Kyle McDaniel, a Democrat-endorsed school board member in Fairfax County, Va., the ninth largest district in the nation, allegedly embezzled $175,000 from his former employer. Blue Label Aviation filed a lawsuit alleging that McDaniel used company funds for his school board campaign, family vacations, and at strip clubs.
While claiming that he will fight the $525,000 lawsuit in court, McDaniel, chairman of the school board’s budget committee, has not directly denied the allegations. In his official statement, he says, "This is an ongoing business dispute between my former business partner and myself. I’m going to let this play out in the courts where I intend to prevail, and not in the press.”
McDaniel further implies that he has no intention of resigning from the school board. His statement continues, “My focus has been and will remain on fully funding and supporting a public education system that’s responsive to the needs of our kids and community. I will not let this situation distract me from that."
McDaniel’s “focus” is an interesting topic. In October 2023, during a school board candidate debate, he denied that the district’s leaders keep any secrets from parents. He said, “You are probably going to hear FCPS is hiding things from parents. That is completely false. That’s a political talking point.”
Only a few months before McDaniel made that claim, a Fairfax County middle school tried to hide its lesson on “white guilt” from parents. Teachers in Fairfax County’s public schools are also required to undergo training that forces them to hide children’s gender transitions at school from their parents.
McDaniel became a strong ally to the LGBT community, and many people believe it was for political gain. In fact, during his run for school board in 2023, McDaniel surprised the community, and perhaps his wife, with an announcement that he is bisexual. He notably received campaign contributions from the LGBTQ Victory Fund, and $15,369 from Karl Frisch, the board member and current chairman who swore his oath of office on books such as Gender Queer. Meanwhile, McDaniel swore his oath of office not on a religious text, but on Homegoing, a book about slavery.
Fairfax County’s taxpayers are even more concerned now about McDaniel’s integrity as an elected school board member as allegations of embezzlement have emerged. Ironically, he campaigned on being honest. On a September 2023 community questionnaire about why people should trust him, he answered, “In my career field, aviation, there is zero tolerance for dishonesty because it can get people hurt. I bring this same approach to public service: I do not tolerate dishonesty.”
Many have argued that a public official who allegedly embezzled large sums of money from his employer is not suitable to serve on the school board and that he should resign. Many more suggest that he should not continue to chair the school board’s budget committee.
Mark Spooner, a Fairfax resident and author of the Fairfax Schools Monitor blog writes, “If McDaniel misused the funds of a small corporation as alleged, he is surely unfit to supervise the massive $4,000,000,000 spending of a public entity. He should voluntarily resign from the School Board or should be forced to do so.”
While Fairfax residents have said a great deal about this matter, local leaders are remarkably silent. On Monday, I sent an email requesting comment to the Democrat-endorsed leaders of Fairfax County School Board, Chairman Karl Frisch and Vice Chairwoman Sandy Anderson. In it, I wrote, “Do you think Kyle McDaniel should resign from the school board? Do you think it is appropriate for Kyle McDaniel to serve as the Chair of Fairfax County Public Schools’ Budget Committee, which oversees its proposed $4 billion budget?”
As of publication, neither has commented.
The official statement from Fairfax County Public Schools also doesn’t address Fairfax residents’ credible concerns about McDaniel’s integrity. It says, "We have been made aware of a civil lawsuit filed against School Board Member Kyle McDaniel. We understand that this is an ongoing business and legal dispute. We respect the legal process and will refrain from commenting further at this time."
Paulette Altmaier, a resident of Fairfax County, sent an email to the chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, Jeff McKay (D), stating her concerns about McDaniel after the details of the lawsuit against him were published. McKay responded, “While the allegations are serious and troubling, they are only allegations at this point. Everyone deserves a fair chance in court and I will withhold judgement until the legal process plays out. It is important to note that these allegations only involve Mr. McDaniel's work in the private sector.”
McKay’s response notably doesn’t acknowledge that in the months or perhaps years the court will require to adjudicate this lawsuit, McDaniel remains on the school board serving as its budget chair. Additionally, 51.5% of the county’s funds notably are allocated to the district’s public schools. Therefore, the chairman of the county’s governing body should not be so blase about these alleged improprieties.
Altmaier agrees. On April 7, she responded to McKay, “Are you claiming that criminal dishonesty in the private sector is unimportant if the person is now in the public sector? … This is a completely irresponsible position. You have a responsibility to scrutinize and make public every single expense report McDaniel submits, past and present.”
The silence of Fairfax County’s leaders and their willingness to allow McDaniel to continue to serve as the chair of the school board’s budget committee reflects their continuing disregard for the public, as well as their weak leadership and general incompetence. It is also another case study of the Democratic Party’s tribal inclination to uphold party politics above principles.
Stephanie Lundquist-Arora is a contributor for The Federalist and the Washington Examiner; a mother in Fairfax County, Va.; an author; and the Fairfax chapter leader of the Independent Women’s Network. Her articles have also appeared in Fox News Digital, National Review, Daily Signal, and The Washington Times.