A special education teacher at Horizon Elementary School in Sterling has been charged with assault and battery after an alleged incident involving a student, according to the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office. Valerie Bowen, 49, was issued a criminal summons rather than taken into physical custody, meaning she will appear in court to face the misdemeanor charge rather than having been booked into jail.
According to an official statement from the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office, the investigation began Thursday after the School Resource Officer assigned to Horizon Elementary was notified of an alleged incident involving Bowen and a student. Deputies have not released details about what allegedly happened, and the circumstances of the incident remain undisclosed as the investigation continues. As DC News Now reports, Bowen lives in Ashburn and is set to appear in court on the charge.
Who Is Valerie Bowen
Official staff records from Loudoun County Public Schools show Bowen works as a Special Education teacher within the Combined Programs department at Horizon Elementary, a role that involves working directly with students who need specialized academic and behavioral support. The Broadmore Drive campus is led by Principal Neil Kraus and falls under the oversight of Loudoun County Public Schools, per the district's staff pages. DC News Now reports that the district did not respond to the outlet's request for comment on the case.
Under Virginia Code § 18.2-57, simple assault and battery is a Class 1 misdemeanor punishable by up to 12 months in jail and a fine of as much as $2,500 upon conviction. Issuing a summons instead of making a physical arrest is a common procedure under Virginia law that allows a defendant to appear in court without undergoing a custodial booking.
Part of a Pattern of Staff Cases in the District
Bowen's charge comes amid a string of recent legal cases involving Loudoun County school employees. Just a day before her summons was announced, FOX 5 DC reported that a 19-year-old non-licensed substitute teacher in the county was arrested for allegedly posting online threats of violence against John Champe High School. The district has also seen prior classroom assault allegations: WUSA9 reported in February 2023 that a 63-year-old Loudoun County Public Schools teacher was charged with misdemeanor assault and battery following a classroom altercation with a student, and the outlet reported in February 2022 that deputies arrested a teacher's assistant after allegations that the staff member struck a child in a classroom.
The Sheriff's Office was alerted to Bowen's case through a School Resource Officer stationed on campus, a presence that has expanded in recent years. Hoodline previously reported that the Sheriff's Office moved to place more SROs on elementary campuses, citing national data showing elementary school shooting incidents rose from 7 in the 2015–16 school year to 82 in 2021–22.
What Comes Next
Criminal charges and school discipline move on separate tracks. According to Loudoun County Public Schools Human Resources policy documentation, potential administrative sanctions for employee misconduct can include paid or unpaid suspension, formal letters of reprimand, or termination, independent of how the criminal case unfolds in court. Anyone with information related to the investigation is asked to call the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office at 703-777-1021. Bowen has not been convicted of any crime, and the allegation remains under investigation.
