A Vermont high school snowboarding coach who was fired for criticizing a transgender athlete won a $75,000 settlement from the school, but his job will not be reinstated.
David Block, the founding coach of the Woodstock Union High School snowboard team, has reportedly settled his case with the Vermont Department of Education, the Vermont Principals Association, and his former school district. The school agreed to pay him a $75,000 settlement, 17 times his annual salary as a coach. washington times report.
U.S. District Judge Christina Reese denied reinstatement at a hearing in December. Block then filed a notice of appeal with the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in January. However, Bullock accepted the settlement and agreed to drop his appeal against her reinstatement request.
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Bullock, who is a devout Christian, was suspended after 10 years of coaching at the school for having a three-minute discussion with students about how men’s bodies have a physical advantage over women’s bodies in sports. , was laid off last year.
Block filed the lawsuit in July in U.S. District Court for the District of Vermont, six months after he was fired.
A statement from the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), which is representing Mr. Bullock in the lawsuit, said: “Mr. Bullock participated in the conversation and acknowledged that different people express themselves in different ways, and that there are masculine women and feminine men. He commented that it was a possibility.”
“He also said that as a matter of biology, men and women have different DNA, so men develop differently and have different physical characteristics than women, and those biological differences play a role in athletics. It also asserted that it gives men an advantage,” the ADF added.
Bloch is a Catholic and believes that “God created humans unalterably as either male or female,” he said, explaining the biological differences between men and women, including DNA, physical development, and bone structure. He is said to have talked about He also said that men have a clear physical advantage over women.
The coach insisted that the conversation be short, constructive and in no way disruptive. He also said he did not name or mention trans students at other schools.
Still, the day after this conversation, Superintendent Shelley Sousa fired Mr. Bullock and called the Windsor School for “Harassment, Harassment, and Bullying” by questioning the “legitimacy and appropriateness of students challenging the rights of female students.” He said it violated the policies of the Central Supervisory Union Board of Directors. From the team to the members of the WUHS snowboard team. ”
(Aaron Black/Getty Images)
Mr. Bloch was also defamed in a letter from the superintendent.
“I believe your use of the derogatory name objectively created an offensive environment, amounted to harassment based on gender identity, and justified termination of your contract as a snowboarding coach,” Shelley said. wrote in a letter to Mr. Block dated February 9.
Shelley fired Bullock and placed a red flag on his record to prevent him from being rehired.
“For more than a decade, Dave has led the Woodstock Union snowboarding program to great success in terms of both athletic achievement and personal growth for our snowboarders,” said ADF Attorney, Alliance Defending Freedom. Matthew Hoffman said.
“However, school district officials merely expressed the view that men and women are biologically different and questioned the appropriateness of teenage males competing with teenage females in athletics.” fired him in violation of the Constitution,” Hoffman concluded.
However, Judge Rees noted in his December ruling that he accepted that Mr Sousa may have mishandled the incident.
“She agrees that although she could have issued a warning, reprimand, mandatory training, suspension, or a combination of these actions, she chose dismissal instead,” Rees said. . “She has a transgender child and she used to be on a snowboard team, but she felt this issue was important.”
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