D211 Transgender Students Now Get Unrestricted Locker Room Access

PALATINE, IL — Transgender students across Palatine-Schaumburg High School District 211 have unrestricted access to locker rooms and restrooms now that school is back in session. Classes resumed Tuesday for district students, marking the first day transgender students could have unrestricted access to these areas less than two months after the Palatine-Schaumburg High School District 211 board of education voted 5-2 in favor of the decision.

The Nov. 14 vote put an end to a four-year fight dating back to 2015 when the district made national news following a two-year investigation. In 2013, a transgender student at Fremd High School — identified only as Student A in court documents — filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights against District 211, claiming the school system violated federal Title IX gender-based discrimination laws by not allowing unrestricted access to the girls' locker room.

Related: Reader Remarks: D211 Transgender Locker Room Access Ruling

In November 2015, the OCR under President Barack Obama's administration ruled that District 211 had not complied with federal Title IX guidelines in Student A's case. Under Title IX, schools are required to provide transgender students full access to the locker room they identify with.

>> Timeline: A look at the legal action surrounding District 211