Trans student charged with assaulting classmates in girls' bathroom was enrolled as a girl
An Oklahoma high school revealed that a trans-identified student charged with assaulting two female classmates in the women's restroom was enrolled in school as a girl, and administrators were unaware of the student's male biological sex.
In response to a Friday inquiry from The Christian Post, the office of Superintendent Angela Grunewald said that Edmond Memorial High School planned to release a video to parents Friday afternoon providing further context about the incident that has made the headlines.
Susan Parks-Schlepp, a spokesperson for Edmond Public Schools, said administrators from the school investigated an injury involving three students in the women's restroom on Oct. 26.
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"During the course of the investigation, it was discovered that one of the students involved in the fight is transgender and was using the women's restroom in violation of state law and district policy #5540, which requires students to use restrooms according to the sex on their birth certificate," she wrote in a Friday statement.
The spokesperson noted that the student had only begun attending the school days before the incident, and administrators were not aware of the student's "birth gender." She also shared that the student had been enrolled as a female and that the family did not provide a birth certificate at the time of enrollment but promised that documentation was forthcoming.
"Those involved in the fight have received consequences in accordance with both district policy #5540 and state law (Senate Bill 615)," Parks-Schlepp stated. "The student no longer attends Edmond Memorial High School."
As the feminist website Reduxx reported Monday, a police report dated Oct. 26 reveals that a trans-identified student received a juvenile sentence after injuring two female classmates. The trans-identified student reportedly initiated a fight with the girls in the women's restroom.
Police arrived at the school at approximately 8 a.m. in response to a call that a fight had broken out at the school. The responding officer noted that one of the female students, whose name was redacted from the report due to her age, had "several red areas" on her face and swelling on both of her eyes.
The girl claimed that the trans-identified student, identified by the letter A in the report, approached her in the women's restroom while she was talking to her friends. She said that A tried to speak with her, but she ignored him, which reportedly made A angry. A then allegedly asked the student if she "wanted to fight."
A allegedly hit the female student in the face, and the girl said in a statement to police that she was not strong enough to fight back due to the force of the blow. The girl said that A pulled her hair, forcing her to the ground, and began repeatedly kicking and punching her face.
Another female student was reportedly punched twice in the face by A after she tried to stop the assault.
The report described the female who tried to intervene as having injuries to her "eye, face, and head with a possible concussion." Two other witnesses corroborated the victim's story, stating that A struck the first girl, who did not fight back.
In a statement to the police, the trans-identified student said he tried to talk with the first victim to "pay her back" for clothes he had stolen from her. According to the police report, A's parents arrived to pick him up after the assault, and the parent claimed that A assaulted the girl for teasing him about identifying as the opposite sex.
A's parents claim that the victim made "cyberbullying posts" about their child on social media. The police asked the posts be removed to help resolve the conflict. After the assault, A reportedly posted something negative online about the girl who intervened in the fight, but her parents declined to press charges, citing the ones already being pursued.
A was charged with assault and battery and disorderly conduct, as Reduxx reported.
The charges against the student come as there has been much attention on altercations in school bathrooms in light of policies being enacted by school districts across the country to allow trans-identified students to use bathrooms and locker rooms based on their gender identity.
As The Christian Post reported, an incident occurred last year at the Loudoun County Public School District in Virginia. A trans-identified male student sexually assaulted two female students at two separate schools in the district.
The first incident, in May 2021, took place at Stone Bridge High School. The assailant reportedly wore a skirt at the time. The student was transferred to Broad Run High School, where he sexually assaulted another female student on Oct. 6.
According to a special grand jury report released earlier this month, the incident on Oct. 6, 2021, could have been prevented, but LCPS's "lack of curiosity and adherence to operating in silos" allowed the assault to occur.
The report also claimed that the administrators were "looking out for their own interests," noting the lack of action to prevent the assaults or notify parents after they occurred. At the time, the Loudoun County School Board was considering a policy that has since been enacted to allow trans students access to bathrooms based on their gender identity.
Earlier this week, a Loudoun County judge ordered the unsealing of four indictments issued by the special grand jury against former Superintendent Scott Ziegler. The jury also indicted the school system's public information officer Wayde Byard.
The school board voted to fire Ziegler last week due to the district leader's response to the sexual assaults.
During a June 2021 school board meeting, the former superintendent told parents, "we don't have any records of assaults occurring in our restrooms." Ziegler made the statement in response to parents who expressed concern about the proposed policy to allow trans-identified students to use the restroom that aligns with their gender identity.
Loudoun County Sheriff Michael Chapman accused the former superintendent of lying in a Nov. 10 letter, noting that Ziegler sent an email to school board members about the May assault, "invalidating" his public statement.
Samantha Kamman is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: samantha.kamman@christianpost.com. Follower her on Twitter: @Samantha_Kamman
