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A Wisconsin school has announced plans to form a partnership with Turning Point USA (TPUSA) after facing backlash for rejecting a student’s effort to start a chapter.
“We will be working closely with TPUSA to flesh out the details as we create something new together,” Principal Margaret Hagedorn of Lake Country Classical Academy (LCCA) told Fox News Digital.
LCCA’s rejection of the club caused backlash from Melissa Smiley, the parent of the student who wanted to start a TPUSA chapter, and other parents, prompting former Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, an honorary board member of LCCA, and a Turning Point Action staff member, to denounce the decision.
Catie Smiley, a 17-year-old junior at LCCA was galvanized to join the momentum of Turning Point USA chapters growing across the country in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s death. Her mother, Melissa, a mom of three kids at LCCA, wrote a letter to LCCA’s board expressing “frustration” about the chapter being rejected.
Catie Smiley, a junior at Hillsdale College-affiliated Lake Country Classical Academy (LCCA), was galvanized to join the momentum of Turning Point USA chapters growing across the country in the wake of Kirk’s death. (Turning Point USA)
HIGH SCHOOLER INSPIRED BY CHARLIE KIRK’S WORK MOTIVATED TO START TURNING POINT USA CHAPTER
Hagedorn sent a letter explaining to Melissa and other concerned parents why the chapter was rejected, citing a policy that prohibits political organizations and clubs in the school.
Hagedorn said that LCCA did not reject the TPUSA chapter due to discrimination of political views and that any notion suggesting that is “completely false.”
“We clarified our fidelity to Hillsdale’s model and curriculum. After good discussions with TPUSA, we’ve agreed to create a school-sanctioned Civics Club that will promote civic practice for students and complement the hard work we do here within the parameters of the school’s own policies,” Hagedorn told Fox News Digital.
The LCCA has not approved student clubs affiliated with outside political or religious organizations since its inception. The policy is reflected in Hillsdale’s guidance and their Family Handbook, which “refers to extracurricular clubs as ‘enrichment classes.'”
LCCA is a Hillsdale College Member School which is more closely affiliated with Hillsdale College than Hillsdale Curriculum Schools. Hillsdale College Member Schools receive curriculum, consultation and training from the Hillsdale K-12 Education Office.
The board wrote another letter to parents, saying that they have been “in close consultation with our internal and external resources.”
The letter went on to say, “After discussion, we have concluded that our current policy warrants further review to enhance clarity. The review and approval process, to the extent needed, will take some time to complete.”
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“We have found a way forward to work closely with TPUSA to further our mutual goals. We are pleased that TPUSA and Gov. Scott Walker are on board with our approach,” Hagedorn told Fox News Digital.
Former Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, an honorary board member of LCCA, and a Turning Point Action staff member, previously denounced the decision to reject a student’s effort to start a TPUSA chapter. (Dylan Hollingsworth/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
LCCA needed to figure out how to proceed with a TPUSA presence that aligns with the school’s policy.
“After Catie’s initial meeting with the assistant principal who oversees operations at the upper school, the question was how to further a TPUSA presence at LCCA within our current school policies. We needed to work with Hillsdale and TPUSA to figure out a path forward and that’s exactly what we did. That came on Tuesday, and I communicated this to the students broadly on Wednesday,” Hagedorn said.
Walker, who previously criticized the school for rejecting the TPUSA chapter, now applauds the effort.
“I am glad to hear that Turning Point USA and Lake Country Classical Academy are working together so conservative students can have a voice on their campus,” Walker told Fox News Digital.
Melissa told Fox News Digital she felt the school’s decision to establish a civics club instead of a TPUSA chapter created confusion among some parents, as first reported by Wisconsin Right Now.
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“I feel that this is another glaring example of chronic leadership issues within the school that parents have been trying to address for four years, and the board is complicit in continued suppression of growth and leadership opportunities for the students. It’s quite literally the antithesis to Charlie Kirk’s entire framework,” Melissa told Fox News Digital.
At the LCCA board meeting, Wisconsin-based TPUSA leader Brett Galaszewski reportedly told the board that Kirk’s “dream” was to have a chapter at every school in the US.
“My ask is Charlie’s ask … The board can make this happen and see Charlie’s dream through,” Galaszewski told the LCCA board.
Hagedorn told Fox News Digital that she will meet with Catie, who took initiative to start the TPUSA chapter as the school works out details regarding the nature of their partnership with the organization.
LCCA’s partnership with TPUSA underscores the growth of the organization in the wake of Kirk’s death. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)
“I will be meeting with Catie, our other interested students, and the faculty advisor on Monday when everyone returns to school after Fall Break to figure out next steps,” Hagedorn said.
She went on to say, “We understand and respect that everyone may not agree, but we have also received a lot of positive feedback and appreciation for figuring out a creative solution. Turning Point and our school share many of the same goals. Civic engagement is paramount for our school, and we’re excited to be working with TPUSA,” Hagedorn said.
TPUSA’s Club America Enterprise Director, Nick Cocca, applauded Hagedorn’s effort to form a partnership with TPUSA on Tuesday.
“We’re working together to create a student-led group that fully aligns with the school’s existing policies. Excited to build a long-term @TPUSA partnership!” Cocca wrote on X.
Ever since Kirk was assassinated, his organization has grown and received massive support. After Kirk’s massive memorial service on Sept. 13, TPUSA announced that it had received more than 120,000 inquiries from people wanting to start new campus chapters.
Kirk, who would have turned 32 on Tuesday, was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom at the White House.
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Catie’s effort to start a TPUSA chapter and LCCA’s partnership with TPUSA underscores the growth of the organization in the wake of Kirk’s death.
“She was deeply moved by Charlie’s work. She actually has been long involved, going to different young Americans events around the college campuses,” Melissa told Fox News Digital.
