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Parents, officials and students clash at District 211 meeting over transgender student on girls volleyball team
Summary
At a Township High School District 211 Board of Education meeting, dozens of residents, students and elected officials used the board’s public-comment period to debate whether a student assigned male at birth should be allowed to play on a girls volleyball team and use girls locker-room facilities.
At a Township High School District 211 Board of Education meeting, dozens of residents, students and elected officials used the board’s public-comment period to debate whether a student assigned male at birth should be allowed to play on a girls volleyball team and use girls locker-room facilities. Speakers on both sides urged the board to act, but the board did not take public action on policy during the meeting.
The dispute centered on safety and privacy for female students and on the district’s obligations under state and federal law. "A biological male should not be able to compete on a girl's volleyball team or share a locker room," said John Goodman, a U.S. Senate candidate, during public comment. "Everyone should be treated with dignity and respect… but inclusion needs to be balanced with fairness, needs to be balanced with safety," he added.
Other residents urged the opposite approach. Parent Kristen Wagner said her nonbinary graduate ‘‘is a student in this district as much as anybody…
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