Through a public records request, Arlington Public Schools (APS) provided Defending Education with documents regarding Richard Cox, the registered sex offender who identifies as a woman and faces multiple charges for allegedly exposing his naked body in female locker rooms at the public school facilities.

The 58-year-old man faces more than 20 charges related to his visits to APS’s Washington Liberty High School and Wakefield High School pools, which are owned and operated by the school district and open to the public outside of school hours, as well as the county’s Barcroft Sports and Fitness Center.

Under the Arlington County and the APS policies, individuals are allowed to use restrooms and locker rooms based on their chosen gender identity, enabling Cox to enter school and county female locker rooms.

According to the Arlington County Police Department, Cox exposed his genitals in the women’s locker room at Washington-Liberty High School pool on October 21, 2024, where he was arrested and charged with Indecent Exposure, Sex Offender on School or Day Car Property and Sex Offender Loiter Near School/Day Care/Park/Playground.

In January 2025, the Arlington Public Schools said it was working with the Arlington County Board on “talking points” regarding the “W-L Pool Incident,” reiterating APS policy that “permits pool patrons to access restrooms and facilities that correspond to their gender identity” and that the “incident happened during community use hours.”

The district emphasized that because the Aquatics Centers are community use, “they do not have the same visitor management procedures as schools do.”

Cox allegedly provided false identification when visiting facilities and used a variety of aliases, the district told a Washington Post reporter on background in February 2025. Following the scandal, APS changed their policy to check identification and run names through a sex offender registry for pool access.

“APS runs ID checks against the sex offender database for entering school buildings for visitors during the school day through a Raptor Visitor Management System. Those same security measures are now extended to the pool facilities. This does not apply to other after-school, non-school activities,” the district told WaPo. “It is important to note that once the individual was known to be a sex offender, they were strictly prohibited from entering the APS pools and was never admitted after that point.”

In response to questions from the media, the district looped in the county board, which stated that their policy is to not check identification in an effort to be inclusive.

“In an effort to maintain open and accessible community centers, the County does not check IDs at each entry point,” the county said in its statement. “We do use a visitor scanning system for individuals and families who have memberships and passes for fitness and programs.”

APS Superintendent Dr. Francisco Durán told a reporter in April 2025 that following the incidents involving Cox, additional signage was added in the Aquatic Centers and guidance was provided to patrons about facility usage.

“Additionally, we now require a 100% ID check against the sex offender database before being allowed to enter any APS pool. APS has also assigned a School Safety Coordinator (SSC) to each pool to help manage and monitor pool safety and security and oversee visitor management. On weekends, APS contracts with an outside security vendor to provide coverage,” the statement said.

He added that the APS “will not tolerate any behavior that compromises the well-being of our community” and “will continue to foster an inclusive community for everyone.”

When the reporter followed up, clarifying that APS policy still allowed biological men to enter a female locker room if they identify as transgender, Durán said “APS follows both Virginia and Fourth Circuit law which requires that all individuals within the Commonwealth are safeguarded from the unlawful discrimination because of gender identity ‘in places of public accommodation'” and “permits individuals to use locker rooms that correspond to their gender identity.”

At a February 2025 school board meeting, Superintendent Durán said APS “did not knowingly admit a sex offender into any of our aquatic facilities.”

He also said the district is “strengthening the security protocols for signing into our facilities, community use, pool access requirements during non-school hours will mirror those during our standard time during the day of a 100% ID check against the sex offender database before anyone is allowed to enter any of our facilities, including the after school non-community time. This system will be in place no later than the end of February.”