Republican Virginia Gubernatorial Hopeful Calls for Probe Into Loudoun County Rape Scandal

The Republican nominee to beryllium Virginia’s adjacent politician called this week for an contiguous probe into an alleged cover-up of intersexual assaults that took spot astatine a schoolhouse successful 1 of the state’s astir populous counties earlier this year.

“A young miss was sexually assaulted successful her school, and the administrators, those who were trusted with not lone her acquisition but her safety, tried to screen it up,” Glenn Youngkin told supporters successful Burke connected Tuesday. “And they softly moved the offender, an offender being prosecuted for intersexual assault, to different school, wherever helium was capable to bash it again. Two young girls person been sexually assaulted due to the fact that our system, our strategy failed to support them.”

The 15-year-old girl of Scott Smith was allegedly raped by a antheral successful a girl’s bath astatine Stone Bridge High School successful May. That incidental is nether investigation, region officials person told The Epoch Times. The aforesaid antheral sexually assaulted different miss astatine a antithetic precocious schoolhouse successful the region connected Oct. 6, according to sheriff’s officials and the region prosecutor.

Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) has declined to reply questions astir the male, though Loudoun County Superintendent Scott Ziegler indicated past week that helium was placed astatine the different schoolhouse arsenic portion of the “alternative placement” process for students accused of superior disciplinary infractions.

Youngkin called for an contiguous afloat probe into the Loudoun County School Board, which Smith has accused of covering up his daughter’s rape.

“They had a work of attraction and they failed. They endangered our students and violated the Virginia Constitution,” helium said.

Former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, a Democrat moving against Youngkin and Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring, a Democrat moving for different term, did not respond to requests for comment.

Virginia Del. Jason Miyares, the Republican campaigner for Virginia lawyer general, backed Youngkin’s telephone for a probe.

Miyares said that if Republicans triumph the election, helium volition unfastened a probe into the schoolhouse board.

“Mark Herring and Terry McAuliffe person made it wide that they won’t basal up for parents. But Glenn Youngkin and I will,” Miyares said successful a statement.

The alleged rape was followed by Smith being arrested astatine a schoolhouse committee gathering successful June for being disorderly, the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office said. At the meeting, Ziegler said nary assaults had taken spot successful bathrooms, a mendacious connection helium aboriginal said stemmed from his misunderstanding of a question.

Ziegler besides indicated past week that the territory violated Virginia instrumentality by not reporting alleged intersexual assaults to the state.

A Virginia Department of Education spokesperson confirmed to The Epoch Times successful an email that the bureau is “actively investigating discrepancies successful the LCPS reports.”

An LCPS spokesperson said respective days anterior that Stone Bridge’s main reported the alleged intersexual battle to instrumentality enforcement wrong minutes of receiving the archetypal study connected May 28. But LCPS is constrained from investigating what happened until instrumentality enforcement finishes its probe, the spokesperson alleged. He besides said the territory cannot subject a pupil without pursuing the Title IX grieve process, which includes an probe of alleged intersexual harassment and intersexual battle complaints.

“School Board members are typically not fixed details of disciplinary matters. The committee whitethorn beryllium obligated to see semipermanent suspensions oregon expulsions and indispensable guarantee that students person not been deprived of owed process. Consequently, members of the Loudoun County School Board were not alert of the circumstantial details of this incidental until it was reported successful media outlets earlier this week,” the spokesperson added.

Ziegler successful prepared remarks to the property connected Friday—he did not instrumentality immoderate questions—said he’s spoken with authorities and national officials to propulsion for changes to national instrumentality regarding Title IX. He besides said the schoolhouse committee would beryllium asked to marque changes to policies to “place greater accent connected unfortunate rights.”

Ziegler apologized to the families and students progressive successful the assaults.

LCPS is facing a lawsuit from Smith’s household implicit its handling of the incidental involving his daughter.