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       A federal judge has dismissed a discrimination lawsuit filed by a Loudoun County School Board member against the board, saying her efforts to compel the board to allow her to participate in meetings virtually lacked legal standing.

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       Denise Corbo (At Large) filed the lawsuit in June, alleging that the School Board had failed to accommodate her disability. Corbo, who was elected to the board in 2019, has multiple physical impairments, according to the complaint, including chronic Lyme disease and autoimmune diseases “that substantially limit her major life activities,” including her ability to attend board meetings.

       U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema said Friday that the court would not hear her claims, which also sought $2 million in punitive damages. In her order, Brinkema did not specify why.

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       “While I strongly believe that the facts support the conclusion that Ms. Corbo was unlawfully denied the right to participate based on her disability, at this time we are reviewing the ruling and considering our options, but no decision has yet been made,” Corbo’s attorney, Matthew E. Hughes, said in a statement.

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       Corbo had sought an accommodation in 2021, which the county attorney recommended that the board approve, the complaint states. But her colleagues did not grant it even as practices adopted during the coronavirus pandemic have prompted governments to rethink meeting access.

       Board policy requires approval by a majority of members for all remote participation requests. At the beginning of each meeting, the board considered her request to participate remotely. The complaint states that Corbo’s requests to participate virtually were repeatedly declined.

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       In those instances, the board allowed Corbo to view and listen to meetings through video conferencing, but it did not allow her to make statements, ask questions or vote. The suit also claimed that the board’s chair, Ian Serotkin (Blue Ridge), “refused to assign her to any committee.”

       Corbo had not attended a meeting in person in more than a year when she filed the suit. She is not running for reelection.

       Salvador Rizzo contributed to this report.

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