Virginia’s substitute-teacher bar is too low for parents

Virginia must raise the bar for who stands in front of its children's classrooms, and a Loudoun County jury just showed why. On Oct. 9, jurors returned their verdicts against Hadyn James Dollery, 19, of Chantilly, a former substitute at Eagle Ridge Middle School¹. Patch reports that Eagle Ridge was where Dollery worked and that John Champe High School was the target of the threats². Prosecutor Dircia Schubert told jurors that at 1:49 a.m. on April 15, the day after a breakup, Dollery messaged the ex-boyfriend on Discord, Loudoun Now reports. The messages laid out a plan to kill the ex and members of both families and to go on a "murder spree at your school." A later message about returning a shirt added a condition: "if I’m deemed fit to work after this s—t I’m about to do." Schubert also told jurors that a box cutter was found in Dollery's backpack³.

The jury found Dollery guilty of two counts of threatening to injure or kill a person, one count of making threats on school grounds and one count of threatening to damage a building, and not guilty on a third threat charge. Defense attorney Mary Swanson called the case “teenage drama... blown out of proportion,” according to Just the News citing Loudoun Now. The Loudoun Times-Mirror reports that LCPS removed Dollery from its substitute pool after the arrest. After the verdict, an LCPS spokesperson told the Times-Mirror: “We continually evaluate our procedures and practices to identify opportunities to strengthen our safeguards and maintain safe learning and working environments across the division.The four convictions carry up to 25 years in prison, with no minimum.

Virginia requires only adulthood and a diploma

Virginia law requires a non-licensed substitute teacher to be at least 18 and to hold a high school diploma or an equivalent credential approved by the state education department, the Loudoun Times-Mirror reports⁴. Just the News reports that this is the law under which Dollery was able to teach⁵.

A diploma tells a parent that someone finished high school. It tells a parent nothing about whether that adult belongs in charge of a room full of middle schoolers. Parents have the right to direct the care of their children, and they cannot direct it when the state hands their children to anyone over 18 with a diploma. Richmond set that floor, and Loudoun families lived under it.

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Students reported threats and schools added security

What stopped this was the students. Loudoun Now reports that the ex and another victim reported the threats to law enforcement through Safe2Talk³. The sheriff’s office received a report on April 16, and Dollery was arrested April 20¹. Both schools deemed the threats credible and increased security until the arrest.

Those students did what every parent hopes a child will do. A state's safeguard for children should not start with a teenager's phone after a substitute the state cleared has already threatened their school.

The jury rejected the teenage-drama defense

Defense attorney Mary Swanson told jurors the case was a "teenage love triangle" and that prosecutors were taking the messages out of context, Loudoun Now reports. She said Dollery "had no history of violence" and called the charges "teenage drama... blown out of proportion" A jury of seven men and five women heard that argument and convicted on four counts³.

Parents deserve a higher bar and clear notice

Loudoun County Public Schools began video interviews with substitute applicants in August. Division spokeswoman Natalie Allen said the step was not a response to Dollery's arrest and was part of ongoing efforts to strengthen selection. One district's interview patches over the state rule but leaves it standing.

The General Assembly should raise the minimum qualifications for anyone Virginia lets supervise children as a substitute. Every district should tell parents who is covering their child's class and what qualifies that person to be there. Dollery's sentencing is set for Jan. 28, 2027, WJLA reports¹. Before then, Richmond and every school board in the state owe parents two answers.

Should a high school diploma alone qualify an adult to take charge of Virginia children, yes or no? Should parents be told, every time, who is teaching their child's class and what qualifies that person to be there, yes or no?

Sources

1. Former Virginia substitute teacher found guilty of 4 charges in high school threat case
2. Loudoun County Substitute Teacher Found Guilty Of Making Threats Against School: Report | Ashburn, VA Patch
3. Former Teacher Found Guilty On Most Counts in Threats Case | News | loudounnow.com
4. Ex-LCPS substitute teacher convicted in death threats case | Education | loudountimes.com
5. Transgender teacher convicted of threatening 'murder spree' at school, media bury gender identity | Just The News