School District Infamous For Trans Bathroom Scandal Elects Independent Who Vows To Protect Girls

Independent Virginia school board candidate Amy Riccardi defeated liberal incumbent Arben Istrefi in Loudoun County on Tuesday in a race defined by the district’s controversial stance on gender identity.

Loudoun County has openly defied the Trump administration’s Title IX enforcement order to protect women’s sports, restrooms and locker rooms, choosing instead to allow biological males into girls’ spaces despite numerous scandals. Riccardi will now join Loudoun County School Board (LCSB) member Deana Griffiths as the only two members willing to protect female students. (WATCH: Virginia teens plead directly with voters to end boys-on-girls bathroom program)

Riccardi defeated Istrefi 51.54% to 47.62%, according to the Virginia Public Access Project.

Riccardi’s campaign website states that she intends to revise school board policy to comply with state and federal laws and to hold administrators accountable for student performance.

“For too long, the LCPS Administrative Office has not been held accountable for student outcomes and performance,” Riccardi’s policy priorities read. “Current school board members approved administrative decisions for a $2 billion budget without any oversight and continue to approve salary and budget increases despite declining student enrollment. As your tax bill goes up, student academic performance goes down. We need to set things right.”

Gender neutral signs are displayed in the public restrooms of the 21C Museum Hotel on May 10, 2016 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Sara D. Davis/Getty Images)

The Trump administration concluded a months-long investigation into Loudoun, along with four other Virginia school districts, in July and found that they were all violating federal law with their policies for transgender students, saying they were “trampling on students’ rights” by forcing girls to share intimate spaces with boys. Loudoun rejected the administration’s resolution agreement, choosing instead to maintain its policy that allows students to enter institutions based on “gender identity” rather than biological sex.

Loudoun County has become infamous for its transgender politics. In 2021, the district sparked public outrage after being exposed for allegedly trying to cover up a sexual assault by a student claiming a transgender identity that occurred in the girls’ bathroom at the same school.

Recently, two boys were suspended for asking why a female student was recording them in the boys’ locker room. A federal judge has since blocked the sanction.

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