Parents gave the Deerfield Public Schools District 109 board an earful April 10—with audience members speaking for and against the trans community—over claims that middle-school age students were forced to change gym clothes in a locker room in front of a transgender classmate, according to CBS News. The district insists the alleged incident never occurred.
“The recent bullying and scapegoating of trans community has made me question what kind of town we’re becoming,” one parent told the board.
Last month, parents alleged that girls who attend Shepard Middle School were forced to change into gym clothes in front of a trans classmate in the girls’ locker room.
The organization Moms with Liberty Lake County has argued that the district should change its entire policy and “comply with the executive order of Donald Trump—which requires the spaces to be biologically based.” Conservative nonprofit America First Legal announced that it had filed a complaint with the criminal section of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, asking it to investigate District 109 and its administrators over the alleged incident, The Chicago Tribune/Lake County News-Sun reported.
However, Kristal Larson, of the LGBTQ+ Center, said, “We fought hard for these policies with our allies at Equality Illinois to ensure the rights of all people are reserved.”
Superintendent of Schools Michael V. Simeck and Board President Sari Montgomery signed a letter dated April 11 that stated, in part, “The Deerfield Public Schools District 109 Board of Education and administration strongly dispute the patently false allegations that students were forced to change in front of administrators or others. … Federal Title IX and the Illinois Human Rights Act prohibit all public school districts from discriminating on the basis of sex, including gender identity. Current laws mandate that students must be permitted access to the locker room and bathroom that aligns with their gender identity. We are following the law.
“We will vigorously support administrators and staff every step of the way. The District is pursuing all avenues to defend against the egregious and false claims being alleged. We further condemn the unjustified threats that have been directed at school administrators since the false allegations first surfaced in February. No one should be targeted on social media or elsewhere for obeying the law.”