Mid Vermont Christian School Back in Court

Religious Freedom,
Mid Vermont Christian School basketball players outside of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit in New York City on April 9, 2025.

Attorneys representing a Christian school in Vermont were back in court on Friday after state officials refused to include the school in state programs.

The Mid Vermont Christian School (MVCS) believes that human beings are created either male or female. In 2023, the MVCS girls’ basketball team decided to forfeit a game rather than violate its religious convictions by forcing its girls to play against a team with a male player.

But the Vermont Principals Association decided to punish the school for forfeiting the game by kicking it out of the sports league. That led to a major court battle — and a $566,000 settlement for damages and attorneys’ fees to Mid Vermont Christian School.

While the principals association has settled the suit, our friends at Alliance Defending Freedom say state officials have continued to exclude all religious schools — including MVCS — and their students from participating in the state’s tuition program and other public benefit programs.

On Friday, the U.S. District Court for the District of Vermont heard the case.

In a statement, Alliance Defending Freedom Legal Counsel Jake Reed said,

“Religious schools and the families they serve aren’t second-class citizens. Yet Vermont continues to treat them as such by excluding them from a public benefit available to other secular schools. All parents should be able to send their kids to schools that are the best fit for them, and the First Amendment protects parents’ right to choose religious schools.”

We appreciate our friends at Alliance Defending Freedom standing for religious liberty in court.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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From Mail-Order Abortion to Shady Bets, Here are the Week’s Top Stories

Current Events,
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Here’s a quick recap of the week’s top stories from Family Council and our friends:

From Family Council

💊 Federal Court Finally Blocks Mail-Order Abortion Drugs Nationwide: On May 1, a three-judge panel from the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals blocked mail-order abortion drugs nationwide, but on Monday the U.S. Supreme Court issued an administrative stay letting mail-order abortion drugs resume at least until 5:00 P.M. on Monday, May 11. Keep Reading.

💵 Arkansas Legislature Approves $3.5M in Grant Funding for Mothers with Unplanned Pregnancies: The Arkansas Legislature continues to put its money where its mouth is by approving millions of dollars in grant funding to support women with unplanned pregnancies. Keep Reading.

🎉 Pro-Life Centers Win Unanimous Supreme Court Victory: Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously agreed New Jersey pregnancy centers can defend themselves from government overreach. Keep Reading.

🌡️ Forecast Calls for 100% Chance of Shady Bets: Last week, media outlets reported that French authorities are investigating unexplained temperature spikes at a Paris weather station following suspicious bets placed on the platform Polymarket. Keep Reading.

⚖️ Federal Agency Sues States That are Trying to Stop Prediction Market Gambling: The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has filed lawsuits against New York and Wisconsin and filed legal briefs in Massachusetts, all to stop those states from applying their gambling laws to so-called “prediction markets.” Keep Reading.

😞 Sports Betting is Growing in America, But So is the Harm: Reports continue to show that sports betting is growing in America — but financial damage from predatory gambling is growing with it. Keep Reading.

🥼 Marijuana Hurts Teens’ Mental Health: A recent study shows once again that marijuana is harmful for teens and young adults. Keep Reading.

🏛️ Arkansas Attorney General Asks 8th Circuit to Keep Ten Commandments Monument on Capitol Grounds: Attorney General Tim Griffin’s office has appealed to the 8th Circuit to keep a monument of the Ten Commandments on the State Capitol Building grounds. Keep Reading.

🏀 Basketball Team Scores Big with Full Court Press for Religious Liberty: A Christian school in Vermont recently won a major legal victory — and the price tag for violating its constitutional rights was steep. Keep Reading.

📜 Here’s How the State Board of Education Could Fix Its EFA Rules: We have written repeatedly about how lawmakers could vote very soon a flawed set of rules governing the Educational Freedom Account (EFA) program. Keep Reading.

From Our Friends

DOJ Investigates Illinois School Districts for Violating Parental Rights With LGBT Content. From Daily Citizen.

Does Gay Marriage Put Children First? From Greater Than.

Neither Optimism nor Despair: Why Hope is Better. From Breakpoint.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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Sports Betting is Growing in America, But So is the Harm

Gambling, ,

Reports continue to show that sports betting is growing in America — but financial damage from predatory gambling is growing with it.

Most states have legalized sports betting, and new survey data shows more than half of men ages 18 – 49 have an active sportsbook account online. Arkansans wagered a record $86.5 million in March alone this year. But this type of gambling is taking a terrible toll on individuals and their families.

Researchers writing in Health Economics found a 10% increase in binge drinking among young men in the wake of sports betting’s legalization.

A recent report from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York found legalization of sports betting leads to a tenfold increase in spending at online sportsbooks, an increase in credit delinquencies, and a decline in credit scores.

People who gamble on sports may be twice as likely to suffer from gambling problems. When sports betting happens online, the rate is even higher.

Researchers at UCLA estimate that online sportsbooks are linked to an increase of roughly 30,000 more bankruptcies per year nationwide.

Research has also shown a strong connection between gambling problems and higher rates of depression and suicide.

The data is clear: Sports betting is corrupting sports and ruining lives. On the whole, most Americans do not believe sports betting has been good for society or good for sports. The NFL and sportsbooks have actually faced lawsuits over the harm from gambling.

As powerful corporations try to make gambling part of everyday life, it’s important for Arkansas to protect its citizens and families from predatory gambling. Otherwise gambling addiction will simply continue wrecking lives and hurting families in our state.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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