Settlement Could be Reached This Week in District 211 Transgender Case

A resolution may soon be reached between Palatine Township High School District 211 and the Office of Civil Rights surrounding the rights of a local transgender student.

The local school board will meet Wednesday in closed session to “discuss probable or imminent litigation against, affecting or on behalf of the public body and matters pertaining to an individual student.” They will reconvene in open session where they are expected to vote on a ”proposed Office for Civil Rights resolution agreement,” according to school board documents.

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The possible settlement comes after the school district’s decision to bar a transgender student full access to the girl’s locker room has received national attention in recent weeks. Federal authorities concluded a two-year investigation in early November and determined the school district was violating Title IX by not allowing the student full access to the locker room, according to the Chicago Tribune.

The decision, education officials said, was the first of its kind regarding the rights of transgender students, the New York Times reports. The student, who identifies as a girl but was born a male, plays on a girls sports team for District 211.

Palatine Township High School District Superintendent Dan Cates said in October the school district was protecting the privacy of all its students when they decided not to allow the student full access to the locker room -- even if it was required by federal law. The student and the student’s family filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights seeking unrestricted access to the locker room at the student’s school.

The student in question has identified as a girl for years and school officials agreed in recent weeks to put up privacy curtains in the girls locker room and the student said she would use the curtains or a restroom stall if she was allowed into the locker room, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Still, federal authorities said those efforts were not enough since the district was requiring the student to use the private area without giving her a say in the matter, the newspaper reports. The school district could face loss of federal funding if it does not fully comply. The school district received $6 million in federal funds last year, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

The special school board meeting Wednesday will be held at 7:30 p.m. at Conant High School in Hoffman Estates, according to the Chicago Tribune. The board meeting was moved to accommodate what could be a big crowd.

Tom Peterson told the Daily Herald that a vote in favor of the proposed agreement by the school board could put an end to the disagreement but did not provide any more details on what that agreement may entail.

Read more on the Daily Herald.

Get Caught up on Our Full Coverage on Patch

• District 211: Transgender Student Not Allowed Open Access to Locker Room
• District 211 Transgender Case Making National Headlines
• Local Residents Sound Off on District 211 Decision on Transgender Student
• Fremd Student Starts Petition in Favor of Allowing Transgender Students Access to Locker Rooms
• Mother of Transgender Student Who Was Denied Access to Locker Room Speaks Out