Florida High School Fined, Put On Probation After Allowing Transgender Volleyball Player To Play On Girl's Team

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A Florida high school has been fined and put on probation after allowing a transgender athlete to play on the girl's volleyball team. Trans athletes - biological male - competing in female sports violates state law.

Reports about the transgender volleyball player competing for the girl's team at Monarch High School in Coconut Creek came to light in November. The principal of the school along with other faculty members were reportedly moved to "non-school sites" while an investigation got underway, and it's clear now that the school did, in fact, break state law.

The Florida High School Athletic Association fined Monarch High School $16,500, placed the school on probation, and ordered the school principal and athletic director to attend rules seminars. Further violations could result in increased punishment.

The transgender student, a 10th grader who played in more than 30 games, was removed from the girl's volleyball team in November and has since been prohibited from participating in boy's sports for 11 months following the violation.

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Monarch High School in Coconut Creek, Florida has been handed multiple punishments after allowing a transgender athlete to compete on the girl's volleyball team.(D.A. Varela/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

An unidentified family friend of the transgender student told CBS Miami in November that they had yet to “come out” as trans and pointed the finger at the investigation for outing the teenager.

Education Commissioner Manny Diaz thanked Florida Gov. Ron Desantis after the investigation was concluded and punishments were handed out to the school and faculty members.

"Thanks to the leadership of Governor Ron DeSantis, Florida passed legislation to protect girls’ sports and we will not tolerate any school that violates this law," Diaz said in a statement. "We applaud the swift action taken by the Florida High School Athletic Association to ensure there are serious consequences for this illegal behavior."

The Human Rights Campaign had a different reaction to the situation claiming the law preventing biological males from competing against females is "anti-transgender bias."

"It does not change the fact that the law preventing transgender girls from playing sports with their peers is unconstitutionally rooted in anti-transgender bias, and the Association’s claim to ensure equal opportunities for student athletes rings hollow," the campaign said.

The law prohibiting transgender athletes from competing in female sports was signed in 2021.

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Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the world of professional golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.