Latest news with #DeerfieldPublicSchoolsDistrict109
Chicago Tribune
11-04-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Hundreds crowd Deerfield school board meeting over transgender student dispute
Deerfield Public Schools District 109's board meeting Thursday, which had been moved to the Caruso Middle School auditorium to accommodate the expected large crowd, was quickly filled with hundreds of people. That followed the announcement earlier this week by American First Legal, a conservative nonprofit, that it had filed a complaint with the criminal section of the U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division urging it to investigate District 109 and its administrators over an alleged incident of female students at Shepard Middle School being forced by staffers to change in front of a transgender girl, an allegation the district has denied. All 200 seats were filled, and the crowd also lined the back wall and out the front door. Rainbow and trans flags could be seen sprinkled throughout the crowd, along with a dozen or so Moms for Liberty shirts. Despite it not being an item on the agenda, the controversy was the subject of more than two hours of public comments from residents and nonresidents of the district. There was far more support voiced at the meeting for the school board and the unidentified transgender student than for those on the other side of the controversy. After pro-trans speakers finished talking, cheers could be heard from outside on a slight delay as attendees watched via a livestream. Several speakers read statements they said had been written by parents who were afraid to speak publicly, such as those with transgender or gender nonconforming children. Parents questioned the authenticity of the allegations, while others criticized what they characterized as bullying against the trans community. One of the speakers was 14-year-old transgender student Lilu Weisberger, a classmate of the student at the center of the complaint. He said he chose to attend after learning that Moms for Liberty would be in attendance. 'I am here tonight to speak for my friend,' Weisberger said. 'I am here tonight to defend dignity for all students and I appear to, unfortunately, have to entertain the idea that my community and my identity is not welcome in our school.' He emphasized empathy as his friend is at the center of 'national scrutiny,' and being used as 'an excuse to push a political agenda.' The controversy drew national attention after Nicole Georgas, a mother of one of the students allegedly forced to change in front of a transgender student, went on Fox News with her allegations and criticized the district. There were also some firebrand anti-trans speakers, such as Wheaton College student Hannah Lape, a member of the Christian conservative group Young Women for America, who railed against what she described as 'sexual abuse' and the 'adult fantasy' of 'transgenderism.' In a statement signed by Superintendent of Schools Mike Simeck and school board President Sari Montgomery, the district said it 'strongly' disputed the 'patently false allegations' of students being forced to change in front of administrators or others. It also again insisted the district's policies and procedures were in full compliance with current local, state and federal laws. 'We recognize the intense reaction by advocates from both within and outside our community, and we are committed to communicating factually and transparently,' the statement said. Federal Title IX and the Illinois Human Rights Act prohibit all public school districts from discriminating on the basis of sex, including gender identity, the statement said, and 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,' the district said. The statement said the district was 'sensitive to the privacy needs' of all students. When their two middle schools were renovated in 2017, five private changing rooms were added in each locker room and made available to all students to, 'ensure that no student is required to change into a gym uniform for physical education class in front of others.' 'All students also have multiple options to change in a private location separate from the locker room if they wish,' the statement said. According to the statement, this week the district responded to a data request from federal officials for information regarding the district's policies, procedures and practices related to student locker room and restroom use. The district administration and the board 'stand united with our building leaders and educators in a shared commitment to upholding all applicable local, state, and federal laws,' the statement said. '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,' and condemned 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.' 'The District is committed to serving all of its students and continues to do so with the utmost care and professionalism,' the statement said. 'We call upon all of those expressing concerns or perspectives on this issue with our staff and educators to do so in a respectful and civil manner.' Kristal Larson, executive director of the LGBTQ+ Center Lake County, Avon Township's clerk and a transgender woman, was happy with the 'outpouring of support' she'd seen during the meeting. Deerfield was 'in a good place,' she said. She criticized the allegations being made against the district, calling them a 'narrative of falsehoods.' '(District officials) vehemently deny any of these allegations, and I'm proud of the fact they're standing up for their students and their school, their community, against what has become a very national platform of hate,' Larson said.' Moms for Liberty Lake County chair Marsha McClary said there was 'a lot of misinformation in the community' about the incident that 'needed to be corrected,' and she praised the complaint filed by the AFL. 'There's obviously a lot of passionate parents here, and we have actually a lot of common goals,' McClary said. 'We want the kids to be all treated with respect and have privacy and safety. I think, though, the district and the state can do better.'
Fox News
21-03-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Illinois school district responds to federal probe into allegations of making girls change with transgender
Deerfield Public Schools District 109 has responded to a federal Title IX investigation that was launched over allegations of administrators forcing middle school girls to change in the same locker room as a transgender student. The district provided a statement to Fox News Digital insisting that its actions were rooted in Illinois state law. "Deerfield Public Schools District 109 complies with state law. The Illinois Human Rights Act prohibits all public school districts from discriminating on the basis of sex, including gender identity, and mandates that students must be permitted access to the locker room and bathroom that aligns with their gender identity," the statement read. "We are sensitive to the privacy needs of all of our middle school students and ensure that no student is required to change into a gym uniform for physical education class in front of others. When both our middle schools were renovated in 2017, we added five private changing stations within each locker room that are available to all students. All students also have multiple options to change in a private location separate from the locker room if they wish." The district also says it will work with local families to determine next steps. "The District and the Board are united with our leaders and educators on this issue and have a shared commitment to upholding the law," the statement continued. "The District and the Board call upon all of those expressing concerns or perspectives on this issue with our staff and educators to do so in a respectful and civil manner. We are glad to work with families to address any individual concerns and determine appropriate next steps to support your child's well-being and participation." The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights announced on Thursday that it is launching an investigation into the Illinois Department of Education, the Chicago Public School District 299 and Deerfield Public Schools District 109 over reported Title IX violations. Illinois mother Nicole Georgas brought the situation to light when she filed a civil rights complaint with the U.S. Department of Justice after alleging that school administrators had attempted to force her 13-year-old daughter to change in front of a transgender student in the girls' locker room last month. She revealed the complaint during a Board of Education meeting for Deerfield Public School District 109 last week, claiming the incident had taken place last month after her daughter had refused to change into her uniform during physical education because a biological male student had been present at the time. "The girls want their locker rooms and bathrooms back. They want their privacy back. This is why I'm here tonight. My 13-year-old daughter's well-being, mental health and privacy are at stake," Georgas said during her speech at the board meeting on Thursday. Georgas then raised the issue to the school's administration, noting to them that she believed it was a direct violation of President Donald Trump's Keeping Men out of Women's Sports executive order. She said in her speech that the school administration had informed her that, under the direction of its legal counsel, the transgender student was free to use both the girls' bathroom and the girls' locker room. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Fox News
17-03-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Illinois mother files civil rights complaint, says daughter nearly forced to change in front of trans student
An Illinois mother has filed a civil rights complaint with the Justice Department after claiming that school administrators attempted to force her 13-year-old daughter to change in front of a transgender student in the girls locker room last month. Nicole Georgas revealed the complaint during a Board of Education meeting for Deerfield Public Schools District 109 last week, claiming that the incident took place last month after her daughter refused to change into her uniform during physical education because a biological male student was present at the time. "The girls want their locker rooms and bathrooms back. They want their privacy back. This is why I'm here tonight. My 13-year-old daughter's well-being, mental health, and privacy are at stake," Georgas said during her speech at the board meeting on Thursday. According to Georgas, her daughter was "frightened" and "extremely upset" when on Feb. 5 she was using the girls bathroom and noticed that a transgender student was also using the facilities at the same time. "She was told by the administration that a student can use the bathroom as well as a female locker room because they now identify as female," Georgas said of the explanation administrators allegedly provided to her daughter. Georgas then raised the issue to the school's administration, noting to them that she believed it was a direct violation of President Donald Trump's "Keeping Men out of Women's Sports" executive order. She said in her speech that the administration informed her that, under the direction of their legal counsel, the student was free to use both the girls bathroom and the girls locker room. Fox News Digital reached out to the school district for comment. "That day, I filed a civil rights complaint, on behalf of my daughter, with the Department of Justice. It has now been referred to the Department of Education. A federal complaint has been filed with the district to protect the students." Georgas said the situation worsened when, days later, her daughter and other classmates refused to change into her uniform during physical education because the transgender student was present. She claimed that the following day, school administrators pulled the girls aside and later made them change into uniform. "That day, [Assistant Superintendent for Student Services] Joanna Ford, [Assistant Principal] Cathy Van Treese, and multiple teachers all came into the girls locker room, making them change into uniform. This went on all week," she said, adding that her daughter still "refused to take part." As part of Georgas' speech, she "demanded" the district move forward with designating facilities for biological males and biological females. Georgas appeared on "America Reports" last week when she expressed her biggest concern regarding the situation. "This sets such a dangerous precedent for girls everywhere by allowing men into safe places. My biggest concern is that an adult, biological male — that hasn't transitioned — can freely access women's bathrooms [and] locker rooms, putting their safety and privacy at risk. This is common sense." Fox News Digital contacted the Justice Department and the Education Department for comment on the complaint. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
