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Residents criticize district transgender policies and materials during public comment at Deerfield 109 meeting
Summary
Multiple public commenters at the June 17 meeting urged the board to prioritize trauma counseling and criticized district handling of gender‑related issues at Shepherd Middle School; speakers named books and alleged Title IX violations and said they did not feel district officials had adequately protected student privacy.
Three residents used the meeting’s public‑comment period on June 17 to criticize Deerfield School District 109 policies and practices related to transgender students, locker‑room and bathroom access, and classroom materials.
Rusty Ray, who identified himself as a community member without children in the district, asked the board to emphasize trauma counseling rather than what he described as “gender ideology.” Ray said he runs a website that receives messages from parents and families asking for help and that he sees trauma as a root cause for many young people who experience gender questions.
Kelsey Ray told the board she believed the district had failed to protect students at Shepherd Middle School and accused district adults of disciplining girls who expressed discomfort when a biological male was present while they changed clothes. Kelsey Ray referred to “Title 9 violations” and said district actions amounted to a betrayal of students’ privacy; she urged the board to prioritize the safety and consent of middle‑school girls.
Aman Chikau addressed the board and raised concerns about specific books that he said were available in the district, naming titles and reading passages during his comment. He also criticized the presence of biological males in girls’ restrooms and said board members who do not speak up are complicit.
Board members did not provide substantive responses to those commenters in the transcript of the meeting. The district’s community‑participation rules were read earlier in the meeting, and staff said there are two public‑comment periods (one for agenda items and one open period at the end of the meeting).
