Vidalia schools drop Christian program after minister criticizes tax hike

Vidalia City Schools announced the cessation of Sweet Onion Christian Learning Center’s released-time instruction at Vidalia High School, a relationship that began in 2014. Superintendent Sandy Reid explained the move as a response to Rev. Gady Youmans’s Facebook criticism of a proposed property-tax increase and to parental complaints about the ministry’s perceived biblical bias. Youmans contends the district’s action amounts to viewpoint discrimination and retaliation, violating the First and Fourteenth Amendments, as well as state religious-freedom protections.

The lawsuit, filed by the Alliance Defending Freedom, also alleges procedural due-process failures and unconstitutional conditions on a public benefit. In response, the district said it will provide its defense through the legal process. The suit seeks an order forcing the district to allow Sweet Onion to resume its classes and to expunge any records of the termination, with only nominal damages requested.