A group of parents is suing the Loudoun County School Board Northern Virginiaand claimed they were silenced by the board when they tried to raise concerns about a student who was allowed to return to school despite alleged ties to the notorious MS-13 gang.

The group of parents at the center of the lawsuit claim they were silenced by the board during a public meeting when they tried to raise concerns about reports that a student allegedly in the country illegally and affiliated with MS-13 was allowed to return to school despite being arrested for carrying a gun and threatening to shoot another student.

“Time and time again, the Loudoun County School Board has demonstrated through its actions an unwillingness to respect the rights exercised by community members and parents to comment on actions in their public schools. This latest constitutional violation is even more egregious, given that the subject matter was related to the students’ security,” America First Legal Senior Advisor Ian Prior, whose organization represents the parents, said in a statement.

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Students, parents and others hold signs outside the Loudoun County School Board meeting on October 26, 2021 in Ashburn, Virginia. (Photo by Katherine Frey/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

The parents, who are suing in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, allege their First Amendment rights were violated during an Oct. 8 public school board meeting where some of them tried to raise concerns with the board about their decision to reinstate the student only for the board to cut their microphones and end the public comment period.

In a press release after the incident, the board claimed the parents violated the rules of the public comment period and were trying to prevent the spread of “misinformation.”

“A number of individuals attempted to discuss what was reported in the media and discuss a specific student despite repeated requests from the board chair not to do so. As a result, the board chair ended public comment to restore order, in accordance with the school board’s public comment procedures.” , the press release states. “Misinformation is on the rise, and school divisions like LCPS must be vigilant in actively combating it. It is our responsibility to call out misinformation when claims are false, unfounded, or deliberately used to create division within our community.”

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Patti Hidalgo Menders speaks against board action during a meeting of the Loudoun County Public School Board in Ashburn, Va., on Oct. 12, 2021. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)

The board also argued that the allegations against the student at the center of the controversy “are not factual” and that naming the student or speaking about the student population would do a “disservice not only to the individuals involved” and “the entire community”.

“This is especially dangerous when it involves our children and their safety,” the press release said.

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The incident isn’t the first time the Loudoun County School Board has been in the spotlight, having generated controversy in recent years for its transgender policies and bathroom policies that allow transgender people and dressing rooms based on their chosen, not biological, sex.

In the board’s latest controversy, parents argue they have the right to voice their concerns about district policies during public hearings.

Loudoun County School Board members vote to adopt Policy 8040 during a school board meeting at the Loudoun County Public Schools Administration Building on August 11, 2021 in Ashburn, Virginia. (Photo by Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

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“While Loudoun County Public Schools may think it can deprive First Amendment rights Based on its claims of so-called ‘disinformation,’ the Bill of Rights makes clear that in the United States the government is not the arbiter of truth,” Prior said.

The Loudoun County School Board did not respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.