Caleb Degala-Burnett. Photo: michaeldegala
Rising baseball star Caleb Degala-Burnett, an eighth-grader from Union City, was actively recruited by Valley Christian School in Dublin, California, for its strong academic program and baseball team.
Caleb, recognized as a “college prospect” and potential pro draft pick, was initially welcomed by the school, which even discussed financial aid for the $24,000 annual tuition, reports The San Francisco Standard.
However, the school’s interest abruptly ended. According to Caleb’s father, Mike Degala, a school official stated that the family’s “same-sex marriage doesn’t align with our Christian values” and that the school “would lose supporters.”
Caleb, who had experienced childhood taunts but never institutional discrimination, expressed his anger, stating, “It really shouldn’t matter what your family is. It should matter about the student and how they are as a person.” Mike Degala called the experience “crazy” and unprecedented in its magnitude of discrimination.
Federal law prohibits private schools from discriminating based on race, color, and national origin, but does not prevent them from rejecting students based on their or their parents’ sexual orientation.
A survey of 10 top Bay Area Christian high schools found only one that would accept LGBTQ+ students and families. In contrast, all top-ranked Catholic and non-religious schools in the area prohibit homophobia in their policies. Several Christian schools explicitly reject homosexuality and same-sex marriage in their handbooks.
Jorge Reyes Salinas, communications director at Equality California, stated, “It’s legal on paper; it’s not morally right. This is unacceptable regardless of the school’s private or religious status.”
Caleb, who is interested in exploring Christianity, views the rejection as “just one little setback.”
His father, Master Burnett, who was raised by Southern Baptist missionaries, expressed disappointment that this was one of Caleb’s first encounters with Christianity, stating, “I don’t consider discrimination a Christian value.” He added that he’s accustomed to “religious bigotry,” referring to it as “being a ‘Sunday Christian.'”
The family has decided to move on, with Caleb planning to attend James Logan High School, a local public school. Mike Degala concluded, “It’s their loss.”
