Vermont Christian school reinstated after ban over transgender athlete controversy

A federal appeals court on Tuesday granted Mid Vermont Christian School a preliminary injunction to rejoin the Vermont Principals' Association and compete in state sports while its First Amendment challenge proceeds. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled that the school is likely to succeed on its Free Exercise claim, saying the VPA’s decision to bar the school showed hostility toward the school’s religious beliefs.

The legal fight began in February 2023, when Mid Vermont’s girls basketball team forfeited a playoff game against Long Trail School after learning a biological male transgender student was on the opposing roster. School officials cited safety and fairness concerns for female players competing against a transgender athlete. Three weeks later, the VPA expelled Mid Vermont from all state-sponsored sports and non-athletic activities, including spelling bees, science fairs and debate competitions. The school argued that requiring female athletes to compete against a transgender athlete threatened fairness and safety in women’s sports and violated its religious principles.

Alliance Defending Freedom, a religious liberty group, sued on behalf of the school and one of its families, arguing the school was punished for exercising religious beliefs protected by the First Amendment. Court documents show VPA Executive Director Jay Nichols publicly criticized Mid Vermont two days after the forfeit, labeling the decision “blatant discrimination under the guise of religious freedom.” The VPA’s appeals committee also dismissed the school’s safety and fairness concerns as a myth and characterized its religious objection as wrong. In their ruling, the panel said it is a myth that transgender students endanger others when they participate in high school sports or create unfair competition, a claim critics say has influenced policy debates nationwide.

The court’s decision to issue a preliminary injunction means Mid Vermont can rejoin the Vermont Principals' Association and compete in state athletics while the underlying case moves forward. Advocates for the school hailed the ruling as a defense of religious liberty and a check on state or school officials who they say punish faith-based schools for exercising their beliefs. David Cortman, senior counsel with Alliance Defending Freedom, said the decision could set a precedent protecting religious schools facing similar limitations and asserted the court had corrected what he described as an improper choice by the state to force the school to choose between its beliefs and athletics.

For Mid Vermont, the injunction offers immediate relief that had been elusive since the expulsion, which left athletes traveling hours to compete in a Christian league in neighboring states and facing reduced exposure and scholarship opportunities. Head coach Chris Goodwin, who has led the Eagles for nearly a decade and whose daughter plays on the team, told Fox News Digital that safety and fairness were central to the original decision to forfeit the game, and he criticized the subsequent punishment as excessive and aimed at making an example of the school. He said the ruling helps restore opportunities for the players and aligns with the school’s understanding of fair competition.

The Second Circuit’s opinion centers on whether the VPA’s actions were neutral toward the school’s religious beliefs or instead reflected hostility to those beliefs. The court found the latter more likely, underscoring the tension between religious liberty protections and state or quasi-state athletic governance in the increasingly litigated arena of transgender participation in sports. The panel’s decision to grant a preliminary injunction does not resolve the merits of the broader dispute, but it does restore the school’s eligibility to compete while litigation continues.

The case comes as the judicial and political landscape across the United States continues to grapple with transgender athletes in public school sports. The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to review state bans on transgender athletes in public schools this fall, signaling that higher courts may increasingly weigh religious liberty arguments against evolving policy on gender identity in youth athletics.

Mid Vermont’s reinstatement does not automatically restore all previously forfeited or announced positions within the school’s athletic program. As the litigation proceeds, the school and its supporters are pushing for a broader restoration of eligibility across all state-sponsored events, including potential postseason considerations and all-conference recognition. The court’s ruling limits its immediate scope to the injunction and its impact on the current and future participation of Mid Vermont’s athletes pending the case’s outcome.

Jay Nichols, the VPA’s executive director, said the association does not comment on pending litigation but added that the organization does not discriminate on the basis of religious beliefs. Other defendants in the suit, including Vermont Education Secretary Zoie Saunders and State Board of Education Chair Jennifer Deck Samuelson, declined to comment on ongoing litigation.

The case reflects a broader national debate about how schools balance fairness, safety, and religious liberty when transgender inclusion intersects with girls’ and women’s sports. It also highlights the legal avenues that states, schools, and advocacy groups are pursuing as litigation continues to unfold in federal courts.

As the legal process continues, the parties may present further arguments about the standards for evaluating Free Exercise claims in the context of athletics governance and the scope of religious liberty protections in public education. Legal observers say the Second Circuit’s decision could influence similar cases in other circuits as more disputes arise over transgender participation and the rights of religious schools.

The evolution of this case illustrates how schools, advocacy groups, and state agencies are navigating a landscape where policy, law, and faith intersect in complex ways. The Second Circuit’s ruling does not settle the broader questions at stake, but it does underscore the judiciary’s role in balancing religious liberty claims with the rights of students to participate in organized sports and the prerogatives of state athletic associations. The outcome of the broader case remains to be seen, but for Mid Vermont Christian School and its athletes, the injunction provides a crucial, time-limited pathway back into the competitive fold as the litigation proceeds.