RICHMOND 鈥 Gov. Glenn Youngkin and Attorney General Jason Miyares on Tuesday announced they are investigating Loudoun County Public Schools for its response to an alleged incident in which a transgender student identifying as male entered the boys鈥 locker room and recorded a video of the teenage boys' reactions.
This week, TV station that Loudoun County Public Schools opened a Title IX investigation into three boys who said they were uncomfortable with the student鈥檚 presence in the boys鈥 locker room. Youngkin and Miyares expressed outrage on Tuesday about the Northern Virginia school district鈥檚 handling of the situation.
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鈥淚t鈥檚 deeply concerning to read reports of yet another incident in Loudoun County schools where members of the opposite sex are violating the privacy of students in locker rooms,鈥 Youngkin said in a statement.
鈥淓ven more alarming, the victims of this violation are the ones being investigated 鈥 this is beyond belief. I鈥檝e asked Attorney General Miyares to investigate this situation immediately so that every student鈥檚 privacy, dignity and safety are upheld.鈥
The statements mark the latest clash between the Republican administration and Loudoun County school officials, who have faced national scrutiny over their handling of transgender issues.
Loudoun County Public Schools policy allows for students to use the bathrooms and locker rooms that align with their gender identity. That policy - and Youngkin's emphasis on parents' rights - became a flashpoint in his campaign for governor after a boy wearing a skirt sexually assaulted a girl in a Stone Bridge High School girls' bathroom in 2021.
In 2023, , the father of the girl who was assaulted, after the father was charged with disorderly conduct stemming from a physical confrontation with sheriff鈥檚 deputies at a school board meeting on policies for transgender students.
Loudoun school officials transferred the male student, who later sexually assaulted another female student at a different Loudoun school.
On his first day in office, that allowed Miyares to investigate the Loudoun school district.
In 2023, the Youngkin administration that aimed to require students to use school bathrooms that match the sex they were assigned at birth 鈥渆xcept to the extent that federal law otherwise requires.鈥
Local school boards are legally required to implement policies that are consistent with the state鈥檚 model policies but some school divisions 鈥 including Loudoun 鈥 did not follow the guidance.
Like all legislative mandates on local school boards, it is up to the individual school boards to ensure their policies are in compliance with state law. As no state funding is tied to the legislative mandate, it lacks an enforcement mechanism. But noncompliance could be costly for local school boards due to litigation.
鈥淭his is just the latest example of what happens when school boards disregard common sense,鈥 Miyares said in a statement. 鈥淭he safety, dignity, and privacy of every student in Virginia should be non-negotiable. This is about safety and privacy, not political correctness 鈥 and it鈥檚 time Loudoun County recognized that.鈥
