Mid Vermont Christian School partially settled its case this week against the Vermont Principals’ Association (VPA), according to a press release. The VPA agreed to pay Mid Vermont $566,000 in damages and attorney fees.
In February 2023, the girls' basketball team at the school did not want to play against another girls' team with a male, citing its biblical beliefs that God made boys and girls different. The VPA responded to that by banning Mid Vermont Christian School from all athletic and academic competitions.
According to the case timeline, the Christian school filed a lawsuit in November 2023, but a federal district court ruled against their injunction relief in June 2024. The school then appealed to the Second Circuit and delivered oral arguments in April 2025 for injunction relief, which was granted later in September, allowing the school to take part in the athletic association once again.
AFN has followed this story from the beginning when the school was originally expelled, when they filed the lawsuit and when they planned to appeal the federal court decision.
Attorney Jacob Reed of Alliance Defending Freedom, the organization that represented Mid Vermont, spoke with AFN about the case.
"We litigated that case, got a Second Circuit victory and now finally settled this case, over half a million dollars in damages and attorneys' fees. So, the school is back in the sports league," Reed says.
Does this send a message to VPA to never do this again?
"One would think victory at the Second Circuit, saying that a government actor like the VPA likely violated the First Amendment by showing hostility to religion, should be a wakeup call, so we certainly hope so," says Reed. "The case will continue on against some state officials regarding some tuition issues there in Vermont, but time will tell, and we're hopeful."
