Several parent activist groups have condemned the Loudoun County School Board after it claimed to be unaware about the two sexual assault allegations against a trans-identified male student and after one school member abruptly resigned.
Controversy had followed the school board after its superintendent, Scott Ziegler, issued a public apology on the failed handling of the sexual assault cases involving the school district.
"My heart aches for you and I am sorry that we failed to provide the safe, welcoming and affirming environment that we aspire to provide. We acknowledge and share in your pain and we will continue to offer support to help your families through this trauma," Ziegler said in his public apology, as reported by the Christian Post. The superintendent defended the school district, saying it followed proper procedures but remarked that changes had to be made moving forward.
A Loudoun County School Board member Beth Barts also announced her resignation effective November 2. She did not provide a reason for her departure, but said that it was "not an easy decision or a decision made in haste."
The chaos at the Loudoun County School Board stemmed from one parent's outburst during a school board meeting, during which a father named Scott Smith decried the school district's transgender policies, which allowed his daughter to be raped and sodomized in a girls' bathroom by a "boy allegedly wearing a skirt."
The school district claimed to be unaware of such a case despite the police investigation into the students at one of the Loudoun County schools. Ziegler even downplayed concerns that trans-identifying people can be sexual predators.
Parent activist group Fight for Schools took to Twitter on Friday calling upon Loudoun County School Board members to "resign now" because "no one believes you" when they said apologized over now being aware of the sexual assault case. Another group, Parents Defending Education through one of its leaders Asra Nomani, said that Ziegler was trying to "gaslight America" in his remarks on the case. She took to Twitter to argued that Ziegler "and the board lied to parents" and demanded that "they must all resign."
Supt Scott Ziegler must resign @LCPSOfficial. One hour before board member Beth Barts resigned, Ziegler tried to gaslight America. He and the board lied to parents and @biberajbb ran cover for them. They must all resign. https://t.co/lWZi7V6fn8
— Asra Q. Nomani Mama Bear (bear emoji) “Domestic Terrorist” (@AsraNomani) October 15, 2021
The Stanley Law Group, which represents Smith in the legal procedings, took to Facebook to explain the purpose of their lawsuit against the school board, writing that "The conduct of Loudoun County Schools and the Loudoun School Board directly resulted in the brutal rape of the [Smiths'] daughter at Stone Bridge High."
"To date, no one with Loudoun County Schools or the School Board has been held accountable for the wrong done to the Smith family. Our firm intends to rectify that," the Smiths' attorney, Bill Stanley, said in a statement.
In light of the events at the Loudoun County School District, many parents in the community are taking issue with House Bill 257, which was passed in march 2020 that "doesn't require principals to report certain misdemeanor acts to law enforcement, including sexual battery," ABC 13 News reported. Virginia Governor Ralph Northam spoke out against the sexual assault cases that occurred in Loudoun County as of late, saying that "Our main goal in Virginia is for our students to be safe."
The governor added that he is confident that law enforcement is "doing a good job overall" in ensuring "students are safe and feel welcome. All of the laws in place are intended to keep students safe."
