[ad_1]
Alliance Defending Freedom, a non-profit legal organization, has filed an opening brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit on behalf of Mid Vermont Christian School and one of its families. The school and family are challenging Vermont officials for expelling the Christian school and its students from participating in the state’s athletics association due to their religious beliefs.
Mid Vermont Christian School, a faith-based pre-K-12 school, was kicked out of the Vermont Principals’ Association (VPA) athletic association because it forfeited a girls’ basketball game against a team with a male athlete who identified as female, citing religious convictions. The VPA’s policies now allow males who identify as female to participate in girls’ sports, forcing Mid Vermont’s girls’ teams to compete against teams with male athletes or not play at all.
ADF Senior Counsel Ryan Tucker stated that no religious school should be denied access to benefits for their beliefs. The VPA’s expulsion of Mid Vermont violates the First Amendment, and the ADF is urging the court to uphold constitutional protections allowing the school to participate while adhering to its religious beliefs.
Despite 28 years of prior league participation, Mid Vermont is now barred from VPA activities, effectively being blacklisted from all VPA-sponsored sporting events in the state. The opening brief argues that the VPA’s actions are discriminatory and violate the school’s religious exercise.
Alliance Defending Freedom is dedicated to protecting religious freedom, free speech, parental rights, and the sanctity of life. The lawsuit aims to ensure that Mid Vermont Christian School can continue to participate in athletic events without compromising its beliefs.
Source
Photo credit adflegal.org
