Virginia AG Candidate Jay Jones Puts Children in Danger of Sexual Abuse

Virginia Democrat Attorney General candidate Jay Jones  took a public stand against protecting vulnerable children. As a Virginia Delegate in 2020, Jones voted to remove some mandatory reporting laws for sex crimes against minors. Jones voted in favor of House Bill 257 that removed the requirement for school principals to report misdemeanor crimes to law enforcement, including sexual abuse and battery.

Virginia defines misdemeanor sexual battery as someone who sexually abuses a person against their will. Sexual abuse is defined in § 18.2-67.10:

"Sexual abuse" means an act committed with the intent to sexually molest, arouse, or gratify any person, where:

a. The accused intentionally touches the complaining witness's intimate parts or material directly covering such intimate parts;

b. The accused forces the complaining witness to touch the accused's, the witness's own, or another person's intimate parts or material directly covering such intimate parts;

c. If the complaining witness is under the age of 13, the accused causes or assists the complaining witness to touch the accused's, the witness's own, or another person's intimate parts or material directly covering such intimate parts; or

d. The accused forces another person to touch the complaining witness's intimate parts or material directly covering such intimate parts.

The bill narrowly passed even with a strong Democrat majority in the Virginia legislature at the time—9 Democrat delegates abstained.

(READ MORE: VIRGINIA: Jay Jones Champions Corporate Elites Over Everyday Virginians)

Republican Minority Leader Todd Gilbert questioned the patron of HB 257, Del. Mike Mullin (D), asking for clarification on the bill’s language. In a shocking exchange, Mullin admitted that sexual battery would not be required to be reported to law enforcement by school principles. Democrats can’t deny the intentions of the law.

Sexual Abuse is a Reality in Virginia Schools

For 8 years I served on the school board of one of the largest districts in Virginia. As school board members, we reviewed disciplinary cases appealed to the board. I can attest that sexual abuse and battery in schools is a much bigger threat than a student bringing a gun to school. I reviewed multiple cases of sexual abuse in schools, even though only a small percentage of discipline cases come before the school board.

According to an American University report, over 12,000 sexual assaults occurred in Virginia schools from 2015-2019. Yet legislators like Jay Jones push for abolishing school resource officers (police) and advocate for soft on crime policies that harm children.

Thanks to Jones, for two years, children across the Commonwealth were put in danger of not being protected from sexual predators.

Jason Miyares and Republicans Take a Stand

Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares voted against HB 257 as a delegate, and he has a proven track record of taking a stand to protect children in Virginia. When a child was sexually assaulted in a Loudoun County school bathroom, Miyares opened an investigation and convened a grand jury when the school district failed to act.

The grand jury found that the Loudoun County attacker was transferred to another school after he sexually assaulted a victim in a school bathroom in May 2021. In June 2021, the superintendent—at a public-school board meeting—denied the division had any sexual assaults in their bathrooms. In September 2021, the same attacker harassed multiple students, including grabbing a female by the shoulder asking her and others if they had ever “posted nudes online.” The grand jury commented about the egregious nature of the events saying:

Despite having a twelve-page disciplinary file, wearing an ankle monitor, being closely monitored by the Broad Run principal, knowledge of this incident by the highest administrators in LCPS, and a suggestion by the court services unit that a more serious punishment be given, the individual received nothing more than a verbal admonishment for these actions.

Less than a month later in October 2021, the attacker struck again, sexually assaulting another student. He snatched a female from the hallway, “nearly asphyxiated her, and sexually assaulted her.” The 15-year old attacker was ultimately charged and sentenced to a locked, residential treatment facility until he turns 18.

Under HB 257, supported by Jay Jones, the principal would have no requirement to report sexual battery at the time of these incidents. Thankfully in 2022, led by Republicans and joined by several moderate Democrats, the law was overturned.

Schools can be considered persistently dangerous and lose accreditation. Principals and superintendents are incentivized to not report discipline infractions in their schools because the information is publicized through the Virginia Department of Education. Instead of properly disciplining students, schools are covering up the infractions to give a false sense of safety.

The state legislature needs to hold schools accountable for a lack of discipline and consequences rather than removing the reporting requirements and going soft on abusers. Jay Jones wants to be the chief legal officer of Virginia—despite his support for this inexplicable bill. His soft on crime policies won’t keep the commonwealth safe.

(READ MORE: VIRGINIA: Dem AG Candidate Jay Jones Puts Students' Lives at Risk to Attack Gun Rights)