Dupage Policy Journal

Awake Illinois, a statewide parent advocacy organization, has filed a federal civil rights complaint against Naperville Community Unit School District 203 (D203), citing a Title IX violation after a biological male student reportedly competed on the girls’ 7th-grade track team at Jefferson Junior High and won multiple events during the 2025 spring season.

In a complaint letter dated May 19, 2025, and submitted to the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR), Awake Illinois Founder and President Shannon M. Adcock alleges that D203 is violating federal protections against sex-based discrimination by allowing a student to compete in girls’ sports and access female-designated facilities without a clear, board-approved policy.

Adcock argues the incident created unfair conditions for female athletes.

“The male secured wins across several competitions, eviscerating the equal opportunity of the participating girls,” Adcock said. “District email responses to concerned in-district families…show district personnel merely provided a generic response.” 

Adcock added that the district’s response to parents stated ‘...the District adheres to the Illinois Human Rights Act & the Illinois State Board of Education guidance...’”

Adcock is urging the OCR to investigate and potentially revoke more than $8 million in annual federal funding to the district, citing sex-based discrimination.

“In accordance with the discrimination complaint resolution process of the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (‘OCR’), we are filing this federal civil rights complaint against the Naperville 203 Community Unit School District (‘D203’) for engaging in sex-based discrimination within education programs or activities that receive federal funding, in violation of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX),”  Adcock wrote in the complaint. 

The official D203 website states that the district complies with federal non-discrimination laws, including Title IX. 

However, Awake Illinois contends that while the district refers to “gender identity” in its student handbook and policies on bullying and equal opportunity, the guidance does not extend to sports. 

“The D203 Board of Education policies refer to ‘gender’ several times, namely, when discussing bullying and harassment policies,” Adcock’s complaint states. “There is NO specific policy stated in any section of board policy that states males may be permitted to participated in female co-curricular/athletic teams nor is there any policy on students being permitted into any opposite sex bathroom or locker room.” 

Awake Illinois also claims the district—which serves about 16,000 students across 23 schools, including two high schools, five junior highs and 15 elementary schools—may be in violation of the Illinois Open Meetings Act for allegedly implementing controversial practices without formal board votes or published policies.

The complaint ties this local case to a broader trend, referencing a 2022 court ruling against the state of Illinois regarding school mask mandates.

Adcock quoted from Judge Raylene Grischow’s 2022 ruling, arguing that the state and districts have a history of enforcing “guidance” without legal authority. 

“This type of evil is exactly what the law was intended to constrain,” Adcock wrote in reference to Grischow’s ruling. 

Awake Illinois has previously filed similar complaints, including one in April 2025 against the Illinois State Board of Education and Valley View School District, calling it part of a “statewide, systemic problem.”

“If ISBE and school districts develop policies pertaining to bathrooms, locker rooms, and/or sports teams, they cannot supersede federal protections simultaneous to acceptance of federal funds,” Adcock’s complaint argues.

The group is urging the Department of Education to intervene.

“Given the $8+ million in federal funding budgeted by D203, fiscal stewardship would demand current federal Title IX protections be incorporated into school district policies,” Adcock’s complaint states. “To violate current Title IX protections puts all federal funds in jeopardy. Accordingly, we ask that the Department promptly investigate the allegations in this complaint, act swiftly to remedy misapplied ‘guidance,’ policies, and practices, and order appropriate relief. Thank you for your prompt assistance with this request for investigation and resolution.” 

As of publication, neither D203 or Superintendent Dan Bridges have publicly commented on the complaint.

Bridges has previously drawn attention for radical positions, including advocating for Critical Race Theory, pushing to maintain mandatory student masking during the pandemic, despite court rulings against the practice, and defending Nick Cosme, a Naperville 203 third-grade teacher who wore fingernail polish to class and encouraged students to consider changing their pronouns.

Following the filing of the complaint, Awake Illinois posted a public statement on X. 

“Awake Illinois files Federal Civil Rights Complaint Against Naperville 203 School District @Naperville203 for Violations Contravening Title IX,” Awake Illinois said on X. 

In follow-up comments on the platform, the group emphasized the lack of transparency from the district. 

“@Naperville203 does NOT have a published policy on any student using opposite bathrooms/locker rooms or participation opposite sex sports,” Awake Illinois posted. “Emails to concerned parents merely cite a generic reference to the IL Human Rights Act and ‘guidance.’”

The complaint comes in the wake of several executive orders issued by President Donald Trump in regard to protecting female spaces from transgender biological males. 

The executive order "Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports" establishes a federal policy that only biological females may compete in women’s sports. 

It declares that male participation in female athletic categories is harmful, discriminatory and contrary to the intent of the federal civil rights law which dates back to 1972. 

The Department of Education has been directed to enforce Title IX by prioritizing investigations and penalties against schools that allow male athletes in women’s sports, with the potential loss of federal funding for noncompliance.

Another executive order titled "Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism And Restoring Biological Truth To The Federal Government" mandates that all federal policy, language and enforcement recognize only two immutable biological sexes—male and female. 

It rejects gender identity as a legitimate basis for legal recognition or classification, defining it as a subjective and unscientific ideology. Agencies are required to eliminate materials that promote gender ideology and ensure sex-based separation in intimate spaces like prisons and shelters.