Editor’s note: The Central Times has chosen to withhold the name of the student athlete discussed in this article due to their age and the circumstances surrounding the situation.
A recent middle school track meet sparked passionate debate at the Naperville District 203 Board of Education meeting on Monday, May 19.
The meeting began at 7 p.m. at the District’s Administrative Center, with the public comment portion lasting more than two hours as parents, students and community members voiced conflicting perspectives on fairness, inclusion and student rights. The conversation centered around a seventh-grade student at Jefferson Junior High School who competed in the girls’ division of the Naper Prairie Conference track meet on May 14. The student, who is transgender, won multiple events, including the 100-meter dash and the 400-meter dash. These results sparked criticism online and within the Naperville community.
Community members from Naperville and surrounding areas spoke on both sides of the issue during the public comments portion of the school board meeting.
The divide inside the boardroom was immediately visible. On the left side, supporters of the transgender student held up pink, blue and white flags, the colors of the trans pride flag, and signs that read “PROTECT TRANS KIDS,” some quietly nodding in agreement as speakers voiced support.
On the right side of the room, others raised lime green sheets of paper printed with phrases like “XX ≠ XY” and “STOP EXPLOITING KIDS,” signaling opposition without speaking. The two sides sat not even a chair apart, but the impact of the situation and the intensity in the room caused the distance between the crowd to grow.
Shannon Adcock, founder of Awake Illinois, an advocacy group, referenced the formal complaint the organization filed earlier in the day to the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. The complaint alleges that District 203’s policies on transgender athletes violate Title IX, a federal law prohibiting sex-based discrimination in education programs that receive federal funding.
In the letter, Awake Illinois argues that allowing transgender girls who were assigned male at birth to compete in girls’ sports constitutes discrimination against biological females, and that District 203’s policies could risk the loss of federal funding.
“Most parents in Districts 203 and 204 had no clue their daughters would be competing alongside biological males,” Adcock said. “The Illinois Human Rights Act doesn’t specify this allowance, and the state board’s guidance is not law. It’s a suggestion, and a bad one.”
Voices supporting the student’s participation also spoke during the meeting. Jesse Miller, a sociology professor, offered an academic perspective on the issue.
“Many of the things being said about the biological nature of sex are wrong,” Miller said. “Even biologists have proven this. There’s a great Bill Nye special that breaks down gender and sex very clearly.”
Miller emphasized the evolving understanding of gender and sex within scientific research. Miller, who identifies as non-binary, also addressed the social impact of the debate and expressed concern about the political polarization surrounding the issue.
“Every semester, students come up to me and thank me for being an out professor. It’s the only reason I am out, because I know my students need that role model,” they said. “It’s really sad that we can’t see when things are rooted in fear and hate.”
Still, other parents at the meeting said the issue of fairness transcends political or ideological lines, pointing to what they called a “common-sense” understanding of sports and sex-based categories.
“It is as fundamental as it gets, and it’s not that difficult,” parent Jason Copeland said. “My nearly nine-year-old daughter gets it. Recent events had me curious [about] her perspective, so I asked her. She thinks it would be weird and unfair for a genetic boy to be able to compete against her or take her spot on the team, even if the boy believes they are a girl or feels like a girl. She doesn’t think the kid is weird, she thinks that allowing [boys] in sports meant for girls is weird. And she’s 100% correct.”
While Copeland’s perspective highlights concerns shared by many parents and students, others emphasize the importance of inclusion and affirming transgender athletes’ identities. Advocates argue that allowing transgender girls to compete in girls’ sports supports their mental health and fosters a more welcoming school environment.
While Awake Illinois and its supporters argued that District 203’s policies jeopardize fairness and compliance with federal law, others at the meeting were critical of the group’s involvement and rhetoric. Several speakers described the organization’s actions as harmful and accused it of targeting vulnerable students.
Among them was Bob Skrezyna, a parent from a neighboring school district, who spoke emotionally about his transgender daughter and the importance of school support systems.
“This group is very much a hate group by definition,” Skrezyna said. “They’ve been labeled as such, and once I heard they were coming for my students over at the Valley View School District, it became super personal. This district, as well as mine, has always been very welcoming. I don’t think my kid would be here if it wasn’t for the support she got at school.”
Skrezyna said his daughter began expressing her identity at a young age, prompting him to educate himself about gender and parenting.
“She was like two-and-a-half, going to all the girly stuff, and I was like, okay, we’ll go with that,” he said. “I knew she would need a voice. Now she’s 15 and can speak for herself, but she still sends me to do this kind of stuff. I’m happy to do it, because it’s personal.”
Skrezyna urged the board to stand firm on its current policies.
There’s no lie, it’s a lot of money at stake,” he said. “But are the kids more important than the money? I don’t know any teacher who got into teaching for the money. I would hope they put their kids above everything else.”
While silent during the public comments, audience members Lauren Hruby and Corey Lindquist had something to say through the green paper signs they held up, along with many other members of the audience reading things like “PROTECT GIRLS SPORTS,” “DEFEND TITLE IX” and “SUPPORT COMMON SENSE.”
“I think that you cannot have female athletes who compete, train and practice their whole life to get to a certain point and then they’re blown out by a biological male,” Hruby said. “I think that’s wrong, and there’s a lost opportunity.”
The District 203 Board did not address the public comments at the meeting, in accordance with board policy.