Monarch High School appeals fine over trans athlete
FORT LAUDERDALE - Monarch High School has filed an appeal to reduce a fine levied by the Florida High School Athletic Association for allowing a transgender student to play on the girls' volleyball team, according to the Sun Sentinel.
Last month the FHSAA fined the Coconut Creek school $16,500 and put it on administrative probation until November 2024. The trans student, a 10th grader who played in 33 matches over the last two seasons, was also been banned from representing the school for a year.
The FHSAA said Monarch had violated the state's Fairness in Women's Sports Act which bans any student who was born male from playing on a school's girls' sports team.
Broward Schools Superintendent Peter Licata launched an internal investigation in November after learning about the athlete. Five school officials, including Principal John Cecil, were either suspended or temporarily reassigned. The student at the center of the controversy was removed from the team.
The reassignments and the removal led to hundreds of students taking part in a walkout in protest.