School district suspends two boys for questioning female who entered boy’s locker room
Key Takeaways
- Two boys at Stone Bridge High School in Loudoun County, Virginia, were suspended for 10 days after questioning a transgender student's presence in the boys' locker room, which led to accusations of sexual harassment and discrimination against them.
- The school's decision followed the recording of the interaction by the transgender student and the findings of the district's Title IX Office.
- Parents of the boys expressed outrage, arguing the district's actions promote punitive measures against students expressing dissenting views related to transgender policies.
- Loudoun County and other Virginia districts face loss of federal funding due to policies on gender identity.
A high school in the Loudoun County, Virginia school district recently suspended for ten days two boys who had “questioned” whether a biological female should be in their locker room.
The female student, who “identifies” as a male, recorded her encounter with the boys at Stone Bridge High School back in May, WJLA reports.
After she showed administrators her recording, the two boys were deemed by the district’s Title IX Office as “responsible for sexual harassment and sex-based discrimination.”
In addition to the suspensions, the boys were given a “no-contact” order regarding the (female) student, and were required to “meet with school administrators to determine a corrective action plan.”
The punishments “officially” were handed down August 15, according to lawyer Josh Hetzler, who represents the two boys.
Loudoun County Public Schools announced earlier this month that it would not change its “Policy 8040,” or “Rights of Transgender and Gender-Expansive Students,” despite a finding by the U.S. Dept. of Education that its “bathroom and locker room policies violate Title IX.”
(Policy 8040 does not require any “substantiating evidence” from students regarding their gender identity.)
Parents of the two boys believe Loudoun district officials are “sending a message that any student who expresses views that disagree with so-called Policy 8040 will be punished.”
One of the parents, Renae Smith (pictured), said “[We’re] absolutely floored that they came back and branded my son responsible for sexual harassment and sex based discrimination with no solid evidence whatsoever. We’re talking about scarring him for life by a biased process that’s supposed to protect fairness, but it’s shocking. It’s wrong, and it should terrify every single parent.”
Parent Seth Wolfe said his first reaction to news of the punishments was “anger”: “[We’re] saddened by the decision-making process and how that went.”
Most recently, Wolfe blasted the district over its hypocrisy — the same high school that disciplined his son has a “male-only” staff restroom.
“When truth about men and women’s restrooms is censored, hypocrisy rules,” Wolfe said. “It’s unbelievable that the people left in care of our children who allow this indoctrination to happen are allowed to make biological decisions for themselves.”
Ironically, the female student involved in the locker room incident also violated district policy by recording it. She has yet to face sanctions, however.
Over the summer, Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares said Loudoun County Public Schools officials are “utilizing an unlawful, discriminatory, and retaliatory Title IX investigation to silence students’ sincerely held religious beliefs.”
The U.S. Dept. of Education said on August 15 it had “begun the process of cutting federal funding” to Loudoun County schools as well as four other Virginia districts, noting they “will have to defend their embrace of radical gender ideology over ensuring the safety of their students.”
Two of the districts, Fairfax County and Arlington Public Schools, are suing the Dept. of Ed. in order to, in the words of Education Secretary Linda McMahon, “keep boys in girls sports and bathrooms.”
In a letter to district parents, Fairfax County Superintendent Michelle Reid claimed its suit to keep federal monies flowing is “an important step in our effort to protect the health and safety of all our students in alignment with state and federal law […] including our transgender and gender-expansive community.”
The Loudon County district has a long history of controversy, including attempting to thwart teachers’ criticism of “action-oriented equity practices,” alerting staff against using Dr. Seuss books due to their “racial undertones,” and suspending a teacher for speaking out against Policy 8040 during the public comment section of a board meeting (courts overturned the suspension).
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