News and Events => Education news => Topic started by: Jessica_Rose on May 05, 2026, 09:10:59 PM Return to Full Version
Title: Christian school won more than half a million in “religious freedom” lawsuit...
Post by: Jessica_Rose on May 05, 2026, 09:10:59 PM
Post by: Jessica_Rose on May 05, 2026, 09:10:59 PM
Christian school won more than half a million in "religious freedom" lawsuit over trans athlete
https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2026/05/christian-school-won-more-than-half-a-million-in-religious-freedom-over-trans-athlete/
Greg Owen (5 May 2026)
Education agencies in Vermont have paid more than half a million dollars in damages and legal fees to a Christian school in the state that was barred from competition after it refused to play a basketball team with a transgender student-athlete, Fox News reports.
Mid Vermont Christian School took the knee before a game with Long Trail School in 2023, rather than compete against the trans student, and was subsequently banned from Vermont's school sports league for the forfeiture.
The religious school sued the league, the Vermont Principals' Association (VPA), with the help of anti-LGBTQ+ conservative Christian legal group Alliance Defending Freedom. In September 2025, the New York-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit agreed with the plaintiffs that their "religious freedom" had been violated and overturned an earlier ruling by a federal district judge in Vermont that upheld the league's action.
The settlement, finalized on Tuesday after mediation, awards $566,000 to Mid Vermont Christian School and the ADF. Neither side has divulged the full terms of the settlement, according to Vermont's Valley News.
"The government cannot punish religious schools — and the families they serve — by permanently kicking them out of state-sponsored sports simply because the state disagrees with their religious beliefs," said David Cortman, senior counsel with ADF, in a statement addressing the settlement.
Ahead of their forfeiture, the Christian academy had called on the VPA to bar the trans student athlete from playing, but the league said doing so would violate its nondiscrimination policies and Vermont law.
Three weeks later, Mid Vermont was expelled from the league and denied participation in sports and other extracurricular activities in the state, including spelling bees and debate competitions.
https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2026/05/christian-school-won-more-than-half-a-million-in-religious-freedom-over-trans-athlete/
Greg Owen (5 May 2026)
Education agencies in Vermont have paid more than half a million dollars in damages and legal fees to a Christian school in the state that was barred from competition after it refused to play a basketball team with a transgender student-athlete, Fox News reports.
Mid Vermont Christian School took the knee before a game with Long Trail School in 2023, rather than compete against the trans student, and was subsequently banned from Vermont's school sports league for the forfeiture.
The religious school sued the league, the Vermont Principals' Association (VPA), with the help of anti-LGBTQ+ conservative Christian legal group Alliance Defending Freedom. In September 2025, the New York-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit agreed with the plaintiffs that their "religious freedom" had been violated and overturned an earlier ruling by a federal district judge in Vermont that upheld the league's action.
The settlement, finalized on Tuesday after mediation, awards $566,000 to Mid Vermont Christian School and the ADF. Neither side has divulged the full terms of the settlement, according to Vermont's Valley News.
"The government cannot punish religious schools — and the families they serve — by permanently kicking them out of state-sponsored sports simply because the state disagrees with their religious beliefs," said David Cortman, senior counsel with ADF, in a statement addressing the settlement.
Ahead of their forfeiture, the Christian academy had called on the VPA to bar the trans student athlete from playing, but the league said doing so would violate its nondiscrimination policies and Vermont law.
Three weeks later, Mid Vermont was expelled from the league and denied participation in sports and other extracurricular activities in the state, including spelling bees and debate competitions.