to be fair in [its] dealings with all people, including, certainly, [its] employees. At the same time, it is important that [Sunrise] stay[s] true to [its] Christian values. Homosexuality is a lifestyle that would prohibit employment." In response to the firing, five Sunrise employees resigned, and the social work programs from Spalding University and the University of Louisville withdrew their students from working with Sunrise. With the help of the American Civil Liberties Union and Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, Pedreira sued Sunrise and the state of Kentucky, claiming religious discrimination. In 2001, U.S. District Judge Charles Simpson dismissed the case, ruling that "While Baptist Homes seeks to employ only persons who adhere to a behavioral code consistent with its religious mission, the absence of religious requirements leaves their focus on behavior, not religion." Opponents of President George W. Bush's then-recently announced White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives cited Simpson's decision as an example of potential negative consequences that could result from the government partnering with faith-based organizations. One aspect of the lawsuit that Judge Charles Simpson allowed to proceed claimed that Sunrise was using taxpayer funds to coerce children in its care into participating in religious practices. In 2015, near the end of his term, Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear reached an agreement with the ACLU and Americans United to settle the case. Under terms of the agreement, the state would "require providers to inform a child and the child's parents of a foster home's religious affiliation, to provide children with opportunities to go to the church of their choice, and to provide non-religious alternatives to religious activities. Providers must also agree not to discriminate against children on the basis of religion, coerce children to engage in religious activity or attempt to convert children to a new religion. Further, when children leave their care, providers must give them an exit survey that asks, among other things, whether the provider tried to convert the child to a new religion." Both the ACLU and Americans United would have gained access to the agency's redacted records to ensure compliance. Sunrise was not party to the settlement and challenged some of its provisions to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals—where it won some modifications—and to the Supreme Court of the United States, which twice declined to hear the case. These challenges delayed the agreement becoming effective, and incoming