Florida teacher put on leave for allegedly making students address her by gender-neutral title ‘Mx’

GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA: A Florida elementary school teacher has been placed on administrative leave after allegedly forcing students and staff to address her as “Mx” instead of “Ms” or “Mrs,” a move that state officials say violates Florida law and district policy.

Attorney General James Uthmeier has demanded swift disciplinary action, citing a statute that prohibits K–12 employees from using personal titles or pronouns inconsistent with their sex assigned at birth. 

Teacher accused of violating Florida gender-pronoun law

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said on October 22 that a female teacher at Talbot Elementary School in Gainesville broke both state law and Alachua County School District policy by requiring students and staff to call her “Mx.”

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Uthmeier called for “immediate action” from the district to stop the practice.

The Alachua County Public Schools confirmed that the teacher has been placed on administrative leave while an investigation is underway.

“We are aware of the complaint and are following due process,” district spokesperson Jackie Johnson told the Gainesville Sun. Uthmeier sent a letter dated October 22 to Superintendent Kamela Patton and the school board, urging them to enforce the law and consider disciplinary measures.

Florida Statute 1000.071 explicitly bans pronouns inconsistent with biological sex

Florida Statute 1000.071 explicitly bans K–12 school employees from using pronouns or titles that do not align with their biological sex. The measure, signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis in July 2023 as part of HB 1069, also mandates that sex education programs teach that biological sex is “binary” and “unchangeable.”

“The legislature so declared it the policy of Florida’s public school system that ‘sex is an immutable biological trait and that it is false to ascribe to a person a pronoun that does not correspond to such person’s sex,’” Uthmeier wrote in his letter. He warned that school officials could face legal consequences if they fail to take corrective action. 

The complaint against the Talbot Elementary teacher was filed with the Attorney General’s Office of Parental Rights. The incident adds to growing state scrutiny of Alachua County’s education system.

The Florida Department of Education has been monitoring the district’s board meetings through the end of the year, following its determination in July that the board had violated a parent’s free speech rights.

Uthmeier emphasized that his office will ensure compliance. “It is imperative that Florida’s school districts uphold the law and respect the policies established by the legislature,” he said.