COCONUT CREEK, Fla. – Students at a Broward County high school walked out of the classroom Tuesday, one day after the district announced it was reassigning the school’s principal and several other staff members amid a probe into a transgender athlete.
District leaders announced the move Monday to reassign Monarch High School Principal James Cecil and the other staffers, which includes the school’s athletics director, as it investigated “allegations of improper student participation in sports.”
Sources with knowledge of the situation tell Local 10 News that those allegations surround a transgender student who plays girls’ volleyball at the school, located at 5050 Wiles Road in Coconut Creek.
Tuesday’s protest was in support of Cecil and the student-athlete, students told Local 10 News.
“What they did to the principal is kind of mean,” student Nathan Paiva said.
In 2021, the Florida State Legislature passed the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act, which specifies athletic teams or sports designated for females, women, or girls may not be open to students of the male sex. Gov. Ron DeSantis later signed the bill into law.
Superintendent Peter Licata, who leads the Broward school district, said the removal is not an indication that Cecil or any of the staff members are being disciplined.
“I can’t speak much to the investigation,” he said Tuesday. “I do want to make sure that you understand that it’ll be a fair investigation. The state has been informed. We also have to understand that social media is not the court. It’s not the jury.”
He added, “It’s an indication that we want to make sure that when we investigate it properly and appropriately again, we want to make sure we do this right. Nobody’s guilty of anything at this point. That’s what an investigation is for.”
Licata wasn’t able to say whether the student will be able to continue to play volleyball next year, saying the district will need to look at its procedures.
The head of Safe Schools South Florida, which advocates for LGBTQ youth, said he’s concerned about what the controversy means for the rest of the student’s time in high school.
“(T)he potential inadvertent outing of a minor, who may not have publicly disclosed their transgender status, is deeply troubling,” Executive Director Scott Galvin said. “Such actions can inflict irreversible psychological harm.”
A spokesperson for the Florida Department of Education said the state is aware of the investigation.
“As soon as the Department was notified that a biological male was playing on a girls’ team in Broward County, we instructed the district to take immediate action since this is a direct violation of Florida law,” the statement reads. “We expect there will be serious consequences for those responsible.”
Local 10 News has learned that the student’s parents are part of a major lawsuit that goes after the state’s law regarding transgender athletes. A judge appointed by former President Donald Trump ruled against the student and her family.
The student’s parents have not responded to Local 10 News’ request for comment.