Scandal-plagued school district referred to DOJ after another transgender locker room controversy
Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, a Republican, announced the closing of his investigation into Title IX violations, unlawful retaliation and viewpoint discrimination by Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) after three boys were allegedly investigated for complaints made in regard to a female student – who identifies as male – in the men's locker room.
Miyares referred LCPS to the Justice Department and the Department of Education.
"The investigation reveals a disturbing misuse of authority by Loudoun County Public Schools, where students appear to have been targeted not for misconduct, but for expressing their discomfort for being forced to share a locker room with a member of the opposite sex," Miyares said in a Tuesday statement.
"Title IX was never meant to be used as a weapon against free speech or religious convictions. Every student in Virginia deserves the right to speak openly, think freely, and live according to their conscience without fear of retaliation. Protecting those rights is not political—it's foundational to who we are as Americans."
In response to the referral, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon told Fox News Digital that "sex-based discrimination and student safety are both top priorities of this Department of Justice. We will investigate these facts thoroughly, and go where the investigation leads us."
"'Transgender' policies in Loudoun County schools are stripping countless students of their fundamental rights," Dhillon added.
Miyares' probe found that LCPS allegedly began a Title IX probe into the three male students at Stone Bridge High School, who had also expressed religious objections to a policy allowing students to use sexually binary facilities based on their gender identity.
The boys also reportedly voiced concerns about the biological female student who had purportedly been recording them in the locker room, according to the Washington, D.C., ABC affiliate.
The father of one of the boys told the outlet in May that his son was being formally investigated for sexual harassment after he expressed his own concerns about the situation.
"Furthermore, there are persistent reports that LCPS and the school board take adverse and potentially unlawful action against parents, teachers, and public speakers," Miyares' office wrote in its announcement.
In response to an inquiry from Fox News Digital, a representative for LCPS said "first and foremost [the district] continues to focus on following applicable law and ensuring all students are safe."
"LCPS is not in a position to provide comment on the attorney general's investigation or its purported findings at this time."
The district said it never received official communication from Miyares beyond what was announced in the press pertaining to the investigation being launched and was unable to "meaningfully participate" in it.
"To date, no findings have been shared with LCPS," the representative said.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Department of Education, which said it doesn't confirm complaints.
LCPS previously made national headlines after a father of a student accused the school board of covering up his daughter's sexual assault at the hands of a biological male who wore a skirt.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
5 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump reportedly signs order granting another 90-day extension on harshest China tariffs
President Trump on Monday signed an executive order implementing another 90-day pause on additional tariffs on China that were set to take effect on Tuesday, reports said. The move again pushes off a deadline for imposing the harshest taxes on Chinese imports as the two sides continue negotiations on a deal. Reports from CNBC, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post all said the president had signed the order, which will push the deadline for these tariffs back to Nov. 9. The White House didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. The extension appears to mean that headline rates agreed to in May of 30% on Chinese imports and 10% on American goods will continue for the immediate future and avoid a snap-back to previous triple-digit levels. Sector-specific tariffs on goods like steel and some medical supplies will keep the effective tariff rate between the two countries higher. The reported tariff agreement also comes amid an increased focus from Trump in recent days on Russia and the war in Ukraine, with Trump putting an additional 25% tariff on imports from India over that nation's consumption of Russian oil. The new pause could also increase the odds for a meeting later this year between Presidents Trump and Xi. The two men's teams have both floated the concept of a face-to-face meeting, perhaps as soon as the coming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in South Korea at the end of October. Monday's announcement also came after three meetings of the two trade teams in recent months — gatherings that took place in Geneva in May, London in June, and Stockholm in July — resulted in signs of progress though tensions remain between the two sides. He Lifeng, China's vice premier for economic policy, has represented his country at all three meetings. A representative for He — Chinese trade negotiator Li Chenggang — said after the most recent round in Sweden that the two sides had 'candid exchanges over their economic concerns,' according to a translation. Certain issues like semiconductors, including a plan to allow the resumption of Nvidia's (NVDA) AI chip exports to China, as well as Chinese exports of rare earth minerals have been most in focus of the talks so far with a long list of issues between the two nations still to discuss. Over the weekend, the Trump administration struck a deal with Nvidia and AMD to allow those chipmakers to sell some chips into the Chinese market in exchange for a 15% cut of the sales.
Yahoo
5 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Maine can't enforce foreign election interference law that appeals court calls unconstitutional
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Maine can't enforce a voter-approved foreign election interference law that a federal appeals court said likely violates the Constitution by limiting political donations. Voters overwhelmingly approved a ban on foreign governments and companies with 5% or more foreign government ownership from donating to state referendum races. The law is one of a handful around the country that attempt to limit foreign influence on U.S. elections. The law has been on hold pending federal lawsuits from utilities companies and media organizations that raise constitutional challenges about it. The U.S. District Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in Boston said in court papers in July that it affirmed a lower-court ruling that the law likely violates the First Amendment. 'The prohibition is overly broad, silencing U.S. corporations based on the mere possibility that foreign shareholders might try to influence its decisions on political speech, even where those foreign shareholders may be passive owners that exercise no influence or control over the corporation's political spending," wrote Judge Lara Montecalvo. The matter was sent back to the lower court, where it will proceed, and there has been no substantive movement on it in recent weeks, said Danna Hayes, a spokesperson for the Maine attorney general's office, on Monday. The law is on the state's books, but the state cannot enforce it while legal challenges are still pending, Hayes said. Voters approved the law in 2023 by a margin of 86% to 14%. It followed a multimillion-dollar effort by a Canadian-owned utility to influence a project in Maine in which it's a partner. The law reflects the will of Maine residents to ensure clean elections, said Rick Bennett, chair of Protect Maine Elections, the committee formed to support the 2023 ballot initiative. He said the fight to save the law was still ongoing. 'Mainers spoke with one voice: our elections should belong to us, not to corporations owned or influenced by foreign governments whose interests may not align with our own,' Bennett said in a statement. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
5 minutes ago
- Yahoo
House Judiciary Committee Queries Major Sports Leagues On Whether They Still Should Get Antitrust Exemption For Broadcast TV Blackouts
The House Judiciary Committee is requesting a briefing from the heads of the NFL, NBA, Major League Baseball and the National Hockey League on whether they should still get an antitrust exemption for coordinating TV broadcast rights, including a rule that allows for game blackouts. The Sports Broadcasting Act gives leagues immunity for broadcasting deals for games on network television, including provisions that permit blackouts of home games in that team's broadcast area. Such blackout requirements were meant to ensure that ticket sales remained robust in a market. More from Deadline Donald Trump Says He's Deploying National Guard In D.C., Placing Metropolitan Police Under Federal Control Donald Trump Lashes Out At Paul Krugman As "Deranged Bum"; "Now This Is Flattering," Economist Responds Kristi Noem Didn't Laugh Off 'South Park' Satire: "It Never Ends, But It's So Lazy" In letters sent on Monday, Judiciary Committee chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Rep. Scott Fitzgerald (R-WI), who chairs an antitrust subcommittee, wrote that despite the rise of subscription services and online streaming, 'it is sometimes more difficult and more expensive for some fans to watch their teams during the season. In some major sports leagues, a fan may need to sign up for multiple streaming platforms and purchase an over-the-air antenna to watch every game at home. Even then, because every major sports league has its own blackout restrictions, there are certain games that fans cannot watch at home regardless of how much they are willing to pay or how many streaming services they purchase.' The Sports Broadcasting Act antitrust exemption applies to 'sponsored telecasting,' Jordan and Fitzgerald noted, noting that courts have ruled that it does not apply to cable, satellite, pay-per-view and streaming. 'The majority of sports viewership now occurs outside of traditional network broadcasting,' they wrote. 'As a result, most of the distribution agreements that a sports league enters into are subject to antitrust challenges, while a narrow subset are not, creating legal uncertainty, distorting the market, and 'effectively expanding the blind spot for potential antitrust violations.'' Their letters gave the league heads until August 25 to set up a of Deadline Sean 'Diddy' Combs Sex-Trafficking Trial Updates: Cassie Ventura's Testimony, $10M Hotel Settlement, Drugs, Violence, & The Feds A Full Timeline Of Blake Lively & Justin Baldoni's 'It Ends With Us' Feud In Court, Online & In The Media 'The Boys' Season 5: Everything We Know So Far
