Will the update to Title IX impact Parker’s athletic program? “Internally, absolutely not,” Head of Upper School Cory Zeller said.
In January of this year, President Trump signed an executive order stating that there are only two genders: male and female. A vital aspect of this executive order is that the two genders must be the ones assigned at birth, meaning that transgender individuals are not recognized. This led to this year’s earlier Title IX update, or the “2020 Rule,” detailing that transgender women are not allowed to participate in sports competitions.
“It shall also be the policy of the United States to oppose male competitive participation in women’s sports more broadly, as a matter of safety, fairness, dignity, and truth,” The White House wrote.
As a school that adheres to Title IX in the handbook, people may wonder if the Title IX update will impact Parker’s athletic program.
“Part of it is ‘Does your school get federal funding or not?’ and we don’t. It gives us more freedom to make choices for what is best for our school and our community,” said Zeller said.
Athletics Director Nick Kocsis seconds Zeller’s statement. “If you take grant or title funds, it can impact the funding that you have. At Parker, we maintain that we celebrate every individual. It should not currently impact anything that happens here at Parker,” said Kocsis.
While Parker is not a federally-funded school, the Title IX update may impact the competitions that Parker takes part in, such as the Illinois High School Association.
“Some of it will depend, probably, on if the IHSA changes its policies, which do allow for transgender athlete inclusion at this point,” said Sociology of Sports and Upper School history teacher Dan Greenstone. “My understanding, which could be wrong, is that there is a difference between state championship playoff competition and other sports… so it’s possible that there may be some inclusion in those other events, but exclusion when it comes to state playoffs.”
“We actually operate under the direction of the IHSA, and the IHSA has really clear rules that do allow for an appeal process for transgender athletes,” Kocsis said. “We should rally together, not splinter at this time.”
Honoring students’ identities is a common theme among faculty at Parker. “We have a mission statement, we lead with empathy, courage, and clarity. We are a school that honors students’ identities. We want students to play on teams and participate in extracurriculars,” said Zeller.
Director of DEIB Erika Prahl shared the same sentiment. “Parker stands by and supports all of our students in athletics. And so if you are a transgender girl and you want to play on the varsity team, please come on the varsity team. But I do wonder, what does that mean when we play other teams?” said Prahl.
“Parker recognizes and celebrates every individual identity of every individual person,” Kocsis said. “As long as the IHSA maintains their current stance, nothing should change here as far as how Parker operates.”
