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Community speakers urge Valley View board to uphold protections for transgender students
Summary
Dozens of parents, students, teachers and local advocates addressed the Valley View CUSD 365U board during public comment, urging it to maintain policies that protect transgender and gender‑nonconforming students and warning against outside pressure and complaints seeking policy changes.
Dozens of community members and students urged the Valley View CUSD 365U Board of Education on Wednesday to maintain existing protections for transgender and gender‑nonconforming students and to resist outside pressure and complaints seeking policy changes.
Speakers said protections the district follows under state and federal law are life‑saving and called out external groups circulating misinformation. Elena Humphries, who identified herself as chair of a local Bolingbrook group and as a parent, told the board “there is 0 evidence, none, in the entire state of Illinois that shows allowing transgender students to use the bathroom that aligns with their gender puts anyone in danger.”
Supporters said affirming school practices reduce harms to students, pointing to research and personal experience. Tiffany Denbeck described her daughter’s coming‑out and the consequences for youth denied support, saying forced isolation and rejection “lead to bullying, to mental health crises, and to suicide.” Student ambassadors and current students also spoke: Jordan Elizabeth, a senior student ambassador at Bolingbrook High School, thanked district staff for representation and urged respect for student voices; Isabelle Scott and Hayden, also student ambassadors, emphasized that schools should be safe and inclusive.
Speakers who identified as teachers, clergy and community advocates asked the board to follow Illinois law. Reverend Suzanne Anderson Hertel, a longtime local pastor, thanked the board for protecting all students and said the matter extended beyond partisan politics: “I want young people and adults who care about each other. Who can sit and talk to each other, even if they don't agree on everything.” Asher McMahger, executive director of TransEd Friend, urged the board to issue a statement in support of trans students and warned against intimidation campaigns targeting board members.
Several speakers named Awake Illinois and Shannon Adcock as part of pressure campaigns seeking policy change; other commenters condemned that group’s rhetoric. Peter Rivera, who said he was a resident and taxpayer, accused organizer Shannon Adcock of aligning with extremist rhetoric. Jim Fisher and other speakers also raised separate complaints about what they described as grievances or Title IX concerns; board members did not take any new policy votes during public comment.
Board members did not make decisions during the public comment period. Several speakers asked the board to reaffirm that it will follow the Illinois Human Rights Act and federal Title IX protections where applicable; legal or administrative action on any filed complaints or grievances was not recorded during the meeting. Superintendent Dr. Wood noted no immediate policy changes and reminded the audience that the district’s next board meeting is scheduled for May 12.
Supporters and school staff emphasized local experience with district programs and urged the board to protect students while disputing claims that gender‑affirming practices create safety risks.
Community members left the meeting urging continued board support for vulnerable students and asking the board to publicly affirm its stance on nondiscrimination and student safety going forward.
