Youngkin Grants Full Pardon to Loudon County Dad

On Friday, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin issued a full pardon for a Loudon County dad convicted of resisting arrest during a 2021 Loudon County School Board meeting.

Two years ago, a video of Scott Smith, the father of a Loudon County high schooler, went viral, making national headlines. Smith’s daughter had been sexually assaulted in the girls' bathroom by a male student — an event that had been made possible by the school’s policy, which allowed students to use whichever bathroom aligned with their gender identity. That student was later found guilty of sexual battery, abduction, and two counts of sodomy.

Smith wasn’t the only parent to express frustration with the manner in which the school had handled the case, but he was the most prominent. His attorneys said in a statement that,

"Because Scott dared to stand up for his daughter, and courageously stood up for all parents of children in the public school system, he was attacked by those who pushed radical school policies over the protection of students, he was vilified by the media, and he was outrageously branded a ‘domestic terrorist.’"

Youngkin announced Smith’s pardon shortly after his “Parents Matter” tour last month, in which he visited public schools around Virginia, promising parents that he would ensure they “have a bigger say in how public schools are run.”

Smith’s pardon is not just a victory for him and his family — it’s a victory for parents across the country who are increasingly standing up to schoolboards in an attempt to protect their children.