A Broward County high school is appealing a fine it received after state officials said a transgender student-athlete was allowed to play on a girl's volleyball team in violation of Florida law.
Monarch High School in Coconut Creek was fined $16,500 last month by the Florida High School Athletic Association. It was also placed on administrative probation for a full calendar year.
The fine represents $500 for each of the 33 volleyball contests the transgender athlete participated in for Monarch in the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 seasons.
The school is not disputing the finding that it violated state law, but is asking for the fine to be reduced.
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The issue came to light when Broward Public School Superintendent Dr. Peter Licata said he'd received a complaint just days before Thanksgiving that a transgender girl, who'd been born a boy, was competing on a girl's volleyball team.
An investigation was launched and the school's principal and other staffers were reassigned.
On the state’s high school athletic association’s pre-participation physical evaluation form, the question of a student's “sex assigned at birth” appears at the very top, then two additional times on the form.
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The student's family sued the district and the state a few years ago, questioning the constitutionality of the law. A federal judge ruled against the student earlier in November.
