School officials removed after transgender athlete discovered on female sports team
(Daily Caller News Foundation) – A Florida high school allegedly removed several staff members, including its principal, after a transgender athlete was allowed on a female sports team, according…
(Daily Caller News Foundation) – A Florida high school allegedly removed several staff members, including its principal, after a transgender athlete was allowed on a female sports team, according to NBC6, a local media outlet.
Broward County Public Schools (BCPS) made the announcement via email Monday, stating that Principal James Cecil of Monarch High School, who has been a principal for Broward County for 25 years, had been removed pending an investigation into “allegations of improper student participation in sports,” according to the Miami Herald. Though the statement gave little insight into the decision, several sources with BCPS told NBC6 that the investigation has to do with a transgender athlete on one of the high school’s female sports teams.
“The principal of Monarch High School and several staff members have been reassigned to non-school sites pending the outcome of an investigation into allegations of improper student participation in sports,” the statement reads, according to the Miami Herald. “Although we cannot comment further, we will continue to follow state law and will take appropriate action based on the outcome of the investigation.”
The statement further noted that the district is “committed to providing all our students with a safe and inclusive learning environment.
In June 2021, a transgender volleyball athlete from Broward County filed a lawsuit against the state after Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill into law banning biological males from competing in women’s sports, according to court documents. A judge dismissed the lawsuit on Nov. 7, arguing that Title IX only “prohibits discrimination on the basis of biological sex—not gender identity.”
Sources told CBS Miami that this same transgender volleyball player is the one at the heart of the high school’s investigation. The statement did not specify the identities of the staff who were dismissed, however, the sources that spoke to CBS Miami claimed that the school’s assistant principal and athletic director were also among the staff reassigned.
Monarch High School declined to provide a comment on the matter and directed the Daily Caller News Foundation to reach out to BCPS.
BCPS did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.
