The Trump administration gave Loudoun County Public Schools a deadline on Tuesday to enter into a resolution agreement after finding that the district violated Title IX by punishing two male students who complained about a biological female in the boys’ locker room.
An investigation by the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights found that the district perpetuated “a sex-based double standard” by handing out 10-day suspensions to two teenage boys who questioned the transgender student’s use of the boys’ facilities at Stone Bridge High School.
“Loudoun County failed to meaningfully investigate complaints of sexual harassment by two male students concerning the presence of a member of the opposite sex in male-only intimate spaces, yet thoroughly investigated the female student’s sexual harassment complaint about the boys,” the department said in a statement.
The department gave the district 10 days to remedy the violation by rescinding the suspensions; review whether the discipline was disproportionate; issue letters apologizing for failing to investigate the boys’ complaints; and revise its policies on handling such concerns.
Craig Trainor, acting assistant secretary for civil rights, said that “Loudoun County’s adherence to radical gender ideology has repeatedly placed its students in harm’s way” by, first of all, letting students use locker rooms and restrooms based on gender identity rather than their sex.
“Second, Loudoun County failed to treat allegations of sexual harassment equally: it promptly investigated a female student’s complaint but quickly dismissed and failed to meaningfully investigate two of its male students’ complaints of sexual harassment,” Mr. Trainor said. “We urge Loudoun County to abandon its reliance upon post-modern ideology and instead embrace the requirements of law by coming into compliance with Title IX.”
In Loudoun County, gender ideology trumps common sense.
— Secretary Linda McMahon (@EDSecMcMahon) September 16, 2025
After allowing a girl into the boys’ locker room, Loudoun suspended 2 boys after failing to investigate their sexual harassment complaints.
They have 10 days to correct this.https://t.co/aKsEPdDQQQ
The results of the investigation were announced a day after the two boys and their parents filed a federal lawsuit accusing the school district of violating Title IX as well as the students’ rights to due process, free speech, and freedom from religious discrimination.
“Four years ago, Loudoun County Public Schools couldn’t be bothered to open a Title IX investigation after a male student sexually assaulted a female student in a female restroom,” said Ian Prior, senior counselor for America First Legal, which filed the lawsuit with the Founding Freedoms Law Center.
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 bans sex discrimination in education.
“Now, the same school system has found that two boys violated Title IX for merely questioning why a female is in a boys’ locker room while they are getting changed – a concern that any sane person in the same situation would have,” he said.
The 10-day suspension was scheduled to begin Tuesday, but only one of the boys is affected. The other 11th-grader moved out of the state with his family after the March 21 incident.
The transgender student, a biological female who identifies as male, entered the boys’ locker room and secretly recorded boys asking questions such as, “Why is there a girl?” and “There’s a girl in here?” and “A female? Bro, get out of here.”
After an investigation, the district found last month that the boys violated rules against sexual harassment and sex-based discrimination, giving them 10-day suspensions and no-contact orders with the transgender student.
The lawsuit argued that the district discriminated against the boys by telling them to “cease discussing their discomfort” and advising them to use a private changing area, but did not tell the transgender student to do the same.
The district also refused to thoroughly investigate the transgender student for violating privacy rules by recording the boys in the locker room, the motion said.
The Trump administration designated Loudoun and four other Northern Virginia school districts as “high risk” for purposes of federal funding reimbursements after they refused to rescind their policies allowing students to access bathrooms and locker rooms based on gender identity.
Two of the districts, Fairfax and Arlington, sued to block the administration’s order, but a judge rejected their request earlier this month.
The Washington Times has reached out to LCPS for comment.
• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.
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