A Christian school in Vermont recently got barred from competing in future girls basketball tournaments after forfeiting games against a team that has a transgender student on the team.
Fox News reports that Mid Vermont Christian School can no longer participate in athletic competitions in any sport governed by the Vermont Principals Association (VPA). This ban means they cannot even participate in sports outside of girls basketball. This stiff penalty has many people raising an eyebrow about why the school would be so harshly penalized for something like this.
The governing body over high school sports in Vermont released a statement that read:
The VPA again reiterates its ongoing support of transgender student-athletes as not only a part of building an inclusive community for each student to grow and thrive, but also as a clear expectation by Vermont state law(s) in the Agency of Education Best Practices, and in VPA Policy regarding transgender student-athletes.
Officials said that the school failed to follow the policies set forth by the organization concerning its policies on race, gender, and disability awareness.
Head of School Vicky Fogg stated Fox News Digital in which she said:
Mid Vermont Christian school is disappointed with the decision of the VPA Executive Council to ban us from participation in all VPA activities, and We intend to appeal the decision. Canceling our membership is not a solution and does nothing to deal with the [very] real issue of safety and fairness facing womens sports in our beloved state. We urge the VPA to reconsider its policies and balance the rights of every athlete in the state.
Last month, the Christian school dropped out of a game against Long Trail Mountain rather than compete against them because they have a transgender athlete on the team. Vicky Fogg argued that having her school compete against a school with a biologically male player on the team was unfair. Fogg also suggested it could be unsafe because the transgender player could likely be physically more muscularly significant compared to the females on her team.
Fogg wrote in a statement about the situation:
We withdrew from the tournament because we believe playing against an opponent with a biological male jeopardizes the fairness of the game [and] the safety of our players. Allowing biological males to participate in womens sports sets a bad precedent for the future of womens sports.
Overall, many feel the governing body is holding the school to a stiff standard for taking a stand on the competitiveness of sports for its students.
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