Vermont pays $566K in damages to Christian school it banned from all sports competitions for years
Vermont has paid $566,000 in damages and legal fees to Mid Vermont Christian School after a two-year ban from all sports and academic competitions, imposed when the school's girls' basketball team forfeited a game against a team with a transgender athlete. The ban was challenged in court, and a judge's ruling awarding the settlement was finalized in April 2026. The U.S. Court of Appeals had previously ordered the school's reinstatement in 2025, allowing students to return to state competitions. The case highlighted tensions between religious beliefs and state nondiscrimination policies.
- ▪Mid Vermont Christian School forfeited a 2023 girls' basketball game rather than compete against a transgender athlete, citing religious beliefs.
- ▪In response, the Vermont Principals’ Association banned the school from all athletic and academic competitions for two years.
- ▪The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled in 2025 that the school must be reinstated while litigation continued.
- ▪A federal judge finalized a $566,000 award to the school and its legal representatives in April 2026.
- ▪The school, with about 111 students, had to travel out of state for competitions during the ban, disrupting student life and extracurricular culture.
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Sports Vermont pays $566K in damages to Christian school it banned from all sports competitions for years A judge finalized the award Tuesday after the school was barred from athletics and academic competitions for two years By Jackson Thompson Fox News Published April 28, 2026 7:43pm EDT Facebook Twitter Threads Flipboard Comments Print Email Add Fox News on Google close Video Vermont Christian school fights state ban after girls basketball team forfeits game over trans athlete Mid Vermont Christian School basketball coach Chris Goodwin and Alliance Defending Freedom attorney David Cortman join 'Fox & Friends' ahead of a court hearing to address the school's removal from games for forfeiting against a trans player.
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