The board of Lake Country Classical Academy in Oconomowoc, WI, will vote Wednesday on whether to announce a policy review that would likely overturn the hotly contested decision to reject a student Turning Point club.
The school’s initial decision to reject the Turning Point club has sparked heated controversy and a reaction from a former Wisconsin governor and state Supreme Court justice (the latter launched a fairly jaw-dropping social media broadside at a Turning Point leader).
The desire of Catie Smiley, 17, and other students at LCCA to start the Turning Point club in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s death has gone national, sparking thousands of comments and interest from Fox News. One post by Wisconsin Right Now alone on Facebook drew more than 12,000 comments, 60,000 likes, and 3,600 shares. A Wisconsin Right Now post about Smiley on X had 13,000 retweets and more than 300,000 views. And that’s just our pages.
A draft letter is now included in the board packet for LCCA’s Oct. 15 meeting, Wisconsin Right Now has learned. Prominent conservatives are on the board; see the roster here. The letter is addressed to parents and says the board has been “in close consultation with our internal and external resources. 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.” The board will vote on this letter at its meeting.
Critically, the draft letter adds, “However, we are confident, following the review and clarification, that a TPUSA chapter can be accommodated. We ask that you allow us some time to accomplish this work, and we commit to communicating with you in short order about a revised policy.”
The club’s rejection has divided parents, with some parents blasting the decision and raising a host of other issues involving the school, while others defended the decision.
Although both are conservative and were previously aligned, former Gov. Scott Walker and current Justice Brian Hagedorn came down on different sides of the contentious decision. We reached out to Waukesha County Executive Paul Farrow, who authorized the charter school, and he did not return a request for comment.
The Oconomowoc school describes itself as “a Hillsdale College Member School” that provides “a K-12 tuition-free, classical liberal arts education located in Oconomowoc, WI.” It is “an independent (2r), public (tuition-free) charter school.”
Meanwhile, the private NorthShore Classical Academy nearby announced in a statement that it was approving a Turning Point club. Both are Hillsdale member schools; Charlie Kirk attended and was very close to Hillsdale College in Michigan, which is why some parents are baffled that a Hillsdale-affiliated school like LCCA wouldn’t allow students to start a club that advances his mission.
Brian Hagedorn & Scott Walker Take Different Stances
Walker, who is an honorary LCCA board member, wrote on X, “They should absolutely be able to have a chapter. We will fight for students to have @TPUSA @yaf @yrnational or any other conservative groups at their schools! I just reached out to several board members to get a charter approved at LCCA.” Walker is the president of the Young America’s Foundation, which is also a youth organization.
They should absolutely be able to have a chapter. We will fight for students to have @TPUSA @yaf @yrnational or any other conservative groups at their schools! I just reached out to several board members to get a charter approved at LCCA. https://t.co/eEuQu9PBiX
— Scott Walker (@ScottWalker) October 10, 2025
However, Hagedorn, who used to be Walker’s chief legal counsel, launched an unusual broadside against Turning Point’s Wisconsin rep, Brett Galaszewski. Hagedorn’s wife, Margaret Hagedorn, is the principal of LCCA.
“Brett, you are insinuating that LCCA turned down a proposed Turning Point student group due to its viewpoint, as has apparently occurred at other schools. That is flat-out wrong. I understand LCCA recently sent a communication to parents correcting this misinformation,” Hagedorn wrote.
But Galaszewski never said that LCCA turned down Turning Point for its “viewpoint.” He wrote, “Another @TPUSA chapter has been DENIED in Wisconsin. This time it’s Lake Country Classical Academy. Multiple high level legacy Republicans are involved in this school, including WI Supreme Court Justice @judgehagedorn. His wife is the one who wrote this letter and rejected the chapter! X, do your thing.”
🚨 Another @TPUSA chapter has been DENIED in Wisconsin.
This time it’s Lake Country Classical Academy @ClassicalLake.
Multiple high level legacy Republicans are involved in this school, including WI Supreme Court Justice @judgehagedorn. His wife is the one who wrote this letter… pic.twitter.com/RK5aSF52mt
— Brett Galaszewski (@bgalsWI) October 10, 2025
Justice Hagedorn, who has drawn the ire of some conservatives for his mixed opinions on the court and might have to rule on future charter school cases, launched two other tweets at Galaszewski anyway.
Margaret Hagedorn doubled down on the club’s rejection in the wake of the initial controversy. She wrote in a statement that the school had decided not to offer student clubs that “are open to only part of the student body, including classes with particular religious or political views.”
Some conservative parents argue that LCCA is worried that allowing the Turning Point club would require the school to allow liberal clubs. There is some dispute over this as it raises some complex legal issues.
“We chose LCCA for the civics-centered classical curriculum. Our children engage in extracurricular activities with groups like YAF or TPUSA without school involvement. We trust the staff and school board to minimize distractions and focus on teaching,” said Brian and Kristen Volkman, who live in Muskego and are parents of two LCCA students who obtained admission to this public charter school via lottery in 2021. This is their 5th year at LCCA.
However, Catie’s mom, Melissa Smiley, and other parents have sharply criticized the decision.
“Catie has always followed Charlie Kirk and Turning Point. She signed up with Young America’s Foundation with Scott Walker’s organization as well. She’s always been very civic-minded. Charlie’s death had a major impact on her and she wanted to see if she could make a difference at our school. It seemed like a slam dunk. We’re Hillsdale affiliated,” she told WRN.
The conservative-aligned school’s Facebook page is filling with comments from people who support Catie. “Catie has every right to start a TPUSA chapter there. LET HER! Whether you do or don’t, YOU can not stop the wave that is God’s Holy Spirit sweeping this country!” wrote one woman.
Nationally, the rejection of Turning Point clubs has become a flashpoint of controversy.
“A reminder to public schools and universities considering denying @TPUSA chapters on their campus. Doing so violates their First Amendment rights (see Healy v. James, the SDS case). My firm will provide legal services to any @TPUSA group denied & the school will pay the fee,” a trial lawyer named Robert Barnes wrote on X.
In Healy vs. James, the court recognized “college students’ First Amendment rights of free speech and association, determining that those constitutional protections apply with the same force on a state university campus as in the larger community.” (LCCA is a K-12 school.)
Research by Kappan Online says, “In 1984, Congress passed the EAA, a measure grounded in free speech principles under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Put simply, if a public school district recognizes any non-curriculum high school club, it must allow any other club to exist without prejudice. That is a powerful statement — and one with court cases to back it up.”
However, other legal experts believe that the LCCA school is not a “state actor,” so the school can pick and choose what clubs to offer just like Catholic schools or private schools. It’s generally anti-school choice advocates who argue that all charter schools are subject to the Constitution, they say. Turning Point USA is a 501 (c) (3). Some parents also expressed confusion about the claim that clubs were always covered by the handbook under “enrichment activities” and they argue that club activities help strengthen students’ resumes.
LCCA affiliates with sports clubs with University Lake School, which is an outside group. Its drama club held a Fiddler on the Roof production in “partnership with Infinite Joy Studios.” The Infinite Joy Studies link provided by LCCA on its Facebook page goes to a website that explains, “Infinite Joy is the ministry of a mother, her two daughters, and the team of creatives who share her vision of a performing and fine arts studio that focuses on building up the individual in addition to the craft.”
The LCCA board claims in the draft letter that “consistent with Hillsdale guidance, LCCA has chosen not to align with outside political, religious, ideological, etc. groups. Also it should be noted that the LCCA Handbook is approved by the LCCA Board annually and provided to parents.”
The board’s draft letter claims, “Please understand that the overlapping values between LCCA and TPUSA were never in question. This was only about the interpretation and execution of an existing policy that has been in place since the school’s establishment and designed to provide a stable educational and social environment for our students.”
Table of Contents
