DEERFIELD, In poor health. – A big crowd packed a Deerfield center faculty and spilled onto the sidewalk Thursday night time as tensions flared over an alleged locker room incident involving a transgender scholar.
Whereas the Deerfield District 109 faculty board made no determination, the assembly drew dozens of audio system — a lot of them LGBTQ+ advocates — in a present of help that was met with repeated applause.
What we all know:
The controversy facilities round a 13-year-old lady who alleged earlier this yr that she was compelled to vary in entrance of a transgender classmate or face disciplinary motion.
District 109 stated it’s following state and federal legal guidelines that enable college students to make use of locker rooms and bogs aligned with their gender identification.
In response to the general public outcry, the district stated in an announcement:
“We’re delicate to the privateness wants of all our center faculty college students and be certain that no scholar is required to vary right into a gymnasium uniform for bodily training class in entrance of others. When each our center faculties had been renovated in 2017, we added 5 personal altering stations inside every locker room which are out there to all college students. All college students have a number of choices to vary in a non-public location separate from the locker room if they want,” the district stated.
Nonetheless, the lady’s household is looking for modifications — together with limiting entry to bogs and locker rooms based mostly on organic intercourse.
District officers stated they “strongly dispute the patently false allegations that college students had been compelled to vary in entrance of directors or others” and added they’ll “vigorously help directors and employees each step of the best way.”
What’s subsequent:
The district additionally condemned threats reportedly made towards faculty directors, saying nobody must be focused for complying with the legislation.
The lady’s mom has filed a grievance with the U.S. Division of Justice.
