Vermont Christian school appeals sports ban

Mid Vermont Christian School petitioned a federal appeals court to overturn a previous federal ruling barring it from reentering the state sports association. The school was expelled from the state’s high school sports association after its girls’ basketball team forfeited a February 2023 playoff game against a team with a male player who identified as female. The school decided to forfeit out of religious conviction. It was also concerned about the safety and fairness of the game, according to court filings. After being banned, the Mid Vermont Christian sued the state arguing that the Vermont Principals’ Association, or VPA, had violated its First Amendment right to freedom of religion.

U.S. District Court Judge Geoffrey Crawford dismissed the school’s case in June on lack of merit, writing that the VPA’s policy applied to all and did not specifically target the school because of its faith. Crawford agreed with the VPA’s argument that the school stigmatized transgender students who had a right to play under the VPA codebook. Mid Vermont Christian School could seek readmission to the association if it agrees to honor VPA policies and Vermont law, Crawford wrote. Doing so would mean competing alongside male players who identify as female.

What’s happening with the appeal? The Alliance Defending Freedom, known as ADF, represented the school in federal court and filed on its behalf to the 2nd Circuit Federal Court of Appeals last Friday. No religious school or its students should be denied equal access to public benefits like team sports because of their religion, said ADF Senior Counsel Ryan Tucker. The VPA’s blatant discrimination and hostility toward Mid Vermont for its beliefs violates the First Amendment and the court must uphold constitutional protections, he added. ADF’s case noted how the VPA allowed three schools to forfeit games against teams with players who were exempt from COVID-19 mask requirements. The VPA cannot accept when schools forfeit games for secular reasons, then expel Mid Vermont for forfeiting a game based on religious beliefs, ADF argued in its appeal.

Dig deeper: Read Adele Fulton’s report for more detail on Mid Vermont Christian’s case.