Two teenage boys have been suspended from a high school in Virginia for sexual harassment after questioning a transgender student in the male locker room.

The students from Stone Bridge High School received 10-day suspensions on Friday after being deemed guilty of sexual harassment and sex-based discrimination, as reported by ABC 7News.

This controversial ruling resulted from an extended investigation into a video, recorded by a student who identifies as male, in which the boys expressed unease about ‘a girl’ being in the boys’ locker room.

Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) declared that students are permitted to use facilities that match their self-identified gender, not their biological sex, leading to the conclusion that the students violated school policies.

But the outcome shocked the boys’ parents, who condemned the decision as a deeply troubling and ‘concerning development.’

‘We’re completely shocked that they accused my son of sexual harassment and sex-based discrimination without any solid proof,’ expressed Renae Smith, one of the boys’ mothers.

‘We’re talking about scarring him for life by a biased process that’s supposed to protect fairness, but it’s shocking.

‘It’s wrong, and it should terrify every single parent.’

The district launched a Title IX investigation into two 10th grade boys in May after they were videotaped inside the building’s male locker room, as previously reported by ABC 7News.

Title IX investigations involve allegations of sex-based discrimination, including sexual harassment, sexual assault, domestic violence, and other violations.

A father of one of the students said the trans student used a mobile phone to record his son and others in the locker room after a gym class in March. 

Despite the boys being the ones filmed, the footage became the centerpiece of the case – ultimately used to determine their suspension just months later.

In the video obtained by the outlet, the trans student begins recording as they walk into the boys’ locker room, where several male students already appear to be present. 

Although the remainder of the video is mostly dark, voices can be heard – voices the school claims were discriminatory toward the student. 

‘There’s a girl in here?’ one boy can be heard asking. ‘There’s a girl?’

Moments later, the same boy appears to double down on his concern, saying, ‘Why is there a girl? I’m so uncomfortable there is a girl.’

‘A female, bro, get out of here,’ another teen responds.

After the district announced an investigation into the boys’ behavior, parents expressed outrage, arguing that the teens were simply having a private conversation among themselves – not targeting or bullying the other student. 

The boys’ parents also questioned why their sons were being scrutinized when they were the ones who had been recorded – a violation of school policy in itself. 

‘I have a daughter that’s in high school as well, and if there was a male in there videotaping her in the locker room, I would have issues,’ Seth Wolfe, the father of the other boy involved, told 7News back in May.

‘If it’s my son and there’s a female in the locker room videotaping, I have issues,’ he added. ‘I believe that this is an invasion of their privacy.’

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin also released a statement at the time, expressing ‘outrage’ over the news that LCPS was investigating the male students.

‘It’s deeply concerning to read reports of yet another incident in Loudoun County schools where members of the opposite sex are violating the privacy of students in locker rooms,’ Youngkin said.

‘Even more alarming, the victims of this violation are the ones being investigated – this is beyond belief,’ he added.

‘I’ve asked Attorney General Miyares to investigate this situation immediately so that every student’s privacy, dignity and safety are upheld.’

Meanwhile, the investigation stretched through the summer, ultimately concluding on Friday evening when the district informed the parents of their sons’ suspensions. 

‘What they’re doing to our children is just despicable,’ Smith told 7News regarding the district’s decision.

Josh Hetzler, an attorney representing the families, stated that the punishment includes not only a 10-day suspension, but also a no-contact order prohibiting the boys from being in any of the same classes as the trans student. 

The boys are also required to meet with school administrators to develop a corrective action plan, according to Hetzler.

Smith, who has already withdrawn her son from the district and relocated out of state, worries that the decision will follow him, jeopardizing his chances of college admission since it will remain on his permanent academic record. 

She also said that if her son ever returns to the district, he will face suspension immediately upon his arrival. 

The school board had previously refused to comply with the US Department of Education’s demands that they, along with other Northern Virginia districts, reverse bathroom and locker room policies allowing trans students to choose facilities based on their gender identity. 

The trans student’s decision to use the boys’ locker room was ultimately allowed under Loudoun County School Board’s Policy 8040. 

However, the parents now believe the decision sends a message that anyone who disagrees with the policy will face punishment for speaking out. 

‘They’re going to have to follow what Loudoun County says, what they believe is right, and what goes against other people’s beliefs, or what we believe is right,’ Wolfe told the outlet.

Republican Virginia Lt. Governor Winsome Earle-Sears, who is running for governor, also weighed in on the suspensions, calling them ‘ludicrous.’

‘Boys are not comfortable undressing in front of nude girls in the same locker room, in spaces that they were not normally have access to,’ Earle-Sears told 7News. 

‘The boys are saying this, and the boys who should be applauded are not being applauded,’ he added. ‘Instead, they’re being punished for something that’s common sense. You know, for me, biological differences do matter.’

‘It’s not political, it’s common sense. And it’s parental rights, really. So, I’m speaking for parents and families all across Virginia. This is nonsense.’

The Founding Freedoms Law Center, representing the families in this case, vowed to continue fighting until the suspension decision is overturned.

‘Our clients have done nothing wrong and they deserve to be deemed innocent,’ Victoria Cobb, president of the Family Foundation of Virginia, told the outlet.

On Friday, the Department of Education informed 7News that it had initiated the process of cutting federal funding to five school districts who refused to change their policies  – a move that could cost each district tens of millions of dollars annually.