Letter Asks D211 to Give Transgender Students Open Access to Locker Rooms

Twenty-nine parents and students from Township High School District 211 released an open letter Wednesday encouraging the district to allow students open access to use school bathrooms and locker rooms that match their gender identity. 

RELATED: Read the Complete Open Letter From D211 Parents and Students

The group released the letter through the Illinois chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union as part of a response to the case of a transgender Fremd High School student, known as Student A, who was initially denied use of her school's girls' locker room last fall. An eventual agreement in December 2015 between the D211 and the U.S. Department of Education, however, stipulated that the student would be given a private area in the locker room but not be allowed open access. The ACLU has been representing Student A in this case.

"We believe …  the District can do better by clarifying that all transgender students may use the locker rooms consistent with their gender identity and without restricting these students, and only the students who are transgender, to dressing behind privacy curtains," the letter stated. "We know that schools across the nation permit students who are transgender to use the gender-appropriate restrooms and locker rooms, without any reported problems or incidents." (Editor's note: italics emphasis is included in the original letter.)

More Coverage on Patch

• 'Student A' Enters Current Legal Fray Over D211 Transgender Policy
• ACLU to File Motion to Derail Lawsuit Over D211's Transgender Locker Room Policy
• 51 Families Sue Palatine District 211 Over Transgender Student's Locker Room Use
• District 211 Reaches Settlement With Feds in Transgender Case
• District 211: Transgender Student Not Allowed Open Acess to Locker Room

The letter also asked for more understanding and respect from the district community when it comes to diversity and differing viewpoints. It also requested : 

"We believe that accepting and integrating transgender students into all aspects of the student body enhances the educational environment and quality of life in District 211 because students who are transgender are a diverse and talented group whose gifts and skills contribute and lift up the entire student body. We also believe that welcoming students as full members of our community teaches all students the critical lesson of accepting those who are different from themselves and finding ways to live with and learn from them. We believe that a majority of students in the District want transgender students to be treated fairly and would like District’s policies to reflect their views and serve as a model for the rest of our community."

In May, a conservative Christian group representing 51 Palatine-area families filed a lawsuit against D211 and the Department of Education over allowing Student A access to the Fremd's girls' locker room. Since that filing, she stopped changing in the locker room and went to gym class in street clothes to avoid unwanted attention. 

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