The Loudoun County school board in Virginia is facing a $30 million lawsuit filed by the family of a teenage girl who was raped in a high school bathroom. The lawsuit alleges that the school district failed to adequately investigate the incident and attempted to cover up the sexual assault. The case gained national attention after a father accused the district of covering up his daughter’s assault to push its controversial transgender bathroom policy. The accused student was charged and transferred to another school, where he sexually assaulted another girl.
The family claims that the district lied to the public about the assault to advance its transgender bathroom policy, which had not been implemented at the time of the incident. A grand jury report released in December criticized the district for its lack of transparency and accountability in handling the sexual assaults. The report also condemned the former superintendent, Scott Ziegler, for denying any knowledge of the assault, despite evidence suggesting otherwise.
Emails revealed in the report indicated that senior district officials had privately discussed the assault and linked it to the transgender policy. However, a law firm investigation found no evidence to support the claim that the perpetrator identified as a female or used the policy to gain access to the girls’ bathrooms. The firm also accused Ziegler of lying about the assault during a school board meeting.
The district has faced criticism for its failure to adequately respond to the assaults, including a lack of outreach to the victims and their families. Ziegler was fired by the school board following the grand jury report and was recently found guilty of retaliatory firing of a special education teacher in connection with the handling of the sexual assaults.
The U.S. Department of Education has opened an investigation into the district’s handling of the sexual assaults. The case highlights ongoing debates over transgender bathroom policies and raises questions about the district’s commitment to student safety.
