America First Legal (AFL) has called on the Department of Justice (DOJ) to initiate a criminal investigation into the Deerfield Public Schools District, accusing the district and its administrators of compelling female students to change clothes in front of a male student identifying as female. The request follows a complaint lodged by AFL with the DOJ's Civil Rights Division.
The incident traces back to a Deerfield Public Schools District Board meeting on March 5, 2025, where a parent recounted her 13-year-old daughter's ordeal of being mandated to share bathroom and locker room spaces with the male student. In protest, several teenage girls refused to change for their physical education class, sparking confrontation with school administrators who, according to AFL, then pressured them into compliance.
According to AFL, these actions contravene Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and Executive Order 14168 issued by former President Trump, related to gender ideology and biological sex distinctions. The organization claims the school prioritized gender ideology above student safety and constitutional rights, potentially breaching federal laws against intimidation that disrupt constitutional freedoms.
Ian Prior, AFL Senior Counselor, expressed that the situation transcends a Title IX infraction and necessitates DOJ intervention: "The situation at Deerfield Public Schools has gone beyond a Title IX violation and has escalated to a situation that requires the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division to launch a criminal investigation."
Nicholas Barry, also of AFL, accused the administrators of crossing a line with grave implications: "These school administrators went too far. Trying to intimidate middle-school girls into changing in front of a boy to satisfy their insane gender ideology should not be tolerated."
America First Legal asserts their commitment to protecting the rights of women and girls nationwide to access spaces designated solely for females and pledges to combat perceived threats from radical gender ideologies.