What to Know
- Sydney Phillips and her family sued St. Theresa's School in Kenilworth after she wasn't allowed a shot to play on the boys basketball team
- She and her sister were expelled, but an appellate judge ruled they must be let back. Now the girls are rejected for the new school year.
- The archdiocese and for the family accused each party of bullying and harassment. A judge has refused to overturn the school's decision.
A judge has refused to overturn a decision to banish two sisters from their Roman Catholic school in New Jersey after a dispute over one of them wanting to play on the boys basketball team.
Superior Court Judge Donald Kessler on Monday lashed out at the girls' parents for making the dispute public and said the family didn't cite any law that would allow the court to interfere with the religious school's decision.
Cardinal Joseph Tobin testified that he decided not to allow 13-year-old Sydney Phillips and her younger sister, Kaitlyn, to re-enroll because their parents' behavior was not in the best interest of St. Theresa School in Kenilworth.
The dispute began when Sydney Phillips wasn't allowed to play on the boys' team.
The girls' father said it was a "sad day to be a Catholic."
