Three male students in Loudon County Public Schools (LCPS) questioned why there was a girl claiming to be a boy in their locker room. According to the male students' attorneys at Founding Freedoms Law Center (FFLC), the school system then accused the male students of sexual harassment.
"They voiced their concerns in a conversation which she felt the need to video record and turn into the school, which led to Title IX investigations for each one," says Victoria Cobb, President of the Family Foundation of Virginia and overseer of the FFLC.
One of the male students is Muslim. The other two male students are Christian.
In a controversial decision, the Loudon County School Board has dismissed their Title IX investigation against the Muslim student, but not the Christian students. In fact, Cobb says the school district has added another charge to the Christian students, accusing them of sex-based discrimination. Cobb says they were not discriminating against anyone.
"So, our question is 'why would one case be dismissed and the other two boys be singled out for punishment?'" says Cobb. "Are these boys being singled out because of their Christian faith? Their parents deserve answers."
In a press release from the FFLC, the mother of one of the Christian boys said that LCPS is targeting her son.
"My son did nothing wrong, yet he is being subjected to an unfair process which clearly is designed to silence Christians who speak up against a radical agenda," she states.
To be clear, FFLC is "thrilled" for their Muslim client, adding, "LCPS [Loudon County Public Schools] did the right thing in dropping his charge" because "he did nothing wrong." However, FFLC feels that LCPS shows their "blatant religious discrimination by completely letting him off while adding more charges to the Christian boys" who are alleged to have done the same thing.
AFN reached out to LCPS for comment and was told that, due to relevant law, such as FERPA, LCPS is restricted in what it can discuss regarding specific Title IX investigations.
The statement directs that most general questions regarding Title IX can be answered by looking at their Title IX information page. LCPS further states that they are committed to provide students, employees, and community members with a safe and inclusive educational environment.
Furthermore, they claim to have a comprehensive and objective Title IX procedure that follows applicable federal law. External, non-LCPS decision makers, who LCPS says are subject matter experts concerning Title IX compliance practices, are responsible for Title IX determinations and appeals to such determinations.
“We remain committed to ensuring every student is seen, valued and has the opportunity to achieve their dreams,” the statement reads.
Cobb says LCPS has no real credibility on this matter, adding LCPS is "under investigation from the federal government because of their inability to follow the executive orders of the president" involving Title IX.
"They're under investigation from our own attorney general now for this instance," says Cobb. "I don't think they should be lecturing others on what they think Title IX."
