Free Republic

Students at multiple schools in Loudoun County, Virginia staged a walkout on Tuesday in protest of the district’s cover-up of a sexual assault case. “Loudoun County protects rapists,” some students at Broad Run High chanted in front of the school. Social media posts reportedly framed the protest as a way to “show solidarity to victims of sexual violence and demand safety in our schools.” The protest follows months of controversy after members of the Loudoun County School Board and the superintendent publicly denied that there had been any sexual assault by transgender-identifying students in school bathrooms in the district, even...

Beth Barts, a far-left member of the Loudoun County School Board, has resigned from her position. First elected in 2019, Barts has been criticized by parent groups over Critical Race Theory and transgender policies in the school system. Her resignation, which will take effect on November 2, 2021, staves off an ongoing recall attempt. “This was not an easy decision or a decision made in haste. After much thought and careful consideration, it is the right decision for me and my family,” said Barts in a statement Friday. “I am grateful to have had a role in empowering students to...

The superintendent of Loudoun County Public Schools issued an apology and a school board member resigned on Friday as the district faces mounting backlash over its response to two alleged sexual assaults, one of which was allegedly carried out by a skirt-wearing male student in a girls' bathroom. Superintendent Scott Ziegler apologized for saying during a June event that the Virginia district had no record of assaults taking place in its bathrooms. His comments came amid debate about policy changes related to self-identified transgender students. Ziegler said Friday that he misunderstood the question when he made the comment. Ziegler also...

The school called Smith but, when he arrived, told him they were going to handle the matter “in-house.” When the school eventually called the sheriff’s office, it wasn’t to arrest the alleged perpetrator (who later admitted the act) but was because Smith was making a scene—he wasn’t violent, but he launched obscenities at the principal. Still, the sheriff’s deputies took Smith’s daughter to a hospital, where a rape kit showed that she had, in fact, been sexually assaulted.The principal then sent a message to the school community saying that, while the deputies had shown up at school, everyone at the...