Florida HS Principal Reassigned Over Transgender Athlete Issue

A high school principal in Broward County, Fla., has been reassigned to a new school as district officials conduct an investigation into how a transgender student was appointed to a team. 

According to CBS Miami, the reassignment of principal John Cecil, an assistant principal, as well an athletic director, stems from the violation of a recently enacted law that governs sports and gender. 

Students organized a walkout at the school on Tuesday to protest the reassignments.

"The school is not any good without a principal. We need someone here who is able to lead us. Even though it's a state law, I know according to state law you can't do it, but I think his punishment was too harsh," one student told CBS. 

A written statement from the district declined to offer details of the case or the nature of the investigation, saying only that it involved the principal of Monarch High School and several school staff. 

"Although we cannot comment further, we will continue to follow state law and will take appropriate action based on the outcome of the investigation," district spokesman John Sullivan said in a written statement. "We are committed to providing all our students with a safe and inclusive learning environment." 

Scott Galvin, executive director of Safe School for Florida, decried the decision in a statement. 

"It's horrendous first on just a human level that the school would out somebody on an issue like this that's obviously incredibly sensitive," Galvin said. "It's just dumbfounding, and the Broward County Schools should be ashamed of themselves." 

Citing unnamed sources, CBS reported that the investigation involves a volleyball player at the high school who transitioned from male to female several years ago. 

The district's superintendent, in consultation with the regional superintendent, made the decision to reassign principal James Cecil and the two others after an allegation was made that a girl's volleyball team player had been born a male.  

Florida's transgender participation law specifies that an athletic team or sport that is designated for females, women, or girls may not be open to students of the male sex, based on the student's biological sex listed on the student's official birth certificate at the time of birth.