A principal at a high school in Florida has been reassigned, as have several other members of the administration and staff, after a male student allegedly played volleyball on the girls’ team.
Earlier this week, Broward County Public Schools Superintendent Peter Licata confirmed that the district had begun an investigation into whether a boy had been allowed to participate in girls’ volleyball at Monarch High School in Pompano Beach, about 10 miles north of Fort Lauderdale. Allowing a boy to participate in girls’ athletics would have violated Florida’s Fairness in Women’s Sports Act, which states, “Athletic teams or sports designated for females, women, or girls may not be open to students of the male sex.” Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the act into law more than two years ago.
As part of its investigation, the district has since reassigned several Monarch staff and administrators: Principal James Cecil, Assistant Principal Kenneth May, athletic director Dione Hester, and volleyball coach and information management technician Jessica Norton. All four have since been placed at different “non-school sites,” CNN reported.
“That’s not an indication of discipline,” Licata said at a press conference on Tuesday. “It’s an indication that we want to make sure that when we investigate, it’s done properly and appropriately.”
“Nobody is guilty of anything at this point,” he added. “That’s what an investigation is for.”
Temporary athletic coach Alex Burgess has also been suspended. Assistant Principal Moira Sweeting-Miller has been named Monarch’s interim principal.
Broward high school principal, staff reassigned amid investigation into transgender athleteyoutu.be
The allegations came to light last week when the district received a complaint that a male had been playing on the Monarch girls’ volleyball team. The student’s name has not been revealed, but WUWF, an NPR affiliate in northern Florida, provided some details about him. The student supposedly began acting and dressing as a girl at age 3, was diagnosed with gender dysphoria by 7, and began taking puberty blockers at 11, followed by estrogen at 13, the outlet reported.
In 2021, the same year that the student turned 13, he and his parents filed a lawsuit to fight against the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act. But just a few weeks ago, a federal judge upheld the law, claiming that “sex-based classifications are substantially related to the State’s important interest in promoting women’s athletics.”
Now, a spokesperson from the state’s Department of Education is demanding “serious consequences” for those who allegedly permitted the boy to play on the girls’ team. DOE communications director Cailey Myers told the media: “Under Governor DeSantis, boys will never be allowed to play girls’ sports. It’s that simple.”
So far, Monarch students have staged two walkouts to express support for the reassigned principal and the male volleyball player. Other leftist activist groups have also rallied to the cause and slammed the district for abiding by the law. “Transgender kids are kids; transgender girls are girls. Like all children, they deserve the opportunity to play sports with their friends and be a part of a team,” read a statement from the Human Rights Coalition.
Scott Galvin, the executive director of Safe Schools South Florida, even accused the district of “outing” a student who had not yet publicly identified as transgender. “It’s horrendous, first on just a human level, that the school would out somebody on an issue like this that’s obviously incredibly sensitive,” Galvin said. “It’s just dumbfounding, and the Broward County Schools should be ashamed of themselves.”
As the girls’ volleyball season has since ended, there are no immediate concerns about whether the male student will continue playing. But Superintendent Licata insisted that “an extra level of investigation on making sure everyone is eligible” will be conducted going forward, CNN reported.
For his part, athletic director Dione Hester has claimed ignorance. His representatives in the teachers’ union have indicated that he was new to the school, did not understand the law, and “was just doing his job.” The other reassigned staff members seemingly did not respond to CNN’s request for comment.
Spokesman John Sullivan did issue a statement on behalf of the Broward County school district: “Although we cannot comment further, we will continue to follow state law and will take appropriate action based on the outcome of the investigation. We are committed to providing all our students with a safe and inclusive learning environment.”
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