BY: DM
Published 2 weeks ago
An Alachua County elementary school teacher is off the job after she asked people to call her “Mx,” a gender-neutral honorific, and Florida’s top education officials claimed that request crossed a legal line. School officials and the Attorney General are all speaking out, as the fallout from the controversy grows.
The District Placed the Teacher on Leave During the Investigation
District officials confirmed that Talbot Elementary in Gainesville removed the teacher from her classroom after Attorney General James Uthmeier sent a blistering letter on Oct. 22. He accused her of violating Florida’s 2023 pronoun law, House Bill 1069, and warned the district to “enforce the law and consider disciplinary action.” Uthmeier said his Office of Parental Rights received a complaint claiming the teacher “was forcing students and faculty to address her with the prefix ‘Mx.’ instead of ‘Ms.’ or ‘Mrs.’” He argued that her request “violates Florida law and Alachua County School District policy and must stop immediately.”
“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. He escalated further in the letter, calling “Mx.” “an ideologically laden term” that makes children “mouth support for nonsense” and saying its use is “unfit for a Florida educational setting.”
Within hours, state Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas posted on X that he had spoken with Superintendent Kamela Patton and “confirmed” the teacher was placed on leave while the district investigates. He described the allegations as “deeply troubling” and said he would not take them lightly.
The District Says It Is “Fully” Supporting the AG
Alachua County Public Schools spokesperson Jackie Johnson told local reporters that the district placed the employee on administrative leave. The district did not release the teacher’s name. Johnson said the case is under review. In a separate statement to The Daily Jagran, the district said it “takes all directives from the state seriously and will cooperate fully with the Attorney General’s office.”
Advocates have spoken out quickly. Kara Gross, the ACLU of Florida policy director, called the move “a heavy-handed example of government overreach” designed to “stigmatize LGBTQIA+ youth and family members and make teachers fearful of providing a welcoming and inclusive classroom,” according to GoMag.
Equality Florida, which has repeatedly pushed back on Uthmeier’s actions, said this fits a familiar pattern. “Attorney General Uthmeier is pulling straight from the DeSantis playbook: When you’re in trouble, blame trans people,” the organization said in a statement. “Uthmeier’s sudden pivot to women’s sports and attacking trans people is predictable, it’s tired, but it’s not governing.”
The teacher has not publicly responded. Because the district has not identified her, no statement, GoFundMe, or union complaint is on record. Her next steps remain unclear. She could file a state or federal discrimination claim, request a due-process hearing, or work through her union.
Do you believe this situation is about “parental rights,” identity, or politics? Comment below!
