Parents demand bathroom, locker room policy changes in LCPS

ASHBURN, Va. - Virginia Lt. Governor Winsome Earle-Sears joined fellow GOP candidates and community members Tuesday to call for an end to Loudoun County Public Schools’ transgender rights policy, known as Policy 8040.

Earle-Sears did not speak during the school board meeting itself, unlike her appearance last month in Arlington County. LCPS policy requires speakers during public comment to be Loudoun residents.

This isn’t the first time the state’s gubernatorial race has focused on LCPS’s transgender policies. Several attendees remain upset over a Title IX investigation at Stonebridge High School, where male students were found responsible by the district for sexual harassment" and sex-based discrimination after questioning why a girl was in the boys’ locker room. Their comments were recorded on a cell phone.

Attorneys appealing the students’ suspension say the student in question presents as female but identifies as male.

What they're saying:

"Our policies are simple. Girls sports are for girls, girls spaces are for girls. And by the way, boys deserve that same opportunity to that same right," Earle-Sears  said. "What I said is you're having deja vu all over again because the school board in Loudoun, and elsewhere in northern Virginia, not listening to parents."

Asked for comment, an LCPS spokesperson reiterated in a statement:

"At no time would LCPS suspend a student simply because they expressed some kind of discomfort. A reading of our Title IX resources should make it clear that 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."

Lisa Wolfe, grandmother of one of the boys investigated, spoke with FOX 5’s Nana Sentuo-Bonsu. "What stresses me out the most is that the opportunities that he had are now gone," she said. "How is this going to go with jobs, and the future, and who is this going to go on his college applications. You know it's just not fair."

A spokesperson for former Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic candidate for Virginia governor, released the following statement:

"As a mom of three daughters in Virginia public schools and a former federal law enforcement officer, Abigail’s top priority is making sure that all of Virginia’s kids are safe. While Winsome Earle-Sears has tried for decades to defund Virginia public schools — and has no plan to increase student achievement — Abigail continues to focus on real solutions that set up students for success, strengthen Virginia schools, and prioritize the needs of Virginia parents."