Mid-Vermont Christian School (MVCS) is set to receive some $566,000 for damages and legal fees to settle a lawsuit that stems from being blacklisted from state-sponsored competitions and other school-related events.
The settlement, finalized this month, concludes litigation that began in 2023 after the MVCS girls’ basketball team forfeited a playoff game against a team in which a transgender athlete was a member.
Coach Chris Goodwin, who led the girls’ basketball program, previously told NTD that the decision to forfeit was due to the school’s religious convictions and the safety of its players from a male athlete who was transitioning to female.
“We believe that God created boys and girls differently, and as an extension of that there are physical differences as they grow into adulthood,” Goodwin said. “There's a large advantage for male athletes, and we recognize that there's going to be competition that ends up being unfair and unsafe for our girls."
Following the forfeit, the Vermont Principals' Association (VPA) banned the school from all sports and academic events, including spelling bees and math competitions.
The Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) law firm subsequently sued alleging the punishment was unconstitutional.
“What surprises me is that it took from April 2026 to when we filed the case in November 2023,” ADF attorney Jacob Reed told NTD on April 29. “So, two and a half years just to ensure that Mid-Vermont and its students can participate equally in the state sports league.”
The VPA did not respond to requests for comment by the time of publication.
"It cannot, however, impose those beliefs on students from other public and private schools; deny students from other schools the opportunity to play; or hurt students from other schools because of who those students are," VPA said.
Conditions under the settlement include provisions that prevent the school from being disqualified for state tournaments due to forfeits based on their faith while public schools in Vermont are still permitted to allow transgender athletes to compete on female teams.
The $566,000 payout covers legal fees and damages, including the loss of students and the costs incurred when the school’s sports teams were forced to travel out of state to compete in sports.
"What matters here for mid Vermont Christian and for Christian schools across the country is that if the government disagrees with a Christian school's beliefs, it can’t retaliate," Reed added. “The school and its teams cannot be punished for adhering to and following its religious convictions. If they have a game against a girl’s team with a male athlete, they would be able to forfeit that game without penalty."