Prince William Schools Superintendent: ‘…they have chosen to smear and slander me’

Prince William Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Steven L. Walts suspended his Twitter account on Thursday afternoon after news that the School Board hired an outside attorney to look into his interactions with students on the social media platform.

Walts used Twitter to communicate with students in a manner that defies the school division’s established electronic communication policies that ban employees from accessing student’s personal accounts and using cell phones and other personal forms of electronic communication to communicate with students. 

In his statement, Walts claims that he is a victim of a “partisan and personal attack.” 

“As part of their attacks, they have chosen to smear and slander me for purely political purposes,” Walts said in his Twitter statement. 

This account is temporarily suspended by the owner.

— Steve Walts (@SuperPWCS) May 8, 2020

The complaint against Walts’ was filed by Guy Morgan in a Freedom of Information Act request, said Prince William County Public Schools spokeswoman Diana Gulotta. 

Morgan lives in Gainesville and is the owner of Ovoka Farm in neighboring Fauquier County. He has no children who attend schools in Prince William County.

“Other parents have the right to know that their daughters are being messaged by Dr. Walts at night,” said Morgan. 

A Potomac Local News investigation found Walts regularly used Twitter to send messages to students during late evening and overnight hours, as well as during times when classes are session.

Morgan is an associate of former Prince William School Board Chairman At-large Ryan Sawyers, who resigned abruptly without explanation in March 2018. 

A few weeks earlier, Sawyers suspended his campaign for Virginia’s 1st Congressional seat held by Robert Wittman (R). That suspension came one week after Sawyers called for Walts to resign his position over a minor car accident Walts was in while driving a car owned by the school division.

Sawyers and Morgan were also the defendants in a joint-defamation lawsuit against Patriot High School Principal Micheal Bishop, who accused the two men of conspiring to get him fired, according to documents from the Prince William County Circuit Court. 

Sawyers took to Twitter yesterday to comment on Walts’ interactions with students. 

“This is just repeatedly awful judgment and is unacceptable from the highest-paid superintendent in Virginia,” stated Sawyers on Twitter. 

This is just repeatedly awful judgment and is unacceptable from the highest paid superintendent in Virginia.

— Ryan Sawyers (@RyanSawyers) May 7, 2020

Morgan, who claims he has never met Walts, said that the School Board received his first Freedom of Information Act on February 10, in which he requested to see Walts’ Twitter direct messages. He was then told to narrow his scope, as there were over 10,000 messages, and he subsequently received records of Walt’s communications with 10 Twitter accounts.

He later filed a formal complaint with the Prince William County School Board on March 7 in regards to Walts’ Twitter interactions with students. He says he’s filed between four and six records orders regarding Walts and his Twitter communications, with no intent to pursue legal action. 

The suspension of Walts’ Twitter account has led to protests on twitter with students circulating #freesteve. Over the years, he’s developed a likable personality on Twitter, sharing videos of him singing and playing the piano to announce school weather closures with his more than 30,000 followers.

Walts’ current salary is $330,752. He was hired as superintendent in 2005 with a starting salary of $215,000.