Latest news with #StudentCodeofConduct
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Virginia Attorney General refers Loudoun County locker room case to federal authorities
The Brief Virginia Attorney General refers Loudoun County locker room case to federal authorities. Investigators examine possible Title IX violations following student complaints about school policy. LCPS defends its actions while parents argue their children faced discrimination. LOUDOUN COUNTY, Va. - Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares has concluded his investigation into possible Title IX violations in Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS), referring the case to federal authorities for further review. The inquiry was launched after complaints from parents who alleged their sons were punished for objecting to LCPS's transgender policies. The controversy centers on an incident in the boys' locker room at Stone Bridge High School, where a student who identifies as male recorded video of an encounter with other students. The reason the student went into the locker room has not been disclosed. READ MORE: Loudoun County Public Schools board meeting turns heated as parents push back on Title IX probe According to Miyares, the boys involved were expressing sincere religious objections, while LCPS disputes that characterization. The case has become another focal point in the debate over Policy 8040, which LCPS adopted in 2021 in compliance with Virginia law. The policy allows students to use sex-separated facilities, such as locker rooms and restrooms, that correspond with their gender identity. During the incident, three boys under investigation were heard loudly questioning the presence of a student they perceived to be female, making statements such as, "There's a girl in here?" and "I'm so uncomfortable." LCPS subsequently launched a Title IX investigation to determine whether the interaction constituted harassment or discrimination. Parents of the boys argue that their children are the ones facing discrimination. One parent, Renae Smith, spoke ahead of a May 20 school board meeting, stating, "This school system has failed everybody. The policy, if you look at the facts, who felt safe in that situation? And the answer is no one and that's going to be my message tonight. No one felt safe, no one felt respected, and no one left that locker room with their dignity intact." VIDEO: Tensions rise at Loudoun County school board meeting What they're saying In a statement to FOX 5, LCPS said: "To be absolutely clear: Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) would not investigate or discipline students based on their personal opinions, thoughts, or beliefs, provided those expressions do not violate policies prohibiting hate speech, discriminatory language, threats, or other forms of harmful or disruptive conduct. However, LCPS does investigate and may take disciplinary action when student behavior violates LCPS' Student Rights & Responsibilities Handbook for Families and Student Code of Conduct." LCPS has not confirmed whether its investigation has been completed. Meanwhile, Miyares announced that he has referred LCPS and its school board to the U.S. Department of Education and the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division for further investigation. The Source Information in this article comes from Loudoun County Public Schools and Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares.
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
School board adopts districtwide cellphone policy for students
After months of discussion, the Frederick County Board of Education in a split vote approved a districtwide cellphone usage policy for students. The school board began drafting Policy 118 in September 2024. Frederick County Public Schools Superintendent Cheryl Dyson at the beginning of this school year added new regulations in the Student Code of Conduct for device use in school. She has said the guidelines intended to build a foundation for the policy. The school board voted 4-3 on May 21 to approve the policy. School board members Rae Gallagher, Dean Rose, Karen Yoho and Janie Inglis Monier voted in favor of the policy. Colt Black, Jaime Brennan and Nancy Allen voted against the policy. Although expectations for device usage in school was outlined in the Student Code of Conduct, consequences for violating the policy were not enforced in Term 1, which began Aug. 21, 2024, and ended Oct. 29, 2024. The school district has said it wanted to familiarize students, staff members and families of the expectations without consequences. FCPS in Term 2 began enforcing those consequences. Consequences for violating cellphone usage expectations could include a school administrator confiscating the device. This would require a parent or guardian to come to the school and get the device back. Repeated offenses would result in an administrative referral. Guidelines for device use differ between grade levels. The word 'devices' includes smart watches, tablets and e-readers, and is flexible to include new technology created in the future. Elementary school students must have devices silenced and out of sight throughout the entire school day. This means elementary school students cannot use cellphones during non-class periods, on FCPS transportation to and from school, and at lunch. Middle school students are permitted to use cellphones for 'expressly approved instructional purposes,' as well as on FCPS transportation. They are prohibited from using devices at lunch and between classes. High school students are allowed to use cellphones also for instructional purposes, on FCPS transportation, at lunch and between classes. To create the policy, FCPS has said it spoke with community members, including school administrators and students. School board discussion At the school board meeting on May 21, FCPS chief legal counsel Steven Blivess said while the draft policy contained a mandatory annual review and potential update, staff members were recommending a two-year review instead. He said an annual review of the policy would be too cumbersome. 'Every year, the technology changes a lot, but I don't know that it changes quite that quickly,' Blivess said. He added that three school board members together can bring the policy back to the Policy Committee for further revision. Yoho mentioned at the meeting that five bills attempting to govern student cellphone use in schools all failed in the Maryland General Assembly this past legislative session. Brennan said she liked the policy, but her concern is that the school district will not be 'significantly enforcing' the policy. She mentioned an incident that happened when FCPS students accessed a video chatting website called Thundr on school-issued Chromebooks and on FCPS Wi-Fi. A parent of a student at Oakdale Middle School said he spoke with parents of students who accessed the website, and said students saw sexual content during live video chats while they watched on their Chromebooks in school and on the school bus. FCPS in response said staff members at Oakdale Middle submitted requests to block the website on March 5 and 6, and that the website was blocked on March 7. Tom Saunders, the director of middle schools at FCPS, said at the school board meeting that he meets with the middle school principals every two weeks to discuss different problems to ensure consistency across the 13 middle schools in the district. Black said at the meeting that he was concerned about the section of the policy that discusses violations because the policy reads: 'Examples of violations may include, but are not limited to ...' The policy then lists 20 examples of device use that would violate the policy, including racism, sexual harassment, and installing or using unauthorized software. Black said this part of the policy was too open to interpretation, and asked if there were more examples the school board would need to list for that section to not be open-ended. 'And if not, I think we need to close the door on that, so it's very specific and spelled out, so that this can be clearly followed by administration,' he said. Black said an open-ended section like this leaves room for uneven implementation and application across schools. Blivess said the policy has a 'pretty comprehensive list,' and there was no way the policy could predict every example of a violation of the policy. 'We have some very smart students who may find ways to make use of it that we didn't anticipate, and to create a closed system, like you're suggesting, would mean that if they found a way to use it that was outside of this 20-item list,' FCPS couldn't invoke the policy for appropriate consequences, he said.
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
School board adopts districtwide cellphone policy for students
After months of discussion, the Frederick County Board of Education in a split vote approved a districtwide cellphone usage policy for students. The school board began drafting Policy 118 in September 2024. Frederick County Public Schools Superintendent Cheryl Dyson at the beginning of this school year added new regulations in the Student Code of Conduct for device use in school. She has said the guidelines intended to build a foundation for the policy. The school board voted 4-3 on May 21 to approve the policy. School board members Rae Gallagher, Dean Rose, Karen Yoho and Janie Inglis Monier voted in favor of the policy. Colt Black, Jaime Brennan and Nancy Allen voted against the policy. Although expectations for device usage in school was outlined in the Student Code of Conduct, consequences for violating the policy were not enforced in Term 1, which began Aug. 21, 2024, and ended Oct. 29, 2024. The school district has said it wanted to familiarize students, staff members and families of the expectations without consequences. FCPS in Term 2 began enforcing those consequences. Consequences for violating cellphone usage expectations could include a school administrator confiscating the device. This would require a parent or guardian to come to the school and get the device back. Repeated offenses would result in an administrative referral. Guidelines for device use differ between grade levels. The word 'devices' includes smart watches, tablets and e-readers, and is flexible to include new technology created in the future. Elementary school students must have devices silenced and out of sight throughout the entire school day. This means elementary school students cannot use cellphones during non-class periods, on FCPS transportation to and from school, and at lunch. Middle school students are permitted to use cellphones for 'expressly approved instructional purposes,' as well as on FCPS transportation. They are prohibited from using devices at lunch and between classes. High school students are allowed to use cellphones also for instructional purposes, on FCPS transportation, at lunch and between classes. To create the policy, FCPS has said it spoke with community members, including school administrators and students. School board discussion At the school board meeting on May 21, FCPS chief legal counsel Steven Blivess said while the draft policy contained a mandatory annual review and potential update, staff members were recommending a two-year review instead. He said an annual review of the policy would be too cumbersome. 'Every year, the technology changes a lot, but I don't know that it changes quite that quickly,' Blivess said. He added that three school board members together can bring the policy back to the Policy Committee for further revision. Yoho mentioned at the meeting that five bills attempting to govern student cellphone use in schools all failed in the Maryland General Assembly this past legislative session. Brennan said she liked the policy, but her concern is that the school district will not be 'significantly enforcing' the policy. She mentioned an incident that happened when FCPS students accessed a video chatting website called Thundr on school-issued Chromebooks and on FCPS Wi-Fi. A parent of a student at Oakdale Middle School said he spoke with parents of students who accessed the website, and said students saw sexual content during live video chats while they watched on their Chromebooks in school and on the school bus. FCPS in response said staff members at Oakdale Middle submitted requests to block the website on March 5 and 6, and that the website was blocked on March 7. Tom Saunders, the director of middle schools at FCPS, said at the school board meeting that he meets with the middle school principals every two weeks to discuss different problems to ensure consistency across the 13 middle schools in the district. Black said at the meeting that he was concerned about the section of the policy that discusses violations because the policy reads: 'Examples of violations may include, but are not limited to ...' The policy then lists 20 examples of device use that would violate the policy, including racism, sexual harassment, and installing or using unauthorized software. Black said this part of the policy was too open to interpretation, and asked if there were more examples the school board would need to list for that section to not be open-ended. 'And if not, I think we need to close the door on that, so it's very specific and spelled out, so that this can be clearly followed by administration,' he said. Black said an open-ended section like this leaves room for uneven implementation and application across schools. Blivess said the policy has a 'pretty comprehensive list,' and there was no way the policy could predict every example of a violation of the policy. 'We have some very smart students who may find ways to make use of it that we didn't anticipate, and to create a closed system, like you're suggesting, would mean that if they found a way to use it that was outside of this 20-item list,' FCPS couldn't invoke the policy for appropriate consequences, he said.
Newsweek
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Transgender Student in Boys Locker Room Sparks Fight With Church
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A Virginia church is encouraging its congregants to speak out against a school district where a transgender male student allegedly videotaped boys in a locker room. Why It Matters The transgender debate in the United States escalated during the 2024 presidential election cycle, as President Donald Trump pledged to minimize transgender athletes' participation in sports that don't match their biological sex. One of his first executive orders mandated that the government only recognize the existence of two sexes—male and female—which he said are "not changeable." What To Know Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) in Ashburn, Virginia, has reportedly opened a Title IX investigation into three boys at Stone Bridge High School who said they were uncomfortable by the presence of a biological female in their locker room, according to local ABC affiliate WJLA. In March, the transgender male allegedly recorded footage in the locker room of the three boys. Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin attends the NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway on March 30, 2025, in Martinsville, Virginia. Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin attends the NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway on March 30, 2025, in Martinsville, Virginia.A father of one of those boys told WJLA that he is "concerned" about the situation, saying that his son is among those being investigated by the district for sexual harassment. "He was questioning why there was a female in the males' locker room," the father said. "And other boys were uncomfortable [with a female in the boys' locker room]. There were other boys asking the same question. "They [LCPS] created a very uncomfortable situation. They're young, they're 15 years old. They're expressing their opinions, and now they're being targeted for expressing those opinions." The district's policy reportedly allows students to use school bathrooms and locker rooms according to gender identification instead of biological sex. Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin and Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares have opened an investigation into the matter. A statement issued by LCPS said that WJLA's reporting "contains false and misleading information presented in a biased manner from a single source. "To be absolutely clear: LCPS would not investigate or discipline students based on their personal opinions, thoughts, or beliefs, provided those expressions do not violate policies prohibiting hate speech, discriminatory language, threats, or other forms of harmful or disruptive conduct," the statement reads in part. "However, LCPS does investigate and may take disciplinary action when student behavior violates LCPS' Student Rights & Responsibilities Handbook for Families and Student Code of Conduct. "As WJLA is aware, because this matter could result in discipline, LCPS will not discuss the specifics of the incident publicly. Student privacy is a fundamental right protected by both policy and law, and LCPS is firmly committed to upholding that principle without exception. Our decision not to comment on the matter should not be taken as license for any news organization to determine what the facts are without verification." Newsweek reached out to Youngkin, Miyares and LCPS for comment. The matter has sparked debate among local churchgoers. On Sunday, Cornerstone Chapel Church senior pastor Gary Hamrick told congregants at multiple services in Leesburg about Loudoun policies that effectively allow students to choose their own genders and use locker rooms and bathrooms of their choosing, according to WJLA. "When I had heard about these three young men who attended Stone Bridge High School had been accused of sexual harassment just because they questioned a female in the boys' locker room, I just felt compelled, as a pastor in the area, to bring our church together to support them and to show our support for their rights to be in a boys locker room without the invasion of privacy of a biological female," Hamrick told WJLA. He said that when he brought up the issue to his congregation, they "just rallied behind them. They stood to their feet. They applauded these young men." Hamrick, who invited the three boys to the service, said they came on stage in front of the entire church. "It was just a great time to remind these young guys that, look, the community is behind you," he said. The pastor encouraged congregants to attend the district's school board meeting on Tuesday. Newsweek reached out to the church for comment. What People Are Saying Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares on X, formerly Twitter, on May 6: "At the direction of @GovernorVA, I am opening an investigation into Loudoun County Public Schools. This is about safety and privacy, not political correctness—and it's time Loudoun County recognized that." The father of one of the three boys told WJLA: "I have a daughter that's in high school as well, and if there was a male in there videotaping her in the locker room, I would have issues. If it's my son and there's a female in the locker room videotaping, I have issues. Even if it was somebody of the same sex, I believe that this is an invasion of their privacy." Pastor Gary Hamrick told WJLA: "I hope people show up for the Loudoun County School Board meeting on Tuesday night, and I hope that the school board will hear the hearts of parents. Our community is outraged by this." What Happens Next The LCPS School Board meeting is scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m. ET May 20. As of press time, there was no agenda item linked to the matter.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Yahoo
Police find loaded handgun in student's backpack at Wellington-area elementary school
WELLINGTON — School police found a loaded handgun at Panther Run Elementary on May 15 after a student reported finding it in their backpack, according to a statement from the school's principal. It is the third incident involving guns or ammunition in Wellington-area schools since April, although none resulted in a shooting. Officers on April 17 arrested two Wellington High students after finding bullet casings in their backpacks. A week before that, police arrested two Polo Park Middle School students on April 10 for allegedly exchanging threatening messages about a person on campus. Risa Suarez, Panther Run's principal, said in a letter to parents that a student reported finding a "dangerous item" in their backpack to an adult on its campus along Lake Worth Road west of State Road 7. Police recovered the loaded handgun without disrupting to the school day. Immigration crackdown: He played Jesus on Good Friday. Ten days later, he was deported. "It was not displayed or used in a threatening manner," Suarez wrote in the email. "The safety of our students remains my highest priority, and Florida law strictly prohibits firearms on schools." The Palm Beach Sheriff's Office is investigating the incident alongside school police, according to Suarez's email. She said the student is now subject to consequences outlines on the school's Student Code of Conduct. Suarez encouraged families to make a regular practice of checking their children's backpacks each morning. She added the FortifyFL app is a valuable tool to report school safety concerns anonymously. Valentina Palm covers Royal Palm Beach, Wellington, Greenacres, Palm Springs and other western communities in Palm Beach County for The Palm Beach Post. Email her at vpalm@ Support local journalism: Subscribe today. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Guns in schools: Police find loaded weapon in Florida student's bag
