Stephanie Morales, but has yet to perceive backmost from the parties connected whether an probe is taking spot oregon whether the state’s apical ineligible enforcers are looking into their calls for a transgression investigation.

Fox News Digital reached retired to Miyares, Portsmouth Public Schools, I.C. Norcom High School, Simmons and the Portsmouth Commonwealth lawyer but did not person responses successful clip for publication.

Preston Mizell is simply a writer with Fox News. Story tips tin beryllium sent to [email protected] and connected X @MizellPreston.