Parent of Transgender Student is Suspended from Her Job by Florida School Board After Investigation Fraught with Anti-Transgender Bias

by Aryn Fields •

Jessica Norton, the mother of a transgender student athlete and employee of Monarch High School, was suspended for 10 days without pay by the Broward County School Board at the Tuesday board meeting for allegedly violating the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act.

The school board’s decision also stipulated that Norton would have to be moved into a separate job that does not manage or handle student information. Norton and her husband Gary, on behalf of their daughter, brought a lawsuit in 2021 against the Broward County School District, State Education Department, and Florida High School Athletic Association challenging the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act, the very law she was suspended for having violated, even though it only applies to schools and not individuals.

On Nov. 21, 2023, Broward School Board member Daniel Foganholi, appointed by Governor Ron DeSantis, reported that he had received an “anonymous tip” indicating that a transgender student was playing sports at Monarch High School—that student being Norton’s daughter. The School Board, Superintendent, and senior District leadership were all aware that Norton’s daughter continued to play volleyball at Monarch High School. No one in the District told Norton that her daughter could not play sports, however she is the only employee, despite having no responsibility for setting or maintaining policy regarding athletics, who is being punished. Her suspension follows a prolonged and careless investigation that was fraught with anti-transgender bias, mischaracterizations, and factual inaccuracies, as Norton told the board in her remarks last month.

The board’s decision today continues to hold Mrs. Norton responsible for actions she was justified in taking as a parent. There is no question that throughout the course of this investigation, the Broward County School District has not only abdicated its responsibility to the safety and wellbeing of Mrs. Norton’s daughter, but has retaliated against an employee simply for advocating for their child. The LGBTQ+ inclusive policies that had become a foundational part of the culture of Broward County Schools have been completely abandoned—LGBTQ+ students and families are not safe in this school district and their treatment of the Norton’s have made that clear. The Human Rights Campaign will continue to support this family and fight on their behalf.

Jason Starr, Human Rights Campaign Litigation Strategist

There is no way around it, I’m being punished because I am the parent of a transgender student. While I can finally breathe a sigh of relief that this 239 day investigation is finally over, ending the constant scrutiny and allowing me to keep my job, I am still frustrated with the decision the school board made today. Every action I took to support my daughter was as her parent, not as an employee of Monarch High School—it was never my decision whether my daughter played volleyball.

Jessica Norton

Read more about the impact of the investigation on Norton and her family by reading the statement she gave at the June Broward County School Board meeting here.

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