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District 97 public commenters urge protections for transgender students and call for restored township partnership
Summary
At a District 97 Board of Education meeting, community members and Oak Park Township officials urged the district to uphold state guidance protecting transgender and gender‑nonconforming students, to train staff on interactions with ICE, and to rethink recent decisions that ended a long‑running township youth program.
Dozens of community members told the Oak Park Elementary School District 97 Board of Education on Feb. 25 they want the district to continue policies and practices that protect LGBTQ+ students, maintain inclusive histories in curriculum, and preserve partnerships with local nonprofits.
The comments opened the meeting with Megan Carter reading from a letter “signed by 164 folks in the community, including 121 parents and guardians from District 97” asking the district to “remain a safe and welcoming place for queer, trans, and gender non conforming students” and to “honor the Illinois State Board of Education non regulatory guidance entitled Supporting Transgender, Non Binary, and Gender Non Conforming Students dated 03/01/2020.” Carter asked the district to adopt the guidance’s recommendations, including that students be addressed by their affirmed names and pronouns and be allowed to update records without requiring a legal name change.
Carter also asked the district to train a broader set of employees on how to respond to federal immigration enforcement. “Bus drivers and other non school staff who regularly interact with our students must also be educated regarding interactions with ICE. Please conduct these training sessions immediately,” she said.
Oak Park Township Supervisor Timothy Thomas, speaking during the public‑comment period, said the township has been a long‑time partner on youth programming and urged renewed collaboration after a recent end to a township program. “For the last 6 years, we’ve, helped support the Michael Middle Schoolers program to the tune of $1,160,000. Over 2,000 kids have gone through that program, and it ended in January,” Thomas said, adding that the township wasn’t invited to apply for a Title I‑funded program that will replicate township programming and that a complaint from another organization complicated efforts to launch a new Boys on the Rise mentorship program.
Why it matters: speakers framed their requests as both a legal and a moral matter—asking the district to follow state guidance and to sustain partnerships that serve students’ social and emotional needs. The public comments preceded the superintendent’s overview and the district’s presentations on school improvement, and board members acknowledged they would read submitted letters and follow up.
What the district said: Superintendent Virginia Shaw thanked speakers and said she would read submissions given to the board secretary and reach out to the township supervisor to learn more. Shaw said she looked forward to reviewing the material the public provided and would follow up with staff and community partners.
Looking ahead: The concerns raised during public comment—training for non‑school staff on ICE interactions, adherence to Illinois guidance on transgender students, and the future of township partnerships—were not acted on at the meeting but were taken up verbally by the superintendent as items for follow up and further conversation.
