Parents demand answers after Virginia athletic director's arrest for sending nude photos to minor

WINCHESTER, Va. - Parents in Winchester are demanding answers from Frederick County school officials after an athletic director was arrested for allegedly sending nude photos to a minor.

Winchester parents seek answers after arrest

What we know:

FOX 5's Maureen Umeh reports that 35-year-old Brian Sullivan has taught and coached at James Wood High School since 2012. Sullivan was even named Teacher of the Year in 2017. Now, he has become the fourth Frederick County Public Schools employee in Virginia to be arrested for sexual misconduct with a student in the past three years. Parents attended a Frederick County school board meeting Tuesday night, demanding action and accountability.

School officials say they were first alerted to the claims about Sullivan last week and immediately contacted the Frederick County Sheriff's Office.

An investigation discovered Sullivan had allegedly sent two nude pictures of himself to a 17-year-old student between November and January. The pictures were taken off-campus and shared after school hours.

Athletic director charged with sending nude photos

What they're saying:

Sullivan was arrested over the weekend while visiting family in Pennsylvania. He has been charged with one felony count for sending sexually explicit photos of himself to a minor.

Parents are outraged that this issue has resurfaced once again.

"I think that they need to conduct proper background checks. I also think that they need to constantly be checking up on the student, I mean the teachers, to make sure that what they’re doing in the classrooms is not criminal," said Christie Scarborough, a concerned parent.

"I wanna trust the school but there is a protocol in place. At least with my children I feel safe. We’ve had these discussions before. My children actually go to the school that was affected. They know who he was. They never had any interactions with him so I feel comfortable as far as me, but for other parents, I’m sure there’s concern," said Rebecca Rager, another concerned parent.

READ MORE: Athletic director in Virginia arrested for allegedly sending nude pics to student

Investigation ongoing, Sullivan in Pennsylvania

What's next:

Sullivan has been the athletic director at James Wood since 2022, but his tenure at the school dates back to 2012 when he was a math teacher and spent 10 years coaching the varsity boys' soccer team and eight years as an assistant basketball coach.

The school board has had no comment on allegations of previous complaints about Sullivan. The investigation is ongoing, and as of the latest update, Sullivan remains in Pennsylvania awaiting extradition to Virginia.