Two students from Stone Bridge High School in Virginia have been suspended for 10 days after questioning a transgender classmate in the boys' locker room. The Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) conducted a Title IX investigation into the incident, which occurred earlier this year. Attorney Josh Heltzer, representing the boys' families, stated that the school found the students responsible for sexual harassment and sex-based discrimination.

The families were informed of the suspension decision on Friday. However, LCPS has not publicly announced the suspension. The punishment includes a no-contact order with the complainant, preventing the boys from being in the same classes. They are also required to meet with school administrators to create a corrective action plan.

Seth Wolfe, a parent of one of the boys, expressed anger over the decision, calling it a concerning development. "[We’re] saddened by the decision-making process and how that went," Wolfe said. Another parent, Renae Smith, has already withdrawn her child from the school and moved out of state. She criticized the school for branding her son as responsible for harassment without solid evidence. "[We’re] absolutely floored that they came back and branded my son responsible for sexual harassment and sex-based discrimination with no solid evidence whatsoever," Smith told reporters. She is worried that this decision will affect her son's permanent academic record and future college applications.

Both parents believe that LCPS is sending a message that students who express views contrary to Policy 8040 will face consequences. This policy, adopted in 2021, allows students to use restrooms and locker rooms that align with their gender identity. Wolfe stated, "What they’re doing to our children is just despicable."

Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares has referred LCPS to federal authorities, alleging that the school improperly targeted the boys for expressing discomfort about sharing a locker room with a transgender student. Miyares noted that the video footage did not show any discriminatory behavior, but rather the boys asking the student recording them to leave. The recording was made by the transgender student.

An LCPS official confirmed that no privacy laws were violated, as none of the boys appeared in compromising positions in the video. The school district has stated that it does not publicly discuss private student matters but maintains that it has a comprehensive process for Title IX investigations.

The Founding Freedoms Law Center, representing the families, plans to continue fighting the suspension. Victoria Cobb, president of the Family Foundation of Virginia, stated, "We’re not going to let these boys go down without a fight; we’re going to stand with them all the way till they are innocent."

This incident is not the first controversy for LCPS. The district gained national attention in 2021 when a father was arrested for speaking out about the sexual assault of his daughter by a transgender student. Additionally, LCPS has invested $11 million in gender-neutral single-occupancy restrooms across nine schools in the district. Cobb criticized the district's actions, saying, "LCPS, once again, shows that it is willing to harm students in the name of woke ideology."