A heated meeting of the Palatine-Schaumburg High School District 211 board this week drew sharp divisions over reports that a transgender student briefly joined the Conant High School girls’ volleyball team.
Parents and residents filled the room, with nine speakers opposing the student’s participation and eight others speaking in support. At one point, two women were escorted out by police after a shouting match broke out in the audience.
One parent told the board her daughter had been cut from the team while a transgender student made the roster. She said her child cried on the first day of school after learning the outcome. Reports later indicated the transgender student quit the team the following day, citing mounting attention and pressure.
Opponents framed the issue as one of fairness and safety. One speaker said, “It’s not a girl’s responsibility to feel uncomfortable or unsafe for the sake of a boy pretending to be a girl. When do the girls in District 211 get to feel safe, recognized, and protected?”
Supporters countered that transgender students deserve the same right to inclusion and belonging as any other student, stressing that Illinois law prohibits discrimination based on gender identity. The board itself did not make a public statement during the meeting but encouraged residents to continue providing feedback ahead of its next scheduled session on September 18.
By the Numbers: Trans Student-Athletes in Illinois
While the debate at Conant High School has drawn strong emotions, statewide data shows how rare such cases actually are.
The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) told WGN Investigates in February that of the 320,000 student-athletes competing in all IHSA sports at all levels last year, only three students assigned male at birth requested and received waivers to compete in girls’ sports. That represents less than 0.001% of the statewide athlete population.
This mirrors national statistics showing that transgender athletes make up only a tiny fraction of student participation in sports, despite the intensity of political and cultural debates.
Legal and Policy Context
Illinois is among the states with strong legal protections for transgender students. The Illinois Human Rights Act prohibits discrimination in education based on gender identity, and the IHSA evaluates eligibility on a case-by-case basis.
At the same time, school districts operate under conflicting pressures. Former President Trump’s 2025 executive order threatens to withhold federal funding from schools that allow transgender girls to participate in girls’ sports. That directive stands in contrast to Illinois law and federal Title IX guidance under the Biden administration, which affirmed protections for gender-diverse students.
District 211 has not announced any policy changes following Wednesday’s meeting, but board members are expected to hear more community input next month. For now, the local controversy underscores a broader tension: one athlete’s brief participation in a high school volleyball team has sparked a debate far larger than the numbers suggest.
