\n<\/p>\n
A Christian school in Vermont is set to receive more than half a million dollars from the Vermont Principals\u2019 Association, partially settling a lawsuit after the school was punished when its girls\u2019 basketball team refused to play against a team with a transgender-identifying boy.<\/p>\n
Mid Vermont Christian School will receive $566,000 under the agreement, more than three years after it was removed from the state athletic association for forfeiting the game.<\/p>\n
The settlement follows a federal appeals court ruling that the school must be allowed to compete in games as the case proceeds.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe government cannot punish religious schools \u2014 and the families they serve \u2014 by permanently kicking them out of state-sponsored sports simply because the state disagrees with their religious beliefs,\u201d said David Cortman, senior counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom, which represents the Christian school.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor more than two years, state 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,\u201d he added. \u201cThere\u2019s a price to pay for violating constitutional rights for Christian schools and students.\u201d<\/p>\n
In February of 2023, the Mid Vermont Christian School girls\u2019 basketball team forfeited their state tournament game against a team that allowed a boy who identified as a girl to play on the team, saying that playing against a male \u201cjeopardizes the fairness of the game and the safety of our players.\u201d<\/p>\n
Following the forfeiture, the Vermont Principals\u2019 Association retaliated against the Christian school by banning it from athletic tournaments, CBS News affiliate WCAX reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n Chris Goodwin, the team\u2019s coach, said he will \u201calways\u201d fight for his players to compete in \u201cfair and safe competitions.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI never thought I would be in court for simply adhering to my Christian and commonsense belief that boys and girls are different,\u201d Goodwin said. \u201cAt Mid Vermont Christian School, we strive to exemplify biblical truth in and through everything we do.\u201d<\/p>\n Attorneys with Alliance Defending Freedom continue to litigate the case, which also seeks to hold Vermont officials accountable for denying students at Christian schools access to the state\u2019s tuition programs.<\/p>\n Multiple transgender-identifying male high school athletes have injured opposing female players in recent years. In 2022, North Carolina high schooler Payton McNabb was injured<\/a> when a trans-identifying boy spiked a volleyball in her face. McNabb suffered a concussion and a neck injury, which she said left her partially paralyzed on the right side of her body.<\/p>\n In 2024, a boy who identified as a girl injured<\/a> two girls\u2019 basketball players on the Collegiate Charter School of Lowell\u2019s team during a game in Massachusetts. Video<\/a> of one of the injuries shows the boy hurling a girl to the floor as they fight for the ball. The Collegiate Charter School of Lowell forfeited the game after the injuries.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n