(WTTW)—The U.S. Department of Education has launched investigations into Chicago Public Schools, the Illinois State Board of Education and Deerfield Public Schools alleging violations of sex discrimination.
The department’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) last week announced the investigations, which it said were spurred by allegations “that these entities violated Title IX by requiring girls in the school to share their locker room” with transgender students.
“The Department is deeply troubled by these allegations and will investigate this matter fully,” acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Trainor said in a statement.
These latest investigations take aim at policies enacted to ensure safe and welcoming school environments for transgender students.
Complaints filed by the Defense of Freedom Institute and Liberty Justice Center prompted the investigations, claiming that CPS has “ignored its obligations imposed by Title IX,” pointing to a Nov. 14, 2024, resolution approved by the Chicago Board of Education that reiterated the district’s nondiscrimination policy, which includes “access to intimate facilities on the basis of ‘gender identity.’”
Spokespeople for Chicago Public Schools did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The OCR’s statement announcing the investigations also referenced February testimony from a Deerfield parent, who claimed female students at Shepard Middle School complained to school administrators “that there was a male present in their locker room while they were changing for gym class.”
According to the OCR, school officials then reprimanded the female students for “refusing to undress in front of the male student and allegedly forced them back into the locker room to change, which allegedly went on for the remainder of the week.”
Deerfield district officials have reportedly denied this.
“Deerfield Public Schools District 109 complies with state law,” the district said in a statement. “The Illinois Human Rights Act prohibits all public school districts from discriminating on the basis of sex, including gender identity, and mandates that students must be permitted access to the locker room and bathroom that aligns with their gender identity. We are sensitive to the privacy needs of all of our middle school students and ensure that no student is required to change into a gym uniform for physical education class in front of others.”
An ISBE spokesperson declined to comment, saying the board cannot comment on matters pending before the Office of Civil Rights.
According to the OCR, Title IX violations can lead to a district losing federal funding.
The announcement comes as the Department of Education has already undergone massive cuts and layoffs as President Donald Trump signed an executive order seeking to abolish the department entirely.
Through its Office for Civil Rights, the Education Department conducts investigations and issues guidance on how civil rights laws should be applied, such as for LGBTQ+ students and students of color. The office also oversees a large data collection project that tracks disparities in resources, course access and discipline for students of different racial and socioeconomic groups.
Trump has suggested a different interpretation of the office’s civil rights role. Under his administration, the department has instructed the office to prioritize complaints of antisemitism above all else and has opened investigations into colleges and school sports leagues for allowing transgender athletes to compete on women’s teams.
In his campaign platform, Trump said he would pursue civil rights cases to “stop schools from discriminating on the basis of race.” He has described diversity and equity policies in education as “explicit unlawful discrimination.” His administration has launched investigations of dozens of colleges for alleged racial discrimination.
Trump also has pledged to exclude transgender students from Title IX protections, which affect school policies on students’ use of pronouns, bathrooms and locker rooms. Originally passed in 1972, Title IX was first used as a women’s rights law. Last year, then-President Joe Biden’s administration said the law forbids discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation, but a federal judge undid those protections.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.