Loudoun County Public Schools Defies Trump, Votes Not To Ban Trans Kids From Bathrooms
The school board voted 6-3 to defy Trump's directive.
Loudoun County Public Schools has voted to preserve protections for transgender students, rejecting a demand from the Trump administration to roll back civil rights safeguards. Those demands included banning transgender students from using bathrooms and locker rooms aligned with their gender identity. Meeting late Tuesday night, the school board reached its decision just after midnight, voting 6–3 to keep the protections in place — a clear signal of its intent to challenge the administration’s directives.
“The Loudoun County School Board remains steadfast in its commitment to ensuring every student in Loudoun County Public Schools is safe, supported, and able to thrive. We also remain committed to complying with applicable law and to protecting the rights of all students. Accordingly, current School Board policy permits students to access bathrooms and locker rooms that align with their consistently asserted gender identity, and provides alternative facilities for any student who requests them… After consultation with legal counsel, the Board voted 6-3 not to comply with this request due to the tension between the OCR position and current law,” read a statement from the school board.
On July 25, the U.S. Department of Education ruled that Loudoun County Public Schools—along with four other Virginia districts—was in violation of Title IX. The Trump administration has claimed that protecting transgender students’ rights violates the statute, despite years of legal precedent finding the opposite: that Title IX protections extend to transgender students. In a reversal of that precedent, the administration is arguing that the law instead mandates discrimination. The other districts receiving the same determination were Alexandria City Public Schools, Arlington Public Schools, Fairfax County Public Schools, and Prince William County Public Schools.
“Although this type of behavior was tolerated by the previous Administration, 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,” said Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Trainor in the Department of Education determination.
Prior to the vote, parents and students organized en masse to fight for the protection of transgender students in the district, where over a hundred students and parents came out to protest. “100 voices. One community. Thank you to the incredible people who came out to the LCPS School Board rally to stand in solidarity and protect Policy 8040. Your presence sent a powerful message — that our community shows up for trans students, and we will not back down. When we stand together, we are stronger than hate,” said Equality Loudoun on a Facebook post.
The Trump administration’s next move remains unclear. The deadline for compliance is tomorrow, and the Department of Education has warned it will refer the matter to the Department of Justice if the district refuses. The other targeted Virginia school districts have yet to take action in favor of compliance, though it remains to be seen whether any will follow the path of the colleges and universities that have capitulated. For now, Loudoun County Public Schools stands apart—willing to do what too many institutions have not: openly defy Trump’s demands.
I use to work for Loudoun County Public Schools. I’m so happy to see them stand up for students!
I just submitted a comment on their website to thank them.