A couple who bequeathed $1.35 million to a Tampa, Florida, Catholic high school wants their money back, stating in a lawsuit that the school was inculcating “woke culture” where “gender identity, human sexuality and pregnancy termination among other hot button issues” were prioritized.
In 2017, Anthony and Barbara Scarpo, who have a daughter who graduated from Academy of the Holy Names and another who has transferred to a different high school, pledged $1.35 million to the school at a fundraising gala. The money was intended to support the school’s master plan and for scholarships for disadvantaged students, the <a href="https://www.tampabay.com/news/education/2021/07/06/academy-of-the-holy-names-is-too-woke-not-catholic-enough-lawsuit-says/">Tampa Bay Times</a> reported, adding, “They were named chairs of the academy’s fundraising campaign and the school renamed its auditorium the ‘Scarpo Family Theatre.’”
But now the Scarpos want their pledge to be rescinded; the lawsuit, which also asks that the tuition the Scarpos paid be redirected to Catholic charities of their choice, states that white students are encouraged to feel guilty about their color and their family’s wealth.
“It also asks that the academy be stopped from advertising itself as a Catholic institution and for the Florida Catholic Conference to stop accrediting the school,” the Tampa Bay Times noted.
After his older daughter’s graduation from the school, Anthony Scarpo fired off a letter to the school in which he wrote:
<blockquote>The continued indoctrination of your twisted version of social and racial justice, equity, inclusion, sexuality and today’s politically correct narrative has permeated like a stench through the halls of the Academy and been allowed to seep into the minds of our children, causing stress, anger, guilt and confusion. You were always eager to solicit our hard-earned money and take what you could but held firm as you dragged dozens if not hundreds of conservative families and teachers through your reimagined, highly progressive world, even as parents and students asked you … pleaded with you to stop, slow down.</blockquote>
The lawsuit cites a letter written by Art Raimo, then-president of the academy, and Ernie Garateix, chairman of the school’s board, regarding the creation of a justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion committee. The lawsuit states that the letter did not “recognize the harm to their White, non-Diverse students by making them believe that they and their families are personally responsible for the historic harm(s) some members of our society have visited on other members of our society.” The lawsuit also asserts that parents were unhappy about a blackboard in the school that instructed how to ally with the LGBTQ community. “The Scarpos say the message ‘utterly fails to put any part of this explanation into perspective within mainstream Catholicism,” the Tampa Bay Times wrote.
Academy of the Holy Names Spokesperson Emily Wise told <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/parents-sue-catholic-school-woke-culture-following-14m-donation-1607716">Newsweek</a>, &#8220;The Academy&#8217;s curriculum is, and always has been, based on Catholic values and rigorous academic standards. The Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary, the school&#8217;s founding order, are dedicated to the full development of the human person through education, social justice, contemplation and the arts.&#8221;
A letter written by an attorney for the school to the Scarpos’ attorney, Adam Levine, stated, “We can discern no motivation behind the lawsuit other than attention-seeking by your clients, and a desire by you to build a brand. For a court to delve into whether the substance of matters taught by a Catholic school are consistent with a Catholic education would entangle the court in excessively religious matters, and thereby violate the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution. That we should need to educate you on this is absurd.”
Levine said, “It’s about being a voice for people who are not being heard. It’s about the failure to deliver on a promise&#8230;. This is not asking the courts to get involved in a religious issue, but this is a simple breach of contract. If you’re paying for a Catholic education, that’s what you should be getting.”
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‘Politically Correct Narrative Has Permeated Like A Stench’: Couple Donates $1.35 Million To Catholic School. Now They Want Their Money Back.

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When a young female Ohio GOP legislator presented an amendment to an Ohio bill, an amendment that would protect biological female athletes from being forced to compete against biological males, Democrats reacted by screaming and banging their desks in an effort to drown her out, prompting criticism and mockery.
Ohio state representative Jena Powell, who in February 2020 <a href="https://ohiohouse.gov/members/jena-powell/news/representative-powell-proposes-the-save-womens-sports-act-101957">proposed</a> the &#8220;Save Women’s Sports Act,&#8221; was attempting to add an amendment to the “Name. Image, Likeness” bill as she stated, “The Safe Women&#8217;s Sports Act is a fairness issue for women to be able to achieve their dreams in athletics in our state. And it&#8217;s crucial to preserving women&#8217;s rights and the integrity of women&#8217;s and girls&#8217; sports. Across our country, female athletes are currently losing scholarships, opportunities, medals, education and training opportunities.”
At this point, Democrats started hammering on their desks and shouting repeatedly.
Powell continued, “This amendment will require schools that are part of the OHSAA —”
The hammering intensified.
“ — to designate separate teams for participants of the biological sex. No school —” Powell went on, then had to stop for a moment, exasperated, before she continued, “No school interscholastic conference or organization that regulates interscholastics shall permit biological males to participate on athletic teams or an athletic competition designated only for biological female participants. Currently, OHSAA allows biological males to compete against biological females if they either completed a year of hormone therapy, demonstrated they do not possess physical —”
Despite the continued disruptions, Powell went on to discuss Ohio&#8217;s policies on the issue. Eventually, a point of order was raised until the Democrats finally stopped their antics.
The Democrats&#8217; &#8220;disgraceful behavior&#8221; was roundly rebuked <a href="https://cnsnews.com/blog/craig-bannister/unruly-ohio-house-members-drown-out-female-legislator-banging-their-desks-she">online</a>.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Disgraceful behavior from Rep. Michael Skindell at the Ohio House yesterday as Rep. Jena Powell tried to speak. <a href="https://t.co/zp8aPsxiyg">pic.twitter.com/zp8aPsxiyg</a>
&mdash; The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) <a href="https://twitter.com/TPostMillennial/status/1409965159674638338?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 29, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Powell was asked on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZT7B4FLiOY">Washington Watch</a>, “Why was the reaction so strong?” She replied:
<blockquote>I can’t explain always why the Left doesn’t like some of the things that we do, but this is a simple bill, an amendment to say, &#8220;Hey, we want to protect the integrity of women’s sports in the state of Ohio.&#8221; I think the Left is frustrated and oftentimes they speak out in ways that are very inappropriate. When I had the House floor, the Speaker did address me, which means I have the ability to speak. Instead of waiting for his turn to speak, he decided to erupt into yelling, and as you heard in the clip, just literally banging on top of his desk. I don’t even think any of the members could hear my speech; that’s how loud it really was.</blockquote>
Washington Watch noted Ohio GOP governor Mike DeWine apparently criticized the amendment by saying, “This issue is best addressed outside of government through individual sports leagues and athletic associations, including the Ohio High School Athletic Association, who can tailor policies to meet the needs of their member athletes and member institutions.”
Powell responded, “I would say Governor DeWine’s response is from an individual who’s scared of the woke Left and not willing to stand up for the millions of women in our state. … The thing about the OHSAA, though, is that they’re not elected by Ohioans. We as representatives are; we as politicians are, and so this is where we have to step in and say, ‘Look: enough is enough. We have to protect Ohio females.’ So instead of Mike DeWine doing what was right, he pushed the ball down the court and really kind of hid behind that so that woke corporations wouldn’t come after him.”
Powell noted that DeWine had vetoed other conservatives bills before, but pointed out that the GOP-led Ohio legislature could override any veto.
In February 2020, Powell <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/after-transgender-runner-lawsuit-ohio-legislators-step-in-to-save-womens-sports-from-biological-males/">stated</a>, &#8220;The Save Women’s Sports Act is a fairness issue for women. This bill ensures that every little girl who works hard to make it on a podium is not robbed of her chance by a biological male competing against her in a biological female sport. We want every little girl to achieve her athletic dream here in the state of Ohio.&#8221;
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‘Politically Correct Narrative Has Permeated Like A Stench’: Couple Donates $1.35 Million To Catholic School. Now They Want Their Money Back.

WATCH: Dems Scream, Pound Desks When GOP Female Rep Proposes Protecting Women’s Sports

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