Community debate at District 128 meeting spotlights gender-support guidelines after locker-room incident

The District 128 Board of Education heard extended public comment Sept. 29 on the district’s gender-support guidelines after parents said a biological male student entered a Libertyville High School girls’ locker room last year.

Speakers argued sharply over whether the district’s gender-support practices protect students or create safety and parental-notice gaps. Several parents said they had filed Freedom of Information Act requests and raised legal claims; other community members, staff and nonprofit leaders urged the board to maintain inclusive policies in compliance with Illinois law.

Why it matters: Board policy on gender support affects student privacy, parental notification and how schools assign access to private spaces such as locker rooms and restrooms. Commenters framed the issue as both a legal and a community-safety question that could provoke litigation or policy changes.

Opponents said the district’s process lacks objective criteria and failed to provide parents with advance notice. At the meeting, Arnie Navarro, identifying himself as a District 128 taxpayer and lawyer, said his FOIA requests showed “absolutely no objective criteria or process by which District 128 decides to grant or deny a GSP,” and called the process “completely arbitrary.” Navarro told the board parents received no advance notice and were informed after the fact that alternative private facilities existed.

Some speakers urged legal action. Jake Schulman, identifying himself as a 2019 BHHS graduate, alleged multiple federal and state violations by the district and said he had contacted the FBI; his comments named Title IX, the U.S. Constitution’s 14th Amendment, the Illinois Human Rights Act and other statutes by way of claimed legal exposure.

Supporters of the district’s guidelines defended inclusion and cited state protections. Crystal Larson, executive director of the LGBTQ Center Lake County, asked the board to consider student outcomes and rankings while weighing changes. “If allowing transgender girls to fully participate as the gender they know themselves to be is so damaging … How is it that both D128 schools are ranked above more than 23 other [Illinois] schools?” Larson said. Other speakers, including parents and longtime residents, said affirming policies reduce risk for LGBTQ students and reflect Illinois law.

Several speakers described the broader community effect: Rebecca Gables, a parent of two recent Libertyville graduates, said she asked her daughter about the incident and learned it had not been widely discussed among students, suggesting to Gables that it may not have been a schoolwide concern.

Board process and next steps: Commenters asked for greater transparency, objective criteria for granting gender-support plans and clearer parental notification. The board did not take formal action on the topic during public comment; later in the meeting trustees moved into a closed session on separate personnel and student-placement matters. Trustees did not announce any changes to the gender-support guidelines at the Sept. 29 meeting.

Community context: Speakers invoked a range of legal authorities and protections while disagreeing about their application. The debate mirrored similar disputes in other Illinois districts over how gender-support plans are implemented and when parents are notified.

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