2021 sexual assaults Sexual assaults and charges On May 28, 2021, a male teenager was accused of sexually assaulting a female student in a girls' restroom at
Stone Bridge High School in
Ashburn. The two had agreed to meet in the restroom, where they had previously engaged in consensual sexual encounters. School officials immediately reported the assault to law enforcement. He was transferred to
Broad Run High School in Ashburn. On October 25, 2021, the suspect was found guilty on all charges for the May 28 assault. On November 15, 2021, the suspect pleaded
no contest to a felony charge of abduction and a misdemeanor count of sexual battery for the October 6 assault. He was set to be sentenced on December 13, 2021, In January 2022, the suspect was found guilty on all four charges and was sentenced to complete a "residential program in a locked-down facility" and placed on supervised probation until he turned 18, and ordered to register as a sex offender in Virginia. Loudoun County Juvenile Judge Court Judge Pamela L. Brooks said she had never previously ordered a minor to register as a sex offender, stating, "You scare me. What I read in those reports scared me and should scare families and scare society. You need a lot of help." In October 2023, one of the victims filed a lawsuit against the school district for $30 million, alleging that school officials failed to heed warning signs about her attacker and attempted to cover up her sexual assault.
Policy 8040 and responses Policy 8040, which was passed in August 2021, a few months after the first assault occurred, allows students to use locker rooms and bathrooms corresponding to their "consistently asserted
gender identity"; the policy was adopted to comply with a state mandate. The parents of the Stone Bridge victim have said the perpetrator of their daughter's assault identified as
gender fluid. While discussing a draft of Policy 8040 at a school board meeting on June 22, 2021, superintendent Scott Ziegler stated that, to his knowledge, there were no reports of any assaults occurring in the school system's restrooms and that a "predator transgender student or person simply does not exist". The father of the Stone Bridge victim stated he was angered by Ziegler's comments due to his daughter's assault, The parents of the Stone Bridge victim accused the school system of covering up the assault to push Policy 8040. Later that month, the perpetrator's lawyer disputed the characterization of his then-client as gender fluid or transgender. At a school board meeting on October 12, 2021, parents criticized the handling of the assaults, expressing fear for their children's safety in Loudoun County Public Schools and calling for the school board, and superintendent Ziegler, to resign. He went on to state that federal policy contained in
Title IX had required a full investigation of the assaults before certain disciplinary actions were allowed to be taken and that he would lobby for changes to this part of Title IX. School students across Loudoun County, including students at Stone Bridge High School and Broad Run High School, performed walkout protests on October 26, 2021, in support of the victims. During his
successful campaign for governor of Virginia,
Glenn Youngkin responded to the assaults by arguing for an increased police presence in the state's schools. The assaults coincided with vocal opposition among some parents towards the Loudoun County school system's COVID-19 prevention strategies and racial equity programs. Amid these controversies, several members of the Loudoun County School Board were harassed and received death threats.
The New York Times noted that conservative media coverage of the assaults "zeroed in on the transgender angle", The reformed policy also states, "If appropriate and regardless of whether a criminal or regulatory investigation regarding the alleged conduct is pending, the school division shall promptly take interim action to maintain a safe and secure learning environment for all students." He was fired due to the school district's response to the 2021 sexual assault cases. Specifically, a
grand jury report had concluded that Ziegler was informed about the assault on the day that it happened but he later lied about his knowledge of the event during a school board meeting the following month. Glenn Youngkin reacted on December 7, 2022, by tweeting "The special grand jury’s report on the horrific sexual assaults in Loudoun has exposed wrongdoing, prompted disciplinary actions, & provided families with the truth. I will continue to empower parents & push for accountability on behalf of our students." Ziegler's removal was faced with positive statements from people in Loudoun County. According to a source, because he was dismissed "without cause", Ziegler will continue to receive full benefits and his $323,000 annual salary for the next year. On 29 September 2023, a jury found Ziegler guilty of retaliating against a teacher in a separate case. The teacher had reported repeated sexual assaults from a student and that Ziegler had retaliated after she went public about her treatment and lack of a response from school administrators. In March, 2024, Judge Joseph Fleming, citing a legal error, set aside the guilty verdict. A move which Courthouse News Service called a "victory" for Ziegler.
Fentanyl overdoses In September and October 2023, 19 students at Loudoun schools overdosed on
fentanyl. At least four of the overdoses took place on school property at
Park View High School, with medical personnel administering
Narcan in three cases and
CPR twice. LCPS officials delayed informing other parents in the school community of the overdoses for almost three weeks, prompting Virginia governor
Glenn Youngkin to issue an executive order mandating public schools notify all parents within a school division of a school-related overdose occurring within 24 hours.
Title IX Loudoun County Public Schools has been heavily criticized by parents, and the Attorney General of Virginia,
Jason Miyares, for "weaponizing" their Title IX policy. Around October 2024, Loudoun County Public Schools opened a
Title IX investigation against three boys, who attended
Stone Bridge High School, for voicing concerns to each other about a female student using the boy's locker room. One of the students, who was
Christian, told his
PE teacher, Hunter Manspile, about his objection to sharing a locker room with a female student, and was told not to mention anything about the situation. Loudoun County Public Schools was found "weaponizing" their Title IX policy during Attorney General Miyares' investigation into LCPS. ==Schools==