Fairfax Schools Under Investigation for Sexual Assault Allegations

The Education Department announced on Tuesday that it is investigating Fairfax County Public Schools over reports of sexual assault on 12 female students. The Fairfax Police Department said Israel Flores Ortiz, an 18-year-old student, turned himself in on March 7 and has been charged with 13 counts of assault and battery.

The victims reported that Ortiz groped them from the back and front and stuck his hand between the girls' legs, according to a local news outlet. One mother stated that the assailant was a stranger to the girls, who would sneak up behind them to commit the acts.

Ortiz is being held on no bond and has a court appearance in April.

Fairfax County Public Schools stated that they will cooperate with the Education Department and have requested an outside independent law firm to review the matter. The district added that, in addition to the law enforcement investigation, Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid has requested that FCPS retain an independent outside law firm to conduct a comprehensive review of this matter.

The goal is to establish a definitive understanding of what occurred, when it occurred, and confirm that all policies, procedures, and regulations were properly followed. The firm of McGuireWoods will conduct this thorough, objective, and independent review.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reported that Ortiz came to the U.S. illegally from El Salvador in 2024. DHS stated that they are calling on Fairfax County to honor their detainer to ensure this violent criminal is removed from the country so he can never claim another victim again.

The Hill has reached out to DHS for comment. The Education Department indicated that this is just the latest in investigations that have been opened against schools in Northern Virginia.

The Education Department noted that Virginia's experiment with radical gender ideology, race-based admissions systems, far-Left indoctrination, and unlawful discrimination have inflicted immeasurable harm on students, and that this must stop. It pointed to the investigation it opened into the five Northern Virginia school districts that allow transgender women in female locker rooms and bathrooms.

The department said that female students have reported avoiding using the restroom at school because the policies make them feel unsafe and uncomfortable. The Trump administration has gone after numerous states, universities, and K-12 districts that allow transgender women on female sports teams and in female bathrooms.