Edina Young Conservatives Club Comments on Lawsuit Settlement

Zoe Cheung

From left to right, YCC Attorney Erick Kaardal, YCC President Nick Spades, and YCC member Matt McGuire spoke on the settlement of the YCC’s lawsuit against the district at a press conference on March 12.

Will Schwinghammer and Jenna Simon

On March 12, the Edina Young Conservatives Club held a press conference outside of Creek Valley Elementary School to give a statement following the March 1 settlement of their lawsuit against Edina Public Schools.

The YCC claimed absolute victory in the lawsuit, citing the achievement of all of their goals, including the placement of U.S. flags in all classrooms, new free speech protections in the district’s Club Guidelines and Responsibilities policies, the restoration of “USA Day” to EHS Spirit Week, and the reinstatement of YCC as a school-sponsored club.

“This lawsuit is settled, and we have won everything we have set out for,” YCC member Tatum Buyse said.

The YCC also claimed new progress was being made in the discovery of the identity of the EHS Anti-Fascists. Following the YCC’s response to a group of protestors at the November Veterans Day Assembly, the Anti-Fascists released a video condemning the YCC’s comments, which were perceived to be racist by many. In turn, the Anti-Fascists’ video was perceived to be threatening by many.

“[The video] was posted on YouTube using The Onion Router to disguise their identity, but it is now in the hands of government officials who are working alongside a specialized IT team to trace the IP address to identify the individual or individuals responsible for producing and posting this threatening video,” YCC member Matt McGuire said.

This press conference comes in the wake of new attention given to the new Minnesota Academic Balance Bill, which would place limitations on teachers expressing political views in the classroom. YCC members Buyse and Jazmine Edmond, Buyse’s father David Buyse, and Center of the American Experiment Senior Policy Fellow Katherine Kersten all testified in favor of the bill last Thursday, March 8. However, the YCC’s attorney Erick Kaardal will not play a role in advancing the bill. “I don’t have a role in it. I don’t do politics,” Kaardal said.