Loudoun County Superintendent Apologizes Following Daily Wire Investigation, Claims He Misunderstood Question About Bathroom Sex Assaults

The Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) superintendent held a press conference Friday where he apologized for the district’s “shortcomings” with regard to reporting alleged sexual assault, shifted blame for an incident the Daily Wire reported on earlier this week, and appeared to blame the federal government — and, implicitly the Trump administration — for confusion on Title IX procedures.

Ziegler began his address by expressing empathy for the students involved in the case made public by the Daily Wire this week in a report which suggested that LCPS concealed evidence of an alleged sexual assault at one of its high schools — a decision which led to a second alleged sexual assault.

“[M]y heart aches for you and I am sorry that we failed to provide the safe, welcoming, and affirming environment that we aspire to provide,” he said. “We acknowledge and share in your pain and we will continue to offer support to help you and your families through this trauma. For all of our students, our school-based Unified Mental Health Teams are available to anyone who needs care.”

Ziegler did not mention Scott Smith by name, although it is Smith’s daughter who was the subject of the report. Smith was arrested for disorderly conduct and obstructing justice at a June 22nd school board meeting where the district’s new transgender and gender-fluid bathroom policy was debated. Smith became agitated after Ziegler responded to another board member denying knowledge of any alleged sexual assault or rape in an LCPS bathroom.

The superintendent then appeared to shift the blame to the federal government, suggesting that Title IX, which outlines sexual assault reporting on school campuses — and which were heavily revised by the Trump administration — are confusing and inadequate to the task of handling reports of allegations of assault at the K-12 level.

“It is important to know that Title IX directs how schools must investigate allegations of sexual harassment/assault and provides equal protection for both victims and the alleged perpetrators,” he said. “Throughout these recent events, the Loudoun County Public Schools complied with our obligations under Title IX. However, we have found the process outlined under Title IX by the U.S. Department of Education to be insufficient in addressing issues at the K-12 level. We believe the process could be strengthened with some reforms.”

Ziegler then proposed a series of changes to how LCPS handles alleged sexual assaults, including a closer relationship with the Loudoun