TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier put a Florida teacher squarely in his crosshairs on Wednesday over the use of a “Mx.” prefix.
Uthmeier announced the issue on social media, explaining that the teacher worked at Talbot Elementary School in Gainesville.
He added that the teacher had been “forcing students and faculty to address her with the prefix ‘Mx.’ instead of ‘Ms.’ or ‘Mrs.’”
“This violates Florida law and Alachua County School District policy and must stop immediately,” he said.
A female teacher at Talbot Elementary in Gainesville is forcing students and faculty to address her with the prefix "Mx." instead of “Ms.” or “Mrs."
— Attorney General James Uthmeier (@AGJamesUthmeier) October 22, 2025
This violates Florida law and Alachua County School District policy and must stop immediately. pic.twitter.com/RzJBAPu8ax
Uthmeier also shared a letter issued to the district school board claiming that the “Mx.” prefix — reportedly pronounced “mix” — was intended to obfuscate the teacher’s gender.
According to NBC News, the “Mx.” title acts as a gender-neutral alternative for teachers who don’t choose to identify with either gender.
However, Uthmeier explained that state policy prohibits teachers from using titles in school that don’t correspond to a person’s sex.
‘’Mx.’ is an ideologically laden term that seeks to make educational professionals and — most damning — children mouth support for nonsense," the letter reads.
Just a few hours after Uthmeier’s announcement, though, Florida Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas announced that the teacher had been placed on leave pending an investigation.
“The allegations are deeply troubling and ones I will not take lightly,” he wrote.
[BELOW: Florida teachers warned after Charlie Kirk assassination]
The policy in question stems back to 2023, when Florida state lawmakers passed a bill (HB 1069) that prohibits K-12 public teachers in the state from using certain language in schools.
The legislation itself aimed to crack down on what some state leaders dubbed “woke gender ideology" in schools.
Teachers who knowingly violate these rules face the potential revocation or suspension of their educator’s certificate, preventing them from being employed in Florida public schools.
Aside from pronouns, though, the new rules also restrict teachers from using nicknames or preferred names in classrooms without parental permission.
[BELOW: News 6 examines investigation after Brevard County preferred name scandal]
This isn’t the first time that Uthmeier has taken aim at an Alachua County teacher, though.
In August, he declared that a Gainesville High School teacher should potentially be barred from teaching in the state after a student was reportedly given a “Dictator” award.