Mid Vermont Christian School was barred from participating in Vermont Principals\u2019 Association (VPA) state athletic events after it refused, three years earlier, to play girls basketball against a transgender opponent who identified as male-to-female. The VPA\u2019s ban prevented the school from competing in state tournaments.<\/p>\n

A federal appeals court ruled<\/a> in September that the VPA could not impose that kind of ban, leading to a $566,000 settlement that included damages and legal fees. As part of the agreement, the VPA said it would not enact a similar exclusion in the future.<\/p>\n

The school\u2019s legal fight is not fully over: litigation against Vermont\u2019s Agency of Education continues becuase religious-school students were also barred from state tuition and other public benefit<\/a> programs. The appeals court said the VPA\u2019s actions reflected hostility toward the school\u2019s religious beliefs and issued a preliminary injunction allowing the teams back into state competitions. <\/p>\n