‘I will find employment elsewhere. I encourage all parents and staff in this county to flood the private schools.’

Loudoun County, asked about her resignation, said: ‘LCPS does not comment on personnel matters.’

Loudon County, which borders Washington DC, has become the epicenter for arguments about the teaching of Critical Race Theory (CRT) in schools.

School board meetings have become contentious with parents yelling and being arrested, furious at the idea of teaching what they see as divisive and unpatriotic approaches. Defenders of CRT say that it is simply a reframing of traditional narratives, to deal with some uncomfortable truths about America’s racial history.

The school board is no stranger to controversy.

On May 25, physical education teacher Byron ‘Tanner’ Cross was suspended after refusing to ‘affirm that a biological boy can be a girl and vice versa.’

He had taught at Leesburg Elementary School for eight years, but said that his Christian faith would not allow him to use a student’s preferred pronouns – although he said he was happy to use whichever name they chose.

On June 8 a court ordered that Cross be reinstated, but LCPS said they will appeal.

On Tuesday night the school board discussed whether to grant transgender children access to sex-specific facilities and school activities that match their gender identities.

A vote was postponed until Wednesday, after public comment stretched on for more than four hours.