Loudon County family sues school district for $30M over rape of daughter in school bathroom

On Wednesday, the family of a young girl who was raped in a bathroom at school in 2021 filed a lawsuit against Loudon County Public Schools in northern Virginia for $30 million for allegedly attempting to cover it up. 

According to the lawsuit obtained by Fox News, the victim "struggled academically, emotionally, and physically for the remainder of the school year" and "continues to struggle significantly." 

The suit claims that the school tried to cover up the assault because it would have been bad publicity while it was pushing for Policy 8040, which allows students to utilize the bathroom and locker rooms of their "gender identity" and not their given sex. 

The assault gained national attention when the girl's father was arrested at a school board meeting in June of 2021 when he confronted them for allegedly covering up his daughter's assault by a boy wearing a skirt at Stone Bridge High School. 

The boy in the case was 15 years old at the time, was convicted of rape in the case, and was ordered to transfer schools. While at Broad Run High School, he was convicted of assaulting another girl in juvenile court.

A grand jury report in December said that the school displayed a "stunning lack of openness, transparency, and accountability, both to the public and to the special grand jury" and that it "failed at every juncture." 

Last month, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin pardoned the girl's father, Scott Smith, who was charged with disorderly conduct in connection with the arrest at the June 2021 school board meeting. 

In a statement, Youngkin said, "Scott Smith is a dedicated parent who’s faced unwarranted charges in his pursuit to protect his daughter. Scott’s commitment to his child despite the immense obstacles is emblematic of the parental empowerment movement that started in Virginia." 

"In Virginia, parents matter and my resolve to empower parents is unwavering. A parent’s fundamental right to be involved in their child’s education, upbringing, and care should never be undermined by bureaucracy, school divisions or the state. I am pleased to grant Scott Smith this pardon and help him and his family put this injustice behind them once and for all," he added.