School district must reinstate Christian program cut after leader criticized school board, court rules
A Georgia school district must reinstate a religious released-time program for public school students while a lawsuit is litigated, a federal court has ruled.
The Alliance Defending Freedom announced last Friday that the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia ruled Vidalia City Schools must reinstate The Sweet Onion Christian Learning Center while the litigation continues.
The center and its director, Gady Youmans, sued Vidalia City Schools in May, alleging that they cut the program because of a Facebook post by Youmans criticizing a proposed tax increase in the school district.
ADF Legal Counsel Mercer Martin, who argued the case on Youmans’ behalf, said in a statement quoted in the announcement that all Americans have “the right to publicly criticize the government.”
“Vidalia City Schools can’t punish Rev. Youmans — or his ministry providing high school students with free religious education — for simply sharing his opinion of a proposed tax hike,” stated Martin.
“We’re pleased the court has reinstated Sweet Onion’s released-time program and restored Rev. Youmans’ constitutionally protected freedoms while his lawsuit proceeds.”
As with other schools, Vidalia City Schools has a released-time program in which public school students could receive off-campus religious instruction during ordinary school hours.
Last September, Youmans took to Facebook to criticize a proposed tax increase, commenting that school board members “don’t need more money” and claiming that “The [Board of Education] office keeps hiring admins we don’t need with near $100,000 salaries.”
Five months later, Vidalia City Schools Superintendent Sandy Reid reportedly told Youmans that the school district will discontinue the released-time program effective next school year.
According to the minutes of the school board’s November 2025 work session, Reid “noted that parents have previously expressed concerns about the course content, specifically a perception that some instruction reflected a particular interpretation of the Bible rather than presenting information in a neutral or well-balanced manner.”
“A few parents have chosen to remove their children from the class for this reason, though the majority of enrolled students complete the course,” the work session minutes added.
“She also reported a recurring concern related to the instructor, who has publicly expressed criticism of public schools and has posted negative comments about the district and staff on social media. The Board briefly reviewed these issues and inquired about possible options for the course.”
Youmans's lawsuit alleges that the district officials engaged in unconstitutional behavior when they terminated the program.
"This released-time program continued without problems until the Center’s Executive Director, Reverend Gady Youmans, complained about a proposed tax increase on his Facebook page. Soon after, school officials canceled the released-time program, harming the ministry and leaving Vidalia students without any free religious education option," the filing states. "The officials did so because they didn’t like Rev. Youmans publicly criticizing the government. That violates the First Amendment."
"Under the First Amendment, Rev. Youmans had a clearly established right both to criticize a proposed tax increase and to teach the Bible from his religious perspective," the lawsuit added. "By punishing him and his ministry for his criticism and religious instruction, the Board and Superintendent Reid violated that right."
