Federal education officials ruled on Monday that an Illinois school district violated antidiscrimination laws by requiring a transgender student who identifies as a girl to disrobe and shower behind privacy curtains in the girls’ locker room.

The US Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights spent nearly two years investigating Illinois’ largest high school district and found a “preponderance of evidence” that school officials were out of compliance with Title IX, the federal law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex. Federal officials gave the Palatine school district 30 days to comply with the law or face sanctions.

Daniel Cates, the superintendent in Palatine, insisted the school is in compliance with the law. “The students in our schools are teenagers, not adults, and one’s gender is not the same as one’s anatomy,” he said. “Boys and girls are in separate locker rooms — where there are opening changing areas and open shower facilities — for a reason.”

The Education Department ruling is a major victory for those seeking to end discrimination against transgender individuals, but the decision is also likely to galvanize opposition from people who are uncomfortable with a girls’ locker room being used by a transgender individual who is male anatomically.

The decision is particularly relevant in Massachusetts. In 2011, state lawmakers prohibited discrimination based on gender identity in the workplace, in housing, and in education, but drew the line at requiring accommodations in public places, including restaurants and bathrooms. Now there is a push on Beacon Hill to finish what was started in 2011, but again there is pushback from people who fear awkward bathroom situations. Gov. Charlie Baker, who opposed the so-called “bathroom bill” when he ran for governor in 2010, is refusing to take a stand this time around.

In Palatine, the transgender student identified as Student A in the Education Department decision is female in most respects. She has a passport as a female and is undergoing hormone therapy. She plays on a girls’ sports team, uses the girls’ bathroom, and is referred to as she by school staff.

But the school barred her from the girls’ locker room, requiring her to use a separate, single-occupancy restroom. During negotiations with the Education Department, the school came up with what it thought was a middle ground, allowing the transgender student to use the girls’ locker room but only if she changed and showered behind privacy curtains. The student’s attorney indicated she would probably do that, but wanted the policy to be voluntary, not mandatory.

“It’s one thing to say to all the girls, ‘You can choose if you want some extra privacy,’ but it’s another thing to say, ‘You, and you alone, must use them.’ That sends a pretty strong signal to her that she’s not accepted and the district does not see her as a girl,” said John Knight, director of the LGBT and AIDS Project at the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois.

Jocelyn Floyd, a lawyer with the Thomas More Society, a nonprofit religious liberty organization, said the school’s compromise seemed like an attempt to be sensitive to everyone’s needs. “When you think about it,” she said, “there are a lot of students in high school who are uncomfortable with disrobing in front of people.”

—BRUCE MOHL

 

BEACON HILL

The state’s largest teachers’ union and other anti-charter school groups are encouraging lawmakers not to broker any kind of deal to raise the cap on charter schools, saying they are confident of defeating a cap-raising ballot question that would likely ensue if the Legislature shunned such a deal. (Boston Globe)

We’re not sure what you’d call the opposite of “early retirement,” but whatever it is, 90-year-old Ruth Ford is the undisputed queen, retiring from state government last Friday after 70 years on the job. (Boston Globe)

MUNICIPAL MATTERS

Two separate bids to recall Lawrence Mayor Daniel Rivera hit the streets to gather the necessary signatures as legal challenges by the mayor to block the efforts continued. (Eagle-Tribune)

Organizers of the Grand Prix of Boston put on hold any tickets sales for the race following the ultimatum issued by the Walsh administration that it wants the race to finalize all necessary agreements with various state agencies within two weeks. (Boston Herald)

Someone hacked into a Marshfield town bank account and stole $30,000, though investigators don’t believe it was a town employee. (Patriot Ledger)

The Catholic Archdiocese of Boston converts a former school in Haverhill into affordable housing, the third project of its kind in the city. (Eagle-Tribune)

Daniel Koh, chief of staff to Mayor Marty Walsh, goes public in discussing his struggle with ADHD. (Boston Globe)

CASINOS/GAMBLING

Lottery officials move toward embracing daily fantasy sports games. (State House News)

WASHINGTON/NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

The TransCanada Corporation, which is constructing the Keystone XL pipeline, asks the US to halt its review of the controversial project until Nebraska approves a route through the state. (USA Today)

ELECTIONS

Howie Carr has an election day rant about the Boston city council races that ends up landing on a plea for a “bullet” vote for Steve Murphy, a term not much used since Carr used to encourage a bullet for the retrograde Dapper O’Neil (for whom Murphy started out as a driver). (Boston Herald)

The New York Times has a quick-hit wrap of state and big city contests around the country with the focus on what races are a harbinger for the fortunes of the wider Republican and Democrat parties.

The campaign of Donald Trump says he will negotiate debate formats directly with the TV networks. (Washington Post) President Obama wonders how the would-be Republican presidential contenders will stand up to China and Russia when they have a hard time dealing with CNBC debate moderators. (CNN)

How Trump is single-handedly delivering the Latino vote to Hillary Clinton. (USA Today)

Scott Brown says Jeb! isn’t dead. (Boston Herald)

Sen. Al Franken, a Minnesota Democrat, talks about US Senate races and how he plan to play a more high-profile role in 2016 politics. (Politico)

BUSINESS/ECONOMY

A pair of researchers from a conservative education policy think tank say child poverty in the United States is really no worse than anywhere else if you use their new formula for calculations. (National Review)

Waltham-based Constant Contact is being acquired for $1.1 billion by Endurance International Group Holdings of Burlington.

Amazon is opening a bricks-and-mortar bookstore in Seattle. (The Verge)

A Salem News editorial calls on state and local officials to create more affordable housing for returning veterans who are having difficulty living where they grew up.

An Easton funeral home director surrendered his license after state officials began investigating complaints about cleanliness and hazardous waste storage inside the home. (The Enterprise)

Family foundations created in the last 25 years, which account for the vast majority of family-run charities, are far more likely to give to causes rather than specific communities in their region. (Chronicle of Philanthropy)

EDUCATION

A legislative commission says the state school funding formula falls short by $1 billion, hurting older and poorer districts the most. (GateHouse News)

The Quincy School Committee has passed a resolution calling for a statewide moratorium on high-stakes testing. (Patriot Ledger)

HEALTH/HEALTH CARE

A new study finds the death rate of middle-aged white Americans is rising due in large part to suicide and overdoses while the death rate for other races and ethnic groups is falling. (New York Times)

Craig Jesiolowski, president of Steward Health Care’s St. Anne’s Hospital in Fall River, attacks Southcoast Health System’s “monopoly” on cardiac catheterization procedures, which St. Anne’s is attempting to get state permission to perform. (Herald News)

Telegram & Gazette columnist Dianne Williamson reports on how difficult it can be to get help for a heroin addict. Meanwhile, Boston Health Care for the Homeless is raising funds to provide a space where addicts can get high under medical supervision. (WBUR)

TRANSPORTATION

A dispute emerges over a cap on MBTA fare increases. (WBUR)

Nova Star, the ferry services that plies the deep blue from Maine to Nova Scotia, is deep in the red. (Boston Globe)

ENERGY/ENVIRONMENT

Two supporters of expanding the region’s natural gas infrastructure extol the virtues of their preferred fuel as compared to heating oil. (CommonWealth)

Sandwich moves to restore an eroding town beach. (Cape Cod Times)

Another 10,000 Volkswagen-made diesel vehicles, including high-end Porsche and Audis, are found to have hidden emission test-defeating software, according to federal officials. (U.S. News & World Report)

CRIMINAL JUSTICE

Two white 18-year-olds are arrested for spray-painting “USA” on the Islamic Center of Burlington. (The Sun)

Brian Vita of Peabody is ordered to pay $102,000 to defrauded cinemas in North Dakota. (Salem News)

MEDIA

Live forever and prosper: A new Star Trek television series is planned for 2017. (New York Times)