Monarch High School {Aiden Palmer}
A Broward County principal and two school administrators have been cleared by the school district in an investigation into a transgender female athlete playing female varsity volleyball at Monarch High School.
According to Broward County Public Schools, Principal James Cecil, Assistant Principal Kenneth May, and athletic director Dione Hester resumed their duties at the Coconut Creek school on Wednesday.
The three educators were among four Monarch High School employees previously assigned to non-school sites pending the outcome of the BCPS investigation.
BCPS says the investigation into a fourth Monarch employee included in the probe remains ongoing. Coconut Creek Talk previously reported that Alex Burgess, a temporary athletic coach at the school, had “been advised his services are paused while the investigation is ongoing.”
In December 2023, the Florida High School Athletic Association reprimanded Monarch High School, fined it $16,500, and placed it on administrative probation for allowing the transgender female to play on the girls team in violation of Florida state policy and law.
A BCPS spokesperson said Monarch High School complied with the association’s sanctions, including paying the assessed fine and attending the organization’s compliance seminar in early May.
The school’s punishment appeared to mark the first time a U.S. public school had been sanctioned for breaking state laws pertaining to the eligibility of transgender athletes in sports.
BCPS reported the school’s use of the ineligible player to the FHSAA, the association said in December.
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