A special grand jury is looking into how Loudoun County Public Schools handled two sexual assaults

A special grand jury has been called in Virginia to investigate how the school system handled two sexual assaults last year, according to a Loudoun County Public Schools official.

Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares was ordered by Gov. Glenn Youngkin to launch a “comprehensive investigation” of the education system following two sexual assaults committed by the same kid at two different high schools.

In juvenile court, the then-15-year-old kid was held liable for both assaults, which occurred in a lavatory at Stone Bridge High in May and in an empty classroom at Broad Run High in October.

NEW @WTOP: Loudoun County Public Schools says it’s aware a special grand jury has been convened regarding Gov. Youngkin’s Exec Order 4 which authorized @JasonMiyaresVA to investigate 2 sex assaults at local high schools.

— Neal Augenstein (@AugensteinWTOP) April 13, 2022

According to @LCPSOfficial, “Superintendent Ziegler and the Loudoun County School Board directed LCPS staff to take several steps to help protect our students from such incidents happening in the future.”

— Neal Augenstein (@AugensteinWTOP) April 13, 2022

When asked if a special grand jury had been constituted, an attorney general spokesman told WTOP that she couldn’t comment on ongoing investigations. On Tuesday, when asked about the probe, Youngkin declined to elaborate.

According to a school spokesman Superintendent Scott Ziegler and the Loudoun County School Board has already taken steps “to help protect our students from such incidents happening in the future,” including retooling Title IX policies and developing a more robust process for alternative school placements for students accused of serious misconduct.

Last year, Ziegler apologized on behalf of the school system for its treatment of the two assaults, claiming that the institution failed to create a safe environment for students.

The many assaults sparked debate about what information school officials and the sheriff’s office revealed to the public, with the school system accused of covering up.

Youngkin’s executive order dated January 15 asked Miyares to “initiate and coordinate investigative and prosecutorial actions” in the investigation.

While both Youngkin and Miyares campaigned on the notion of a school board cover-up, Miyares’ office has not stated what crime he is looking into. Wednesday afternoon, his spokesman declined to elaborate.

When contacted by WTOP, Buta Biberaj, Commonwealth’s Attorney for Loudoun County, stated, “No one in our office has been aware of any special grand jury being constituted, and no one has been subpoenaed.”

Kraig Troxell, a spokeswoman for the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office, said to WTOP, “We are not aware of any people from our department that have been subpoenaed for a special grand jury.”