Two Loudoun County high school students won temporary relief in federal court Thursday, halting the district's disciplinary actions after they objected to a transgender classmate using the boys' locker room. A U.S. District Court judge granted emergency relief that blocks the two suspensions and related consequences as the case moves forward.
The district, Loudoun County Public Schools in Northern Virginia, opened a Title IX sexual harassment investigation earlier this year after video captured two male students at Stone Bridge High School expressing discomfort about a transgender girl using the boys' locker room. The district later found the students responsible for sexual harassment, imposing a 10-day suspension and marking the discipline on their permanent records. The students' families appealed the ruling, but the appeal was denied, prompting the lawsuit that sought relief in federal court.
Within days of the federal filing, Judge Leonie M. Brinkema of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia granted emergency relief, ordering that the disciplinary measures be put on hold while the case proceeds. In her order, the judge noted that keeping one student out of school for 10 days could cause irreparable harm and that the plaintiff had not had ongoing contact with the complaining student. The court cited the four-factor test for a temporary restraining order and concluded that the balance of equities and the public interest favored maintaining in-person schooling and ensuring due process for the students involved.
“We are very pleased with the Court’s decision and we look forward to fighting on behalf of our clients,” said Ian Prior, senior counselor at America First Legal, a Trump-aligned advocacy group that joined the case with the Founding Freedoms Law Center. AFL and FFL Center filed on behalf of the two boys and their parents, seeking the removal of the false Title IX charge from the students’ records, an immediate termination of the suspension, and compensation for alleged harm.
One of the boys has since moved out of state, while the other remains enrolled in Loudoun County Public Schools, illustrating the personal stakes for families caught in the district’s Title IX and locker-room policy dispute.
The plaintiffs argue that the Title IX charge was improperly applied to a moment of private commentary about the policy and facilities. The district has not publicly commented on the federal court ruling.
The case adds to ongoing tensions over how Virginia school systems handle facilities access for transgender students and how Title IX investigations are conducted when students voice concerns about campus policies. While this suit focuses on two specific students, supporters say the broader question is whether schools can enforce perceived policy violations without harming students’ educational opportunities and reputations.
The district did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The plaintiffs in the AFL/FFLC case are seeking the dropping of the sexual harassment designation from the students’ records, immediate reinstatement of the suspended students, and compensation for alleged harms to emotional well-being and academic progress. The outcome could influence how similar Title IX cases are pursued in Virginia and beyond as the case continues in federal court.
