The state of Vermont’s athletic association has agreed to pay $566,000 to Mid Vermont Christian School after the school was banned from state competitions for refusing to play against a team with a transgender athlete. The settlement closes one chapter in a legal battle that became a national flashpoint over religious liberty and women’s sports.
The dispute began in 2023 when Mid Vermont Christian School forfeited a girls basketball playoff game because the opposing team included a biological male competing in the girls division. Vermont officials responded by banning the school from all state-sponsored athletic and academic competitions, including spelling bees and science fairs.
According to WCAX, the Vermont Principals’ Association claimed the school violated the state’s anti-discrimination policy.
The school, represented by Alliance Defending Freedom, sued Vermont officials and argued the punishment violated the First Amendment and targeted the school’s biblical convictions regarding male and female distinctions. A federal appeals court later ruled in favor of the Christian school and ordered its reinstatement into Vermont athletics while the case continued.
“This settlement is a giant win not only for the 1st Amendment but obviously for the school itself,” Alliance Defending Freedom attorney David Cortman told WCAX.
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Cortman also told VTDigger that Vermont officials “denied Mid Vermont Christian School a public benefit available to all other schools in Vermont just because it stood by the widely held, biblical belief that boys and girls are different.”
Fox News reported the school endured two years of exclusion from both sports and academic activities, forcing students to travel out of state to compete. Coach Chris Goodwin described the emotional toll on students after the school chose to stand by its beliefs.
“We were all in agreement that the right decision was to not compromise our beliefs,” Goodwin told Fox News Digital.
The Vermont Principals’ Association denied wrongdoing but agreed to the settlement following the appeals court ruling. Executive Director Jay Nichols said the organization “will continue to follow Vermont law and advocate for all Vermont children,” according to WCAX and VTDigger.
The broader legal fight is still ongoing. Mid Vermont Christian School continues challenging Vermont’s exclusion of religious schools from certain public tuition programs, arguing the state is discriminating against Christian institutions because of their faith-based beliefs.
James Lasher, a seasoned writer and editor at Charisma Media, combines faith and storytelling with a journalism background from Otterbein University and ministry experience in Guatemala and at the LA Dream Center. A Marine Corps and Air Force veteran, he is the author of The Revelation of Jesus: A Common Man’s Commentary and a contributor to Charisma magazine. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact [email protected].
