The ‘gender-fluid’ student who assaulted a teen in the girls’ bathroom at a Virginia high school has been found guilty of the assault. Parents, whom the school told there was no incident, are demanding apologies from the district.
Juvenile Court judge Pamela Brooks on Monday found the “boy in a skirt” – whose name has not been released as he is under 18 – guilty of forcible sodomy and forcible fellatio in relation to the assault on a teenage girl at Stone Bridge High School in May. He will be back in court for sentencing in November.
The victim’s family has demanded an apology from the National School Board Association (NSBA), which appeared to smear them and other concerned parents as “domestic terrorists” in a controversial letter requesting an FBI involvement after threats to school board members allegedly surfaced. This was in the wake of the controversial school board meeting which saw the assault victim’s father, Scott Smith, dragged out after being told by teachers they had not heard of any assaults on students in school restrooms. The meeting took place less than a month after his daughter had reported her assault to the school, and Smith has threatened to sue the NSBA for defamation unless they apologize to him specifically.
Following Monday’s verdict, the Smith family released a statement through their attorney thanking those in the community who had stood by them and vowed to move “forward to ensure that those responsible in the Loudoun County School system are held accountable, so that this may never happen again to anyone else’s child.”
The superintendent of Loudoun County schools, Scott Ziegler, apologized for claiming there had been no reports of student assault in the school bathrooms, but insisted school officials hadn’t lied – he simply hadn’t known what he was being asked. Board member Beth Barts resigned amid the controversy and parents have continued to demand Ziegler’s resignation.
Meanwhile, the ‘boy in a skirt’ faces charges of assaulting another student at Broad Run High School, where he was quietly transferred following the initial assault report. Students at Broad Run staged a walkout on Tuesday to protest the school board’s “enabling” behavior. They were joined by students at nearby Briar Woods High School.
Social media users applauded the students for “taking Loudoun County schools to task,” as many blamed the school district for what they described as a coverup.
Now the students are taking Loudoun County schools to task https://t.co/x18EnxrudY
— Vince Coglianese (@VinceCoglianese) October 26, 2021
CONVICTED.
Now charge the entirety of the school board who covered it up and allowed it to happen a second time. The rot is deep into the root in Loudoun County. https://t.co/5F9lc9Pk9W
— ????????From the Desk of Kat???????? (@KittyKatStaxx00) October 26, 2021
Many celebrated the initial verdict, though some noted that the second victim had not yet received justice.
The Loudoun County school rapist was found guilty, but justice is only half served. The Loudoun County Public School system, incl the superintendent, should be tried as accomplices for covering up crimes to continue pushing transgender policies.https://t.co/A4dItDpGiJ
— Catt (@CattHarmony) October 26, 2021
Teen found guilty in Loudoun County bathroom assault. Apparently the jury wasn’t swayed by Obama’s claim that this was a fake culture war story, drummed up by right wing media to juice ratings. Go throw another giant party, you clown.
— Jimmy Failla (@jimmyfailla) October 26, 2021
Others, however, attempted to reframe the incident as one of “dating violence,” pointing to the revelation that the victim and perpetrator had had consensual relations previously.
Surprised people aren't talking about the verdict in this Loudoun County case, and how the testimony undercuts the right wing's narrative about what went down. (Turns out it was a dating violence story, not a trans bathroom story, as portrayed.) https://t.co/1BIzlCMLgo
— Amanda Marcotte (@AmandaMarcotte) October 26, 2021
While the NSBA has partially apologized for the letter it sent to the White House – widely perceived as a call for the FBI to treat unruly parents at school board meetings like domestic terrorists – and blamed renegade leadership while expressing remorse at “some of the language included,” the letter’s writer, NSBA president Viola Garcia, appeared to be rewarded for going off the deep end with an appointment to a federal education governing board.
The NSBA arguably had no choice but to apologize, given that 20 state school board associations came out against their “domestic terrorist” letter, with some reportedly yanking their funding.
US Attorney General Merrick Garland has publicly claimed that “the Justice Department supports and defends the First Amendment right of parents to complain as vociferously as they wish about the education of their children,” suggesting the issue was about threats being reportedly made to the school board members. However, a group of House Republicans is now demanding that Garland “fully and unequivocally withdraw” the controversial October 4 memorandum to the FBI, which was based on the “domestic terrorism” letter penned by the NSBA.
