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On March 18, the Defense of Freedom Institute for Policy Studies and the Liberty Justice Center filed a joint federal civil-rights complaint against the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) and Chicago Public Schools (CPS) for extending Title IX protections to include gender identity, saying those guidelines conflict with the Trump administration’s policy, according to Crain’s Chicago Business, citing Chalkbeat.
The groups claim that the state board and CPS are violating Title IX by “forcing students to share bathrooms, locker rooms, and overnight accommodations with members of the opposite sex, based solely on self-declared ‘gender identity,’” a press release stated.
The press release also said, “The complaint also exposes the lengths to which ISBE has gone to prevent parental notification and involvement in these issues. The complaint highlights sample procedures provided to school districts by ISBE that state, ‘Students shall be permitted to participate in overnight [school] trips in accordance with their gender identity; with other students who share their gender identity; or in a manner that makes them feel safe, affirmed, and included.’” A continuation of that allegation stated, “These sample procedures go on to require schools to make these arrangements in secret, without parental notification, approval, or opportunity to opt out.”
An ISBE spokesperson said the agency “cannot comment on matters pending before [the] Office of Civil Rights.”
Title IX is a federal law that protects students against sex-based discrimination. Under the Biden administration, new regulations were created to include gender identity. After a federal judge overturned Biden’s Title IX rules in January, schools went back to rules under the first Trump administration, which do not include protections for queer students.
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