The Vermont Christian school that withdrew their girls’ basketball team from a playoff game due to a transgender student playing on the opposing team is suing Vermont. The school is suing for being barred from state tournaments and a state tuition program. Mid Vermont Christian School of Quechee forfeited the game on Feb. 21, stating that they believed the transgender player jeopardized the fairness and safety of the game for their players. The school filed a federal lawsuit in Burlington, claiming that the refusal to designate them as an approved independent school amounted to discrimination against religious schools. The school is being excluded from various programs and sports, which is causing irreparable harm. The Vermont Agency of Education declined to comment, and the Vermont Principals’ Association has not seen the lawsuit and had no comment at this time. In a separate case, the Agency of Education and several school districts agreed to pay tuition costs and legal fees to five families to settle two lawsuits challenging the state’s practice of not paying for students to attend religious schools. The lawsuits were dismissed after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that states cannot exclude religious schools from programs that offer tuition aid for private education.
