The $23.55 "Clerical" Wall: LCPS Vehemently Denies Fee Waivers for Executive Collusion Records #LCPS #LCSO #LoudounCountyVA #LoudounCountyGovernment #LoudounCountyCourt

The $23.55 "Clerical" Wall: LCPS Vehemently Denies Fee Waivers for Executive Collusion Records

Published: February 3, 2026

In a swift response to my notice of "Payment Under Protest," LCPS FOIA Officer Dan Adams has officially drawn a line in the sand.

His latest response is a masterclass in administrative gatekeeping. Not only did he vehemently deny my request for a fee waiver as an investigative publisher, but he also provided a revealing look at how LCPS values the labor used to hide public records.

The Forensic Breakdown of the Denial:

1. The "No Exceptions" Policy Adams stated: "There will be no waivers granted. The charges are in line with LCPS practices." This is a blanket refusal to engage with Va. Code § 2.2-3704, which allows for fee waivers in the public interest. By citing "practice" over "statute," LCPS is admitting that their internal bureaucracy takes precedence over the public's right to know about the intersection of private legal entities and public school administration.

2. The $23.55 "Clerical" Trap LCPS has set the cost of this "Blackout" at $23.55 per hour.

  • They claim it will take 16 hours of clerical work to review 944 records.

  • This is a tactical admission. If this is "clerical" work, it means the search is straightforward.

  • The Logic: If the District later attempts to redact these 944 records heavily under "Attorney-Client Privilege" or "Executive Review," they will have to explain why they used $23/hour clerical staff to make complex legal determinations. You cannot have it both ways: it is either routine clerical filing or sensitive legal review.

3. The Confirmation of Case #23 I have already forwarded this latest development to the Virginia FOIA Advisory Council. As of today, staff at the Council have confirmed receipt of this information as supplemental evidence for Case #23.

The state now has a front-row seat to the District's strategy:

  • Step 1: Stop the request by questioning residency.

  • Step 2: Once residency is proven, bury the request in a $376.80 fee.

  • Step 3: Deny all waivers, regardless of media standing or public interest.

The Path Forward The money is on the table. By paying "Under Protest," I am removing their final excuse. LCPS now has 16 clerical hours to produce nearly 1,000 records of coordination between Superintendent Spence’s team and private attorneys Lindsay Mohler and Gareth Bowen.


RE: PUBLIC RECORDS REQUEST of January 25, 2026., Reference # R002480-012526.

Dear Steven Rubis,

Loudoun County Public Schools received a public information request from you on January 25, 2026. Your request mentioned:

"TO: Dan Adams (Acting Public Information Officer / VFOIA Officer)

DATE: January 25, 2026

RE: VFOIA Request – Private Legal Coordination and Executive Correspondence

Request Text: Pursuant to the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (Va. Code § 2.2-3700 et seq.), I request copies of any and all correspondence (including but not limited to emails, text messages, and internal memos) between the following parties for the period of January 1, 2023, to the present:

External Parties:

Lindsay Mohler (lmohler@tllawpc.com)

Gareth Bowen (gbowen@tllawpc.com)

General domain: @tllawpc.com

Internal LCPS Parties:

Executive/Legal: Dr. Aaron Spence, Shontel Simon, Rae Mitchell, Paige Carter, Gus Martinez.

Administrative/School: Dr. Kate Ridgeway, Nick Cottone, John Brewer, Andrew Davis.

Investigative/Oversight: Devina Martin, Ashley Stocks, Lisa Boland, Tedra Richardson, the LCPS School Board (lcsb@lcps.org), and the LCPS Ombudsman.

Keywords/Search Terms: This search should include, but not be limited to, the names "Steven Rubis," "Timothy Iversen," and references to "Seneca Ridge Middle School," "Lowes Island Elementary," or "incident report/workforce complaint."

Request for Fee Waiver: As an investigative publisher (nickcottone.blogspot.com), these records are requested in the public interest to document the intersection of private legal entities and public school administration. I request a waiver of all fees; should fees exceed $25.00, please provide an itemized estimate before proceeding."

The hourly rate is the lowest rate of clerical work, $23.55 per hour.  There will be no waivers granted.  The charges are in line with LCPS practices.

If you have any questions or need additional information, please feel free to contact my office at (571)252-1040 or LCPSFOIA@lcps.org.

 

Sincerely,

Dan Adams
FOIA Officer
Loudoun County Public Schools



#NickCottone #SMRS #SenecaRidgeMiddleSchool #LCPS #LoudounCountyPublicSchools #LoudounCounty #AaronSpence #LoudounCountySchoolBoard #TitleIX #retaliation #LindsayMohler #TroxelLeigh

#LCPS #LoudounCountyPublicSchools #NickCottone #SenecaRidgeMiddleSchool #SMRS #LowesIslandElementarySchool #LIES #DominionHighSchool #DHS #AaronSpence #LoudounCounty #TroxelLeigh #LindsayMohler #GarethBowen #JohnWhitbeck #whitbeckbeglis #whitbeckbennett

#LoudounCounty #Loudoun #LoudounCountyVirginia #LoudounCountyCourt

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