This post is by
Andrew Hull, Regent Law 3L, current Family Law student:
In May 2021, a then-14 year old male student sexually assaulted a female classmate in a school bathroom. The assailant was arrested, yet was inexplicably allowed to continue attending Loudoun County schools. He committed yet another sexual assault at a second school in October 2021.
The unidentified offender, who is now 15 years old, has since been convicted in both assaults and was sent to a locked-down treatment center. Upon completion of the court-imposed treatment program, he will remain on probation until he reaches the age of 18. He will not be required to register as a sex offender. For all the details see here.
The contrast between the obscene nature of these crimes and the arguably lenient sentence imposed can be debated another time. But the lack of transparency in this matter on the part of Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) adds another layer of concern for parents and students alike.
It appears that LCPS at least made a pretense of figuring out what went wrong in how this situation was handled. Indeed, LCPS announced in October 2021 that an independent investigation would take place. Naturally, a report of the investigation's findings was created. To date, it has yet to be released to the public. What's more, LCPS has reportedly charged concerned parents, and others seeking answers, thousands of dollars to fulfill FOIA requests related to this matter.
Parents and students in Loudoun County and across Virginia deserve answers, not recalcitrance. LCPS withholding the report and charging exorbitant fees for FOIA requests related to the sexual assaults that necessitated it at least creates the appearance that something is amiss. Whether there is remains to be seen. Fortunately, the Office of the Attorney General has begun an investigation of its own, with the authorization of the Governor.
Of course, that process will
take time. Tracking down the truth often does. However, this is
welcome news to anyone, particularly families with school-age children, who
want to know why and how LCPS allowed this dangerous student to return to
its schools where, sadly, he was able to strike again.
No comments:
Post a Comment