Santa Maria's Valley Christian Academy sued after refusing to play football team with female player

Sep. 25—A Santa Maria school has been accused of sex discrimination after refusing to play football against a rival team with a female player, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday in federal court.

In a complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, plaintiff Sonya Herrera accused Valley Christian Academy of violating the Title IX law after the private school changed its schedule to avoid playing Cuyama Valley High School in the coming season because her daughter is a member of the team.

The complaint was filed after Alfonso Gamino, Cuyama Joint Union High School District's superintendent, received a letter following a March 13 scrimmage with VCA, explaining that VCA won't play the Cuyama team because of the female member identified as "E.H." in the lawsuit due to her age.

"[Valley Christian Academy] made it clear to plaintiff, among others, that their refusal to play Cuyama Valley High School's football team was for no reason other than their intentional discriminatory animus against Plaintiff based on her gender," according to the lawsuit.

Title IX is the federal law that prohibits discrimination based on sex in education programs. VCA is a member of the California Interscholastic Federation, which oversees public and private high school athletics in the state, and includes a condition that it must comply with Title IX.

The lawsuit alleges five causes of action, including violations of state and federal civil rights laws, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

Additionally, the lawsuit lists First Baptist Church, which includes VCA as part of its parish, Joel Mikkelson, the lead pastor and school's superintendent, and Does 1-30, who are unnamed individuals that the plaintiffs believe are "responsible in some manner" for the alleged discrimination.

The plaintiffs seek a jury trial and unspecified damages over loss of educational and career opportunities, reputation, well-being, attorneys fees, and an injunction that prevents VCA from discriminating against high school athletes based on sex.

In a telephone statement, Mikkelson said he had "no idea" that the lawsuit had been filed, but said he was aware of the situation outlined in the lawsuit and that he didn't think there was a problem because Cuyama had already found a team other than VCA to play this fall.

The plaintiffs allege that VCA violated CIF bylaws, which allow females to compete on teams with males in sports like baseball or football, according to the lawsuit.

During the 2020-21 academic year, Cuyama Valley had an eight-man football team, as opposed the 11 players that are normally on the field during a game.

Plaintiff E.H. had demonstrated "exceptional talent" in male-dominated sports and stood out during varsity football tryouts, which earned her a position of wide receiver on the team as the only female, according to the lawsuit.

"As one of only two rostered wide receivers on Cuyama Valley's football team, plaintiff took her position seriously," according to the lawsuit, adding that she "trained vigorously and prepared herself" over the summer for the coming season.

During the March 13 scrimmage, Cuyama Valley's team traveled to Santa Maria for a scheduled game against VCA.

Although no one from the VCA team knew the player was female because her helmet was on for the entire game, Cuyama Valley's roster was publicly available online and included a name "associated with a female gendered individual," according to the lawsuit.

The plaintiff said no issues occurred during the game until the very end.

When E.H. removed her helmet, defendant coaches and administrators glared while "shaking their heads in disbelief" as she walked off the field, according to the lawsuit.

After the game, Mikkelson wrote a letter to Gamino blocking future games with Cuyama Valley because of the female player, and citing a VCA policy that prohibits physical contact between boys and girls at the school.

"Football is a violent game and we understand the value of such in training our young men within the boundaries of an organized sport," according to the undated letter, which also cited Bible verses. "We mean no ill will at all towards Cuyama Valley High School or any of its students or their families."

The defendants have 21 days to respond upon formal notice of the lawsuit, according to court documents.