ALACHUA COUNTY, Fla. \u2013 Florida\u2019s Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas has filed an administrative complaint against a teacher over her use of the title \u201cMx.\u201d<\/p>\n
The complaint identifies the teacher as Emily Caylen Grace, a resource teacher at William S. Talbot Elementary School in Alachua County.<\/p>\n
According to the complaint, the violations in question occurred during the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 school years.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe asked and\/or encouraged and\/or failed to correct elementary students addressing her using the non-binary prefix Mx rather than Ms. or Mrs. as appropriate for (Grace\u2019s) sex as determined at birth,\u201d the complaint reads.<\/p>\n
According to NBC News<\/a>, the \u201cMx.\u201d title can act as a gender-neutral alternative for teachers who don\u2019t choose to identify with either gender.<\/p>\n However, Florida state law prohibits teachers from using titles or pronouns in school that don\u2019t correspond to their actual sex<\/a>.<\/p>\n The issue gained traction after it was publicly revealed by Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier last month, when he called out the behavior in a letter to the school district.<\/p>\n \u2018\u2019Mx.\u2019 is an ideologically laden term that seeks to make educational professionals and \u2014 most damning \u2014 children mouth support for nonsense,” the letter reads.<\/p>\n A female teacher at Talbot Elementary in Gainesville is forcing students and faculty to address her with the prefix “Mx.” instead of \u201cMs.\u201d or \u201cMrs.”<\/p>\n This violates Florida law and Alachua County School District policy and must stop immediately. pic.twitter.com\/RzJBAPu8ax<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Attorney General James Uthmeier (@AGJamesUthmeier) October 22, 2025<\/a> <\/p>\n Just a few hours after Uthmeier\u2019s announcement, Kamoutsas revealed that Grace had been placed on leave pending an investigation.<\/p>\n Now, Kamoutsas\u2019 complaint shows that Grace is being charged with misconduct and violating the state\u2019s principles of professional conduct<\/a>.<\/p>\n As such, the complaint continues, Grace faces potential sanctions against her teaching certificate, which could include a written reprimand, probation, or even permanent revocation.<\/p>\n [BELOW: News 6 examines investigation after Brevard County preferred name scandal<\/a>]<\/p>\n The policy in question stems back to 2023, when Florida state lawmakers passed a bill (HB 1069<\/a>) that prohibits K-12 public teachers in the state from using certain language in schools. <\/p>\n The legislation itself aimed to crack down on what some state leaders dubbed \u201cwoke gender ideology<\/a>” in schools.<\/p>\n Teachers who knowingly violate these rules face the potential revocation or suspension of their educator\u2019s certificate, preventing them from being employed in Florida public schools.<\/p>\n Aside from pronouns, though, the new rules also restrict teachers from using nicknames or preferred names<\/a> in classrooms without parental permission. <\/p>\n Breaking News Alerts<\/p>\n Get breaking news alerts delivered to your inbox.<\/p>\n Copyright 2025 by WKMG ClickOrlando – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n