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School Board Approves Controversial Deal In Transgender Student Case
After months of negotiations, the battle over locker room access for a
transgender student in Illinois is over. The Township High School District
211, about 30 miles northwest of Chicago, approved a deal with the
Department of Education in the early hours of the morning. The agreement
ends the threat of the district losing millions of dollars in federal funds,
but, as NPR's Cheryl Corley reports, some parents are not happy with the
decision.
CHERYL CORLEY, BYLINE: About 400 people, mostly adults and a few students,
filled row after row of folding chairs in a high school cafeteria turned
into an auditorium for District 211's special school board meeting.
The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights ruled last month
the school district had violated federal law by not allowing a student who
was born a male and identifies as female full access to the girls' rock
locker room. Jessica Miller, who has a 16-year-old daughter in the school
district, was one of many parents urging the board to keep that policy in
place.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
JESSICA MILLER: I kept hearing that a majority of the students are on board
with this. Well, I spoke with my daughter and majority of their friends, and
, believe me, that is not true. Our girls are feeling helpless, but they
refuse to speak out because they fear retaliation from those who are very
vocal.
(APPLAUSE)
CORLEY: The ACLU helped the student file a federal complaint against the
district two years ago, and the Office of Civil Rights told the district it
had violated the Title IX law that banned sex discrimination, a charge
Miller and others called an overreach by the government.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
MILLER: We are just parents with a mission to protect our children's rights
and privacy and their well-being.
CORLEY: But Hannah Garst, whose two children will attend the same high
school as the transgender student, says it was the school district that was
overreaching.
HANNAH GARST: Because if privacy is the issue then let's solve that issue by
giving privacy to everyone and requiring everyone to use discretion when
undressing or changing.
CORLEY: And 17-year-old Jake Lytle, a student in the district, told the
board members to think about what sort of history they wanted to make, just
as other boards had to face difficult questions, like...
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
JAKE LYTLE: Should they integrate a school or continue with the forced
separation by race? Should students who are openly gay and lesbian be
welcomed and protected from discrimination and harassment?
CORLEY: And Lytle said the board should be as bold as others and accept the
settlement and negotiate it with the Department of Education. For nearly
three hours, the board met in closed session, ultimately voting yes on the
agreement which allows the transgender student to use private areas within
the locker room. Those who stayed to wait for the decision said they felt
betrayed.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: We're going to sue you guys.
CORLEY: District 211 Superintendent Daniel Cates says he understands the
disappointment, but he says the agreement is not a district-wide policy.
DANIEL CATES: This agreement pertains to a single student, and in doing so
we believe that we have safeguarded not only our ability to move forward
with other students, but also to safeguard other districts who would like to
make their decisions locally.
CORLEY: Cates says in developing the policy, the community and the board
struggled with an extremely sensitive situation. Federal officials have to
sign off on the deal. Cheryl Corley, NPR News, Hoffman Estates, Ill.
After months of negotiations, the battle over locker room access for a
transgender student in Illinois is over. The Township High School District
211, about 30 miles northwest of Chicago, approved a deal with the
Department of Education in the early hours of the morning. The agreement
ends the threat of the district losing millions of dollars in federal funds,
but, as NPR's Cheryl Corley reports, some parents are not happy with the
decision.
CHERYL CORLEY, BYLINE: About 400 people, mostly adults and a few students,
filled row after row of folding chairs in a high school cafeteria turned
into an auditorium for District 211's special school board meeting.
The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights ruled last month
the school district had violated federal law by not allowing a student who
was born a male and identifies as female full access to the girls' rock
locker room. Jessica Miller, who has a 16-year-old daughter in the school
district, was one of many parents urging the board to keep that policy in
place.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
JESSICA MILLER: I kept hearing that a majority of the students are on board
with this. Well, I spoke with my daughter and majority of their friends, and
, believe me, that is not true. Our girls are feeling helpless, but they
refuse to speak out because they fear retaliation from those who are very
vocal.
(APPLAUSE)
CORLEY: The ACLU helped the student file a federal complaint against the
district two years ago, and the Office of Civil Rights told the district it
had violated the Title IX law that banned sex discrimination, a charge
Miller and others called an overreach by the government.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
MILLER: We are just parents with a mission to protect our children's rights
and privacy and their well-being.
CORLEY: But Hannah Garst, whose two children will attend the same high
school as the transgender student, says it was the school district that was
overreaching.
HANNAH GARST: Because if privacy is the issue then let's solve that issue by
giving privacy to everyone and requiring everyone to use discretion when
undressing or changing.
CORLEY: And 17-year-old Jake Lytle, a student in the district, told the
board members to think about what sort of history they wanted to make, just
as other boards had to face difficult questions, like...
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
JAKE LYTLE: Should they integrate a school or continue with the forced
separation by race? Should students who are openly gay and lesbian be
welcomed and protected from discrimination and harassment?
CORLEY: And Lytle said the board should be as bold as others and accept the
settlement and negotiate it with the Department of Education. For nearly
three hours, the board met in closed session, ultimately voting yes on the
agreement which allows the transgender student to use private areas within
the locker room. Those who stayed to wait for the decision said they felt
betrayed.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: We're going to sue you guys.
CORLEY: District 211 Superintendent Daniel Cates says he understands the
disappointment, but he says the agreement is not a district-wide policy.
DANIEL CATES: This agreement pertains to a single student, and in doing so
we believe that we have safeguarded not only our ability to move forward
with other students, but also to safeguard other districts who would like to
make their decisions locally.
CORLEY: Cates says in developing the policy, the community and the board
struggled with an extremely sensitive situation. Federal officials have to
sign off on the deal. Cheryl Corley, NPR News, Hoffman Estates, Ill.
