TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — The principal of a Florida school and several other staffers have been reassigned pending the completion of an investigation into a transgender student allegedly being allowed to play on a girls’ sports team, WTVJ reported.
Broward County Public Schools lists James Cecil as the school’s principal online. Cecil has worked for the district for more than 25 years, according to his LinkedIn profile.
“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 district said in a statement Monday.
The statement did not provide further details about the probe.
“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 continued. “We are committed to providing all our students with a safe and inclusive learning environment.”
Florida Republicans passed a law barring transgender students from participating in sports consistent with their gender identities at public schools and colleges.
The law, called the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act, defines an athlete’s sex as the one that was printed on the birth certificate filed at or near their time of birth.
Sources told WTVJ the investigation stemmed from a transgender student being allowed to play on a girls’ sports team.
“He should not be able to play on the team,” one student told the outlet. “If he is a biological boy, I don’t think he should be able to play on a girl’s team.”
Other students were said to be organizing demonstrations in support of the student and the transgender community.
“If we were to just sit here and just get them to go to the boy’s team, then it would look like we are not supportive of people’s perspective on things, like, being a girl or a boy or whatever, and this school is really big on LGBTQ+ clubs and stuff like that, so, it kind of would look more hypocritical on our part,” another student said.
