Neighbor News
Renowned Pediatrician Weighs in on District 211 Situation
President of the American College of Pediatricians sends letter to D211 Board of Education and Superintendent Cates.
The President of the American College of Pediatricians, Michelle Cretella M.D., sent a letter to the District 211 Board of Education and Superintendent Dan Cates just hours before last Thursday’s Board of Education meeting. During the Board Meeting, a member of D211 Parents for Privacy read the letter during public comment. Here is a link to the full text:
http://d211parentsforprivacy.weebly.com/resources.html.
The letter is a powerful resource to help parents and community members understand the situation raging in District 211 and other school districts in the nation regarding privacy for minor children in schools.
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The grassroots group of parents, D211 Parents for Privacy, has been working since before Thanksgiving to inform the community on a solution that would respect the rights and needs of all students, including those with gender dysphoria and gender identity issues.
In a 5-2 vote in December, the Board voted to grant access to the girls’ locker room at Fremd High School to a male student. The vote was despite hundreds of parents and community members turning out, including attorney Peter Breen who addressed the Board regarding the lack of legal backing the federal Dept. of Education’s Office for Civil Rights had with its Title IX claim.
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Federal law allows for the separation of bathrooms and locker rooms by biological sex, as does the Illinois Human Rights Act. Mr. Breen explained to the Board the Title IX claim of discrimination has not held up in court when challenged. The unelected Dept. of Ed has no authority to legislate. In order to rewrite Title IX, it would have to go through Congress. Many parents, and even some students, pleaded with the Board to retain local control, to not settle, to follow the law, and to consider all children’s needs in these private, intimate spaces.
The five Board members (Burke, Hinshaw, Klimkowicz, LeFevre, Scharringhausen) gave in to the demands of the OCR while Dombrowski and Recker voted to protect all children.
For more information, visit D211 Parents for Privacy on Facebook or visit their website: http://www.d211parentsforprivacy.weebly.com.
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