Monarch High School has been fined.
A Florida high school has been fined for letting a boy who claims he’s a girl play on a female sports team.
Allowing the transgender student to play volleyball with girls was violative of state law and Florida High School Athletic Association policy, the association informed Monarch High School in a Dec. 12 letter.
The association’s policy states that boys may not participate on female sports teams “if the school’s overall boys’ athletic program equals or exceeds the girls’ overall athletic program.”
A Florida law passed in 2021 and signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, bars males who identify as females from participating in women’s sports. The law was upheld recently by a federal court.
Broward County officials reported to the athletic association that a male had played on the girls’ volleyball team, prompting an investigation.
The investigation resulted in the determination that the school violated the law and association policy, and the association levied a $16,500 fine, Justin Harrison, an associate executive director with the association, informed the school and county in the new letter.
The fine is based on the number of games the volleyball team played in recent years.
The association is also formally reprimanding the school, which means the school will have an official censure on its record; placing it on administrative probation through November 2024; requiring school representatives to attend a compliance seminar; and requiring the school to host association staff for a compliance workshop.
Dorian Norton, the boy who says he’s a girl, is also not eligible to participate in sports at any schools that are a member of the association. The boy participated in two seasons of volleyball.
“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,” Manny Diaz Jr., Florida’s education commissioner, told The Epoch Times via email. “We applaud the swift action taken by the Florida High School Athletic Association to ensure there are serious consequences for this illegal behavior.”
The Florida Department of Education previously said in a statement: “Under Governor DeSantis, boys will never be allowed to play girls’ sports. It’s that simple.”
