Monarch High School in Broward County reportedly broke the state law Governor Ron DeSantis signed in 2021 designating girls' sports for girls and boys' sports for boys. The bill defines a student's biological sex based on the student's official birth certificate at the time of birth.
Pending the outcome of the investigation into "improper student participation in sports," the principal and some other staff members have also been reassigned.
In his statement on the matter, Broward County Public Schools chief communications and legislate affairs officer John J. Sullivan pledged to "continue to follow state law" and to "take appropriate action based on the outcome of the investigation."
"We are committed to providing all our students with a safe and inclusive learning environment," he added.
Adriana McLamb, spokeswoman for Independent Women's Forum, says, "You've got to follow the law."
"Administrators felt like they were above the law, so, action was taken accordingly," she comments about this case.
McLamb, who lives in Florida and went to college near this high school, says Gov. DeSantis put this law in place to "protect female athletes."
"It's not to exclude; it's to protect women," she asserts. "Especially in the sport of volleyball, it's a safety issue. We saw it in North Carolina, where Payton McNabb was knocked unconscious during a high school volleyball match. That could have been the situation here, and that's the reason the law is in place."
McLamb is also a former college volleyball player and currently a youth volleyball coach and recruiting coordinator.
"On a personal level, I know how much hard work and dedication go into playing the sport of volleyball," she tells AFN. "Title IX and the fact that sports are separated by biological sex provided me the opportunity to play a sport that I continue to be a part of every single day."
