#HimToo? Accused of Sexual Misconduct, Male Student Claims Discrimination in Federal Lawsuit

A Virginia high school student and his father have filed a lawsuit in federal court against the Fairfax County Public Schools, claiming the school discriminated against the student because of his gender, after he was accused of sexual misconduct. The plaintiffs claim three female students “colluded” in their accusations against the boy and that his rights under Title IX were violated. Title IX prohibits sex discrimination in any school that receives federal money. The boy was reassigned to a different school to finish up the 2017-2018 school year.

In an article published in The Washington Post, it is noted that the lawsuit:

“[. . . ] alleges the district “treats male students accused of sexual misconduct by female students more aggressively than it otherwise would” in order to “be perceived as aggressively addressing the perceptions that sexual assault against female students is rampant on campuses.”

The lawsuit comes at a time during the heightened period of the national recognition of the pervasiveness of sexual harassment and assault.

More Resources

Va. student accused of sexual misconduct says school discriminated against him, The Washington Post, October 8, 2018.

Title IX Of The Education Amendments Of 1972, 20 U.S.C. § 1681 et. seq.

 

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