Attorney appeals after 2 Loudoun County students suspended amid Title IX investigation
Attorney appeals results of LCPS Title IX investigation
Two students?facing suspension at Stone Bridge High School following a Title IX investigation will be allowed back in school.
LOUDOUN CO., Va. - Two students facing suspension at Stone Bridge High School following a Title IX investigation will be allowed back in school.
The parents of the students involved say the suspension was initially for 10 days, but their attorneys with The Founding Freedoms Law Center (FFLC) put in an appeal that paused the suspension.
What we know:
"It’s time for the insanity to stop," said Lt. Governor Winsome Earle-Sears.
She, along with students, families and other community members, are speaking out against Loudoun County Public Schools investigation into an incident that took place inside a locker room at the high school.
"Instead the school system has decided to punish the boys," said the Lt. Governor to a group protesting outside Stone Bridge.
The backstory:
Last Friday, parents of the students involved say LCPS found two of the three boys accused of "sexual harassment" and "sex-based discrimination" after asking why a girl was in the boys' locker room.
Parents say the student the group was questioning identifies as male but presents as female. They also add that the student in question also recorded a video inside the locker room.
The attorney representing the families says the suspension is on pause after an appeal that his firm filed.
"I think it’s a win absolutely because without this our clients were going to have to be suspended for the first two weeks of school, so that is no longer happening," said Josh Hetzler with Founding Freedoms Law Center.
What they're saying:
Seth Wolfe is the father of one of the boys involved in the incident. "We are happy with the appeal process. We think that’s the right thing right now."
But adds that he is "still very unhappy and disheartened with that we are actually going through and the repercussions it’s going to cause after this is over."
FOX 5 reached out to LCPS and they say they don’t discuss student matters but deny the premise for the investigation saying in a statement quote:
"At no time would LCPS suspend a student simply because they expressed some kind of discomfort," they say in a statement. "There is a high bar to launch a title ix investigation and an even higher bar to determine a student is in violation of title IX."
"Now we wait and see what the school will do," said Hetzler.
He says they are continuing to look at all legal options.
FOX 5 did ask to see a copy of the determination letter from LCPS to families, but attorneys are not sharing the letter with us at this time.