An Illinois mother has filed a civil rights complaint with the Department of Justice after alleging that school administrators attempted to compel her 13-year-old daughter to change in front of a transgender student in the girls’ locker room.
Nicole Georgas addressed the Board of Education for Deerfield Public Schools District 109, detailing an incident from February 5, 2025. Her daughter was reportedly “frightened” and “extremely upset” upon encountering a biological male student in the girls’ bathroom.
During a school board meeting, Georgas asserted: “The girls want their locker rooms and bathrooms back. They want their privacy back. This is why I’m here tonight. My 13-year-old daughter’s well-being, mental health, and privacy are at stake.”
School officials informed her that the student was permitted to use both the girls’ bathroom and locker room due to their gender identity.
Georgas raised concerns with the administration, referencing President Donald Trump’s “Keeping Men out of Women’s Sports” executive order. However, the administration, guided by legal counsel, maintained that the transgender student could access facilities aligning with their gender identity.
The situation escalated when Georgas’s daughter and other female students declined to change for physical education classes in the presence of the transgender student. Subsequently, school administrators, including Assistant Superintendent Joanna Ford and Assistant Principal Cathy Van Treese, reportedly supervised the locker room to ensure compliance, compelling the girls to change into their uniforms
Georgas expressed concern over the precedent set by allowing biological males into spaces designated for females, emphasizing potential risks to safety and privacy. She filed a civil rights complaint with the Department of Justice, which has since been referred to the Department of Education.
