DOE Investigation Finds Five Virginia School Divisions Violated Title IX

Five school divisions in Virginia were identified by the Department of Education as being in violation of Title IX due to their transgender policies allowing students to use facilities and compete on sports teams that align with their gender identities rather than their sex assigned at birth.

According to NBC 4 Washington, the Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax County, Loudoun County and Prince William County school divisions were all found to be in violation of Title IX.  The Department of Education announced that these school divisions must “abolish their policies accommodating transgender students.” 

The DOE will also require these school divisions to issue statements regarding the policy changes and use only the words “male” and “female” when discussing Title IX-related policies and issues. They have 10 days to respond.

“It is time for these school leaders to do the right thing for students and parents,” said Virginia governor Glenn Youngkin. “I thank President Trump and Secretary McMahon for their actions in defense of student safety, privacy and dignity.”

However, not everyone responded to the DOE’s findings in such a positive light. Prince William County Public Schools released a statement saying in part, “PWCS remains firmly committed to fostering a safe, inclusive, and respectful learning environment for all students and staff. Our policies and practices are guided by our core values and by applicable federal and state laws. We continue to uphold our longstanding nondiscrimination policy.”

The findings by the DOE come in the wake of a months-long controversy at Loudoun County schools, where a transgender student was using the boys’ locker room at Stone Bridge High School. According to CBN News, the trans student recorded a confrontation in the locker room when they were approached by three other boys and filed a Title IX complaint. Using a recording device in the locker room is against school policy. That Title IX investigation against the three other male students is proceeding, and has resulted in raucous school board meetings with parents on both sides of the issue speaking up.

Craig Trainor, acting assistant secretary for Civil Rights, told NBC 4 Washington, “It’s time for Northern Virginia’s experiment with radical gender ideology and unlawful discrimination to come to an end. OCR’s investigation definitively shows that these five Virginia school districts have been trampling on the rights of students in the service of an extreme political ideology.”