Florida high school principal suspended over transgender volleyball player

Nov. 30 (UPI) -- A Florida principal and several staffers have been temporarily removed from a high school amid allegations that a transgender student played on the girls volleyball team, education officials said.

The Fairness in Women's Sports Act bans transgender females from participating in girls sports in Florida. The measure was signed into law in 2021.

The district is investigating the "allegations of improper student participation in sports," Principal James Cecil, assistant Principal Kenneth May, athletic director Dione Hester and information management technician Jessica Norton have been reassigned to non-school sites," Broward County Public Schools said. Temporary athletic coach Alex Burgess has also been suspended.

Some students at Monarch High School in Broward County walked out of the school to show support for the principal and staff and the athlete. Florida has been front and center in the debate over transgender rights and athletic teams in recent months.

The fact that the student was allowed to play on a girls' team is "unacceptable," Florida Department of Education communications director Cailey Myers told CNN.

"We expect there will be serious consequences for those responsible," Myers said in a statement.

The name of the student has not been released.