Loudoun County Schools Reject Federal Push to Change Transgender Bathroom Policy

The Loudoun County School Board has voted to stand by its current policy allowing transgender students to use bathrooms and locker rooms that align with their gender identity. This decision comes despite a request from the U.S. Department of Education urging the district to change course.

The vote was 6-3 in favor of rejecting a proposed resolution agreement from the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights, which found the policy to be in violation of Title IX.

Dispute

The heart of the debate is a conflict between federal agency guidance and existing judicial rulings. In a joint statement, Board Chair Melinda Mansfield and Superintendent Aaron Spence said the board remains committed to following the law and protecting every student’s rights. They acknowledged that the Department of Education believes the policy goes against Title IX, but also said there’s direct tension between that interpretation and court rulings.

This tension reflects a broader national debate over how Title IX should apply to gender identity versus biological sex.

Findings

Back in July, the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights released its findings that several Virginia school districts — including Loudoun, Fairfax, Arlington, Prince William counties, and the City of Alexandria — were not in compliance with Title IX. The department asked each district to sign a resolution agreement that would realign their policies.

Loudoun County is the first to publicly vote against doing so.

Controversy

Governor Glenn Youngkin weighed in earlier this summer, backing the Education Department’s findings. He claimed that in Loudoun schools, female students had reported male students watching them change and touching others inappropriately. Youngkin also accused school leaders of punishing boys who objected to a biologically female student using the boys’ locker room.

The governor has criticized the Biden administration’s education policies, saying they’re too lenient when it comes to setting national standards around gender and school safety.

Other Districts

While Loudoun has taken a firm stance, other school boards are still evaluating their next steps. The Prince William County School Board, for example, recently met with legal counsel in a closed-door session to review the proposed agreement. They haven’t announced a decision but stated that they remain committed to creating a safe, inclusive environment.

Here’s how the responses from local districts currently stand:

School District	DOE Compliance Status
Loudoun County	Voted No
Fairfax County	Reviewing
Arlington County	Reviewing
Prince William County	Met with legal counsel
City of Alexandria	No public decision yet

Deadline

All five school districts have until Friday to formally respond to the Education Department. Whether more will join Loudoun in rejecting the agreement remains to be seen.

At this point, the issue is far from settled. With legal tensions growing between federal guidance and court interpretations, school boards across the country may soon have to choose between following Washington’s direction or sticking with local policies they believe best serve their students.

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