Updated: LCPS board member who vowed lawsuit says she won't seek reelection

In a March 25 post, Corbo, who took office in 2020 and whose term expires on Dec. 31, said she won’t seek re-election. She didn’t say if she still plans to sue the board over remote participation. Corbo, who has filed for re-election, said she spoke to a potential candidate who she didn’t identify last week who expressed interest in the seat.

“It became clear to me that our visions align and that this individual would continue the work I have begun during my time on the board,” said Corbo who didn’t return emailed questions on March 23 or March 27. “It is my belief that the people of Loudoun County will be well represented by this individual and I look forward to fully supporting them in their quest for the At-Large School Board seat once they announce their candidacy.”

Corbo said she plans to contact Avram “Avi” Fechter, Loudoun County Democratic Committee chairman, to tell him she plans to withdraw her candidacy and that she supports the new candidate. Fechter said in a text on March 27 that the candidate plans to formally make her announcement in a few days and he didn’t want to identify her until then.

Corbo has cited a medical disability for participating remotely, but has not said what it is. While not attending meetings in person, Corbo has made public appearances in the last 2.5 years. She appeared in North Dakota in late September or early October 2021 for an event for StoryBook Treasures. Corbo, a longtime LCPS teacher who was named the district’s teacher of the year in 2018, is the executive director and founder of the nonprofit, literacy promotion group whose programs are used by about 14,000 students nationally, according to the group’s website.

Shortly after the North Dakota event, Corbo met in person with then-Virginia First Lady Pamela Northam who was touring two Loudoun schools. On Jan. 27, Corbo appeared at the 20th annual gala for JustWorld International in Florida. The group’s website says it’s a not-for-profit organization aiding impoverished children internationally and it partners with Storybook Treasures. Photos of Corbo posted by the not-for-profit group in a gallery from the event show Corbo on stage accepting an award and high-fiving other winners.

Frustrated that Corbo has appeared in-person around the nation but not at board meetings, board members have been refusing to grant Corbo’s requests for a medical exemption to participate remotely for several months. They have voted to allow her to take personal exemptions which board members get two of annually.

At a May board meeting, Chairman Ian Serotkin, Blue Ridge, blasted Corbo, saying she originally told him it was too dangerous for her to appear at board meetings after board members began receiving death threats related to the 2021 student-on-student sexual assault scandal. He said she then told him it would be like playing “Russian roulette” for her to attend meetings in-person and that she never leaves her Loudoun home except to visit her other home in Key West, Florida.

“Ms. Corbo has misled me, misled the board and misled the public,” Serotkin said, adding that the board’s lawyer advised him he can’t discuss Corbo’s alleged medical reasons for remote participation. “Attending meetings in-person to fulfill legal requirements for a quorum [the minimum number of members present for a meeting to occur] is an essential job responsibility of being a school board member.”

Corbo said her requests for remote participation are reasonable and she has “worked tirelessly” with board members to resolve the matter.

“Unlimited remote meeting participation for ongoing health reasons is 100% permitted under Virginia law and school board policy,” she wrote. “Elected officials can perform the essential job functions remotely and have done so on multiple occasions for a variety of reasons over the past three years and prior to my term on the board.”