In its first public meeting since the U.S. Department of Justice announced that DeKalb School District 428 is among school districts in Illinois being investigated over policies related to gender identity and sexual orientation, some addressed the school board on the topic.

When the news first broke, it was announced that the district one of three dozen under review for how and if they teach gender and sexuality, along with what parent opt-outs are in place, whether bathrooms and locker rooms are single-sex only and whether access to girls’ sports teams is limited “based on biological sex.”

DeKalb resident Frankie DiCiaccio, who heads up DeKalb Migrant Aid, said they believe the investigation has caused harm regardless of how it unfolds.

“It continues dangerous narratives that queerness and transness are somehow unjust, duplicitous, inherently wrong, or something that requires investigation,” DiCiaccio said at the May 5 school board meeting. “It undermines the academic or speech rights of our educators. It’s scary; It’s mean. And how our leaders respond to it or navigate in the coming weeks and months will be very impactful.”

A spokesman for Gov. JB Pritzker’s office released a statement denouncing the DOJ’s move as a “sham.”

A letter obtained by Shaw Local between the DOJ and DeKalb School District 428 showed that DeKalb schools are bound by Title IX.

Title IX is a U.S. federal civil rights law enacted in 1972 that prohibits sex-based discrimination in any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.

As DeKalb schools receive federal funding assistance from the DOJ, they are subject to certain requirements.

DeKalb resident Killian Becker, who identifies as binary, queer, and transgender, expressed their support for the staff in DeKalb schools.

“I am the adult that I am today mainly because of these safe adults that I grew up with here in this [high] school, in this district,” Becker said.

The DOJ has not reached any conclusions with its inquiry, to date.

Board President Chris Boyes tried to address the public’s concerns.

“In our efforts to be a diligent district, we will be making sure that we continue to follow all applicable federal and state laws at this time,” Boyes said. “We intend to fully collaborate and work with the Department of Justice in their compliance review.”