Two recent graduates of St. Thomas Academy in Mendota Heights — and members of their families — have filed civil lawsuits against the school, alleging they were harmed by the school’s culture and student misconduct.
The academy was founded by Archbishop John Ireland and is the only all-male Catholic school within the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. The graduates involved in the lawsuits were students at the school from 2018 to 2022, according to two separate lawsuits.
In a letter sent to the St. Thomas Academy community, Headmaster Kelby Woodard wrote that those who filed the two lawsuits “assert that our culture encourages poor student behavior” but “we strongly disagree with this assertion and will vigorously defend our character development program.”
The lawsuits both pointed to experiences that the former students allegedly had in the context of interviews to determine the Cadet of the Quarter award, one in November 2020 and the other in January 2021. One of the lawsuits alleges that the student involved had voiced his discomfort with the interview process but did not feel he could report it beyond speaking up. The other student separately alleges that he feared he would not advance if he reported the alleged misconduct. Both said there was no adult supervision during these interviews.
In the letter to the STA community, Woodard states that the families of the plaintiffs “did not notify the Academy of the alleged incidents until November of 2021, following an unrelated disciplinary action involving their sons.” Upon learning of the alleged misconduct, the school’s board of trustees hired outside counsel and organized an internal team “to conduct a thorough investigation into the allegations and a review of our character development program.” Through that process, Woodard wrote, both families were provided with “a confidential means to report critical details of the alleged incident, including the identity of the students who initiated the alleged misconduct.” Woodard wrote, “the families chose not to provide those details, stating only that these students had already graduated.” The investigation continued for five months, Woodard wrote, and included student, parent, faculty and staff interviews.
“Ultimately, the investigation found insufficient evidence to validate the claims against the Academy. Further, the review did not find substantive or systemic deficiencies in our character development program. As with any investigation, thoughtful recommendations for improvement emerged, which have been implemented,” Woodard wrote.
The families of the two alumni are seeking damages of at least $50,000 and are requesting the judge overseeing the case order the school to implement additional training, coaching and reporting structures.
During a separate Jan. 17 interview with the Catholic Spirit, Woodard said he is pursuing a new role and that this school year will be his final year as headmaster of St. Thomas Academy.
