Wayde Byard, who served for over twenty years as a public information officer for Loudoun County Public Schools, recently released his sixth book. Unlike his other sports related works, Byard has written “The Battle for Loudoun County,” a tell-all about his experience working in America’s wealthiest suburb.
According to Byard, the reasoning for this book was to finally set the record straight.
“The story has been distorted by certain elements of the media and narrative falsified to support a particular point of view” said Byard. “

I wanted the truth to be out there, even if people refuse to accept it.”.
The majority of Loudoun County knows Wayde Byard for his celebrated monotone snow day announcements. Byard became a cultural phenomenon to students and families of Loudoun County- his face was printed on clothing, memes were created, and he even garnered his own facebook page, “Friends of Wayde Byard.”
However, Byard’s job did not only consist of recording snow day announcements. One of his main duties was helping principals who were inexperienced in emergency situations. For example, if there was a threat of a school shooter or a school fire, Byard would provide a template or help draft a message to inform the public on what was happening. It was this part of his duties which occasionally brought him into conflict with various community groups and which ultimately led to the writing of “The Battle for Loudoun County.”
The book itself is separated into three main categories, Loudoun County administration and politics, the 2021 Stone Bridge Incident, and Byard’s trial. I was surprised to find out how little I knew about the county I grew up in, and even more surprised to find out the amount of times Loudoun County has been noticed by FOX News. Byard also gives a special glimpse of what goes on behind the closed doors of LCPS’s school board, and the alarming rate of parental involvement that has increased over the years, with a common theme being how much politics have wormed their way into Loudoun County’s Public School system. Personally, I thought Byard did a great job discussing some of the more ridiculous LCPS scandals, for example when a mother suggested the school system was being stormed by Black Panthers, while having a humorous tone. Somehow, Byard managed to make school board jargon seem entertaining.
The rest of this book is centered around the Stone Bridge High School incident, and the events that followed. In May of 2021, a student at Stone Bridge High School was sexually assaulted by another student.
I was obviously aware of the event, but I think the Byard did a good job covering the actual event, and how it was portrayed by the media, and a great job on presenting the harmful effects of distorted narratives. The book sheds light on the flaws of the investigation and trial, from beginning to end. I believe Byard did a good job clearing up misconceptions that were pushed heavily by right-wing media.
When asked how these event changed Byard, he shared that they still affect his life.
“Some people still look at me like I got away with something,” said Byard. “It is a very odd twist that I was not expecting at the end of a 44-year career.”
Byard is referring to the last section of the book, which deals with his indictment and trial On December 12, 2022, Byard was charged with felony perjury, in regards to the 2021 Stone Bridge Incident. Byard was accused of keeping the assault a secret, and indicted along with another LCPS employee, School Superintendent Scott Ziegler. This ordeal lasted a little over a year, and ended with Byard being found not guilty. Once again, I realized I had known very little about what really happened and why. Byard recounts the creation of the Special Grand Jury and the obvious misconceptions that were being pushed by certain politicians.
Overall, this book was a great read. It was cool to see the politics, administration, and scandals of Loudoun County. If you want to know more about the culture war of the “woke” vs. radical right in Loudoun County, this is the book for you.