Principal, staffers of Broward high school removed over transgender student athlete
Broward County Public Schools announced Monday that the school district removed the principal of Monarch High School and four other staff members due to “allegations of improper student participation in sports.”
The initial announcement came with no explanation about what sport or sports were included in the investigation, nor did it detail what triggered the investigation or reassignments. But on Tuesday morning, district officials confirmed to the Miami Herald the reassignments occurred because a trans student had been playing volleyball at the high school. State law prohibits transgender female students from playing on women’s and girls’ sports teams.
Moira Sweeting-Miller, the school’s assistant principal, will serve as interim principal while the school district’s Special Investigative Unit investigate the five employees.
In a short, vague emailed statement sent Monday, John Sullivan, a district spokesman, wrote: “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.”
“Although we cannot comment further, we will continue to follow state law and will take appropriate action based on the outcome of the investigation,” Sullivan added. “We are committed to providing all our students with a safe and inclusive learning environment.”
In a follow-up email the same day, Keyla Concepcion, a district spokeswoman, named the five employees: James Cecil, the principal; Kenneth May, the assistant principal; Dione Hester, the athletic director; Jessica Norton, the information management technician; and Alex Burgess, a temporary athletic coach.
The school district spokespeople didn’t respond to questions about why they are being investigated exactly or what triggered the investigation. They also didn’t say where they were sent after being removed from Monarch High, located in Coconut Creek.
Monarch athletic director Dione Hester also did not immediately return request for comment.
This story has been updated to reflect new information confirmed to the Herald Tuesday morning.
Staff reporter Sommer Brugal contributed to this story.
This story was originally published November 27, 2023 at 1:19 PM.
