Ohio Catholic School Says ‘Unhinged’ Email to Libs of TikTok over DEI Homework Assignment Under Internal Investigation

Walsh Jesuit High School in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio confirmed the authenticity of in a Saturday email to members of its community that a letter sent to Libs of TikTok, a pro-parental rights group who called the message “unhinged,” and that it was internally investigating the source of the email.

Libs of TikTok posted the correspondence in a post to the social media platform X, revealing a journalist for the organization sought comment from Walsh Jesuit regarding an alleged homework assignment which required students to criticize President Donald Trump’s executive order to end Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs within the federal government.

In response, an individual who was apparently tied to the school used a personal email address to accuse Libs of TikTok of seeking “to play the role of troll” against Walsh Jesuit.

“I honestly don’t care if I get ‘outed’ because I am totally fine with white-supremacist, racist, xenophobic, anti-Christian nut jobs like you and your platform knowing that at least some American teachers are not going to be intimidated by the ‘orange man’ and his cronies’ attempts to white-wash education,” wrote the person, who claimed to “teach at the same school of the person you were reaching out about.”

The email’s author also claimed to “fully approve” of their colleague’s homework assignment, and told the organization, “we are not an institution of white-privileged, MAGA propaganda.”

The author then suggested this means the majority of educators at Walsh Jesuit share an opinion about Trump and his administration.

“I am writing because I don’t want the impression to be that my colleague is acting as some ‘lone-wolf-lib’ here. No, my friend, the resistance is real and it is collective. We will not back down to intimidation tactics such as the one in the email that you sent my administrators,” the author wrote.

The author then claimed that, regardless of the political climate, they will educate students the importance of DEI, the veracity of climate change, that “no one is illegal,” and that Jesus Christ and his family “were migrants.”

They wrote, “most importantly, [students] will learn that the policies of the current administration, by and large, are blatantly anti-Christian.”

In its Saturday statement, Walsh Jesuit confirmed it was aware of the email, but stated that it was not the stance of the school.

“First and foremost, the sentiments expressed in the email that is driving much of the conversation do not reflect our Walsh Jesuit community and most especially how we conduct ourselves in the classroom,” Walsh Jesuit president Timothy Grady said. “We have made clear to every employee at Walsh Jesuit that political campaigning or expressing personal political views – from any perspective – has no place in our school.”

Grady also said the school is investigating to determine who sent the message to the Libs of TikTok journalist.

He confirmed, “We are actively investigating this matter and will address it internally in accordance with our policies and procedures,” but added that the findings and consequences would “remain confidential.”

The school’s president also said Walsh Jesuit would not respond to the matter publicly or via social media, and would only issue statements directed to parents and staff members.

While the anonymous author described Libs of TikTok as a “troll” in their letter, the organization became prominent enough in its advocacy to draw negative attention from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), who pressured Twitter to ban the organization prior to the decision by Elon Musk to purchase the platform and rename it X.

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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].