Matt Walsh takes extraordinary measure to speak at school board meeting after rules changed at last minute

The Loudoun County School Board reportedly changed the rules for an upcoming school board meeting at the last minute to prevent conservative commentator Matt Walsh from speaking at the meeting.

What is the background?

Walsh went viral last month after he confronted the Metro Nashville Public School Board over the district's face mask mandate for elementary school students.

"You the school board have decided that our kids should go to school all day, every day wearing muzzles like rabid dogs. I have listened to your arguments and I've noticed that they're missing a few things, namely, evidence, data, science, common sense, and basic human decency. You presented no facts at all, so let me do that now," Walsh said.

After a short speech in which Walsh explained the data on children and COVID-19, chided the school board for "depriv[ing] [students] of the ability to see each other's faces," and questioning what a face mask does "to a child's developing immune system," Walsh concluded, "It's a disgrace and you should all be ashamed. Thank you for your time."

What happened now?

Just like in Nashville, Walsh is planning to voice his opinion at an upcoming Loudoun County School Board meeting in northern Virginia.

However, according to the Daily Wire, the school board changed its rules at the last minute to block out-of-town speakers, like Walsh, from speaking at the Sept. 28 meeting. Now, only local residents are permitted to speak at the public meeting.

The Loudoun County School Board revealed this week changes to speaker eligibility for the upcoming board meeting. Eligible speakers now must meet strict residency requirements, and will be forced to show proof they meet the new rules before speaking.

"The School Board is making these changes in order to ensure that the voices of our parents and the LCPS community are heard rather than out-of-town agitators who would make Board meetings a platform for national politics or to enhance their own media profiles," School board chair Brenda L. Sheridan said.

So what did Walsh do? He announced Friday that he signed a lease in Loudoun County to comply with the new residency requirements, therefore making him eligible to speak at the board meeting.

"Loudoun County changed the rules so that only residents can speak at the school board. In unrelated news, I'm proud to announce that I am now a resident of Loudoun County. Just rented a home in the area. I'll have the lease agreement. See you at the meeting!" Walsh announced Friday.

On Facebook, Walsh explained why he wants his voice to be heard at the Loudoun County School Board meeting.

"The Loudoun County school board in VA has imposed a radical trans policy allowing males access to girl's restrooms and teams. Teachers are required to use preferred pronouns," Walsh wrote. "To protest this madness, I'll be leading a rally outside the school board meeting on September 28."