Keep our kids safe!

Dear Editor: 

We just made the connection that Purcellville Town Council candidate Carl B. “Ben” Nett is Officer Carl Benjamin Nett, who played an important role in last year’s investigation and arrest of an illegal alien MS-13-affiliated middle school student who was taken into custody near his bus stop with a stolen, loaded handgun in his waistband. 

We’re sending this letter as a thank you to Officer Nett for all he has done to make our community a safer place. We also want to alert our fellow parents to the fact that this same student is back in a Loudoun County Public School this year. This is horrifying for us as parents and puts the entire school in harm’s way. 

The fact that LCPS is opening their doors to a known safety threat and endangering staff and students is appalling. We contacted the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office, who said that the decision to allow the student back into LCPS was made by LCPS. We have contacted LCPS to voice our concerns. We were told by school staff that the decision was made by the Office of School Administration, but have not heard back from them yet despite calling and emailing. 

We have voiced our concerns to our School Board reps and the Superintendent as well. There are alternative schools, online learning, and other solutions for students like this. Most especially, in light of the recent shooting in GA, and sadly the many before that, LCPS needs to start practicing what they preach by truly putting safety first. 

Students should not be forced to live in fear with criminals walking the halls alongside them. Thank you to Officer Nett and thank you—all of you, our fellow concerned parents and citizens—for anything you can do to shed light on this situation and help keep our kids safe! In consideration of this clear and present danger to our children, we ask that our names be withheld from public dissemination.

 Concerned Parents

Hamilton, Round Hill, Purcellville