The Paxton Trust has taken full control of its Leesburg campus that has housed The Arc of Loudoun for the past 16 years.
The Arc of Loudoun CEO Lisa Max announced late Saturday night that a security service and locksmith had changed the locks that day, prior to the organization clearing all their equipment from the site.
The action comes after negotiations to renew the nonprofit’s expired lease failed.
“At 5:53 on Saturday evening – well after locks were changed shut – [Paxton attorney Jay] Chadwick sent an email to some of The Arc’s Board members informing them that the trustees were ending The Arc’s tenancy on campus effective immediately and without notice,” Max stated in an email.
Max said that security personnel told them that nothing was removed from any of the buildings.
“We remain very concerned about the trustees having unmonitored access to employee, financial, student and medical files,” she stated.
The move comes after a June announcement that mediation efforts to continue negotiations regarding a new lease agreement between The Arc and The Trust. The Arc had been running its operations at the campus free of charge. The lease agreement ended last August.
The Trust released a statement Sunday confirming it had taken full possession of the campus and said it is part of the efforts to transition the campus to a multi-service center.
“This marks the conclusions of the Arc of Loudoun’s operations on the campus, and the Arc will not be starting a new school year at this location this fall. We know this news may be difficult for some families, and we share in the sadness that often comes with the close of a long-standing chapter,” according to the statement.
The Trust highlighted its support of The Arc including previous $9 million in financial and in-kind contributions and said they had hoped The Arc would be part of their new vision for the campus.
“The Arc ultimately declined the Trust’s offers and indicated it was planning to relocate. We are grateful to the Arc for the many years of partnership and to the families who entrusted this campus with their children’s care and learning. The Paxton trust remains steadfast in its mission to serve children of all abilities, and we are moving forward with compassion and purse to bring the Mosaic Campus to life,” according to the statement.
The Trust said that The Arc has been occupying the campus for a year without a lease and has had four years since the lease’s expiration to find another location.
“Without further cooperation by the Arc, The Trust has moved forward with a peaceful recovery of the Campus as it is entitled to do under Virginia law. All Arc records are secure, and all the Arc’s property is locked and protected by security. The Trust has not and will not access any financial or health data of the Arc or its students. The Arc has been notified directly and through counsel how to make arrangements to recover all files, records and personal property and will be fully cooperative,” according to the statement.
The Arc has a staff of more than 100 and operated the Aurora School, the Open Door Learning Center supported by the Claude Moore Center for Early Intervention, the Aurora Behavioral Clinic, the Ability Fitness Center and the ALLY Advocacy Center on the property. The Arc recently relocated its Ability Fitness Center to The National Conference Center in Lansdowne and said is working to temporarily open other services there.
“As we’ve repeatedly shares, zoning, special exceptions, and Virginia Department of Education regulations make finding a new home for the Aurora School extremely challenging, especially given the lack of available real estate in Loudoun,” Max stated.
“Our legal team will be filing to stay the trustees’ hands first thing Monday morning,” she added.