Equity & Diversity News in Brief

Transgender Supporters Survive Ballot-Box Challenge in Illinois

By The Associated Press — April 18, 2017 1 min read
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School board candidates who supported a plan to let a transgender student use the girls’ locker room at a suburban Chicago school have survived an election challenge.

This month’s contest focused on Palatine’s Township High School District 211’s practice allowing the student, who has lived as a girl since middle school, to use the girls’ locker rooms with the understanding she would use a private changing station that other students also can access, as well as the girls’ restrooms. The policy followed a 2013 federal complaint, packed board meetings, and intervention from former President Barack Obama’s administration.

Opposition to its practice re-emerged on the campaign trail, with three candidates saying a top priority was to overhaul the policy.

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A version of this article appeared in the April 19, 2017 edition of Education Week as Transgender Supporters Survive Ballot-Box Challenge in Illinois

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