“Bad policy and bad judgment": AG Miyares believes LCPS mishandled locker room incident

Virginia's Attorney General Jason Miyares discusses Title IX case

Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares has concluded his investigation into possible Title IX violations in Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS). He joined FOX 5 to discuss the case.

WASHINGTON - Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares spoke with FOX 5 on Tuesday after referring Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) to federal authorities following an investigation into potential Title IX violations, unlawful retaliation, and viewpoint discrimination.

AG Miyares criticizes LCPS

Miyares alleges that the school system improperly targeted three male students at Stone Bridge High School not for misconduct, but for expressing discomfort about sharing a locker room with a member of the opposite sex. 

He argues that Title IX should not be used to suppress free speech or religious beliefs and emphasizes that every student has the right to express their views without fear of retaliation.

READ MORE: Virginia Attorney General refers Loudoun County locker room case to federal authorities

What they're saying:

"What we have found is Loudoun County Public Schools have both bad policy and bad judgment," Miyares told FOX 5.

He said that on March 19, a student who identifies as male entered a boys' locker room at the high school and recorded three boys without their consent, violating school policy. The boys, who expressed discomfort and asked the student to leave, were later pulled out of class and informed that they were part of a Title IX investigation into sex discrimination.

"Title IX is incredibly serious. It attaches to your academic record. It could lead to potential expulsion. It follows you throughout your academic career," he said. "And so these young teenagers, simply for voicing their concerns that a member of the opposite sex was in their locker room, now they had the full weight of Loudoun County Public Schools on their shoulder coming after them and potentially facing expulsion."

READ MORE: Loudoun County Public Schools board meeting turns heated as parents push back on Title IX probe

Virginia Attorney General sends LCPS locker room case to feds

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.

Title IX investigation

Miyares said that after reviewing the video, his office concluded that allegations against the boys involved were unfounded. He said the footage does not show discriminatory or derogatory behavior, but rather the boys asking the student recording them to leave. He also criticized Loudoun County’s handling of the situation, calling it an example of misplaced priorities.

Miyares told Fox 5 that the incident became public in May, prompting Governor Glenn Youngkin to request an investigation. The following day, the same student who recorded the boys filed a separate complaint, alleging misgendering from over a year prior. Miyares suggested this could indicate a pattern of intimidation against the boys. 

"This is a great example of, I think, a school district which is, quote, unquote, so open-minded that their brain falls out," he said. "This would have never been even debatable 15 years ago. If I had told you we'd be even having this discussion, you would have thought it was from another planet."

"That we are actually debating members of the opposite sex being in locker rooms and bathrooms and on sports teams and in sometimes hotel rooms and overnight trips. Yet here we are, this shows you that the Loudoun County School Board is focused on a really radical left-wing view of ideology and sex and they're shoving it right down on this school district," he continued. "And right now these three boys, just for voicing common sense, are now the victim of the full-weight, possible expulsion, just because they voiced their concerns."

Miyares urged LCPS to adopt Youngkin's model policies, which he described as common-sense measures to protect students. He argued that while accommodations could be made for a small percentage of the population, current policies, such as allowing biological boys in girls’ locker rooms, goes against reason.

"It defies all common sense, but common sense isn't very common these days, and that's what we are trying to work back to get."

VIDEO: Tensions rise at Loudoun County school board meeting