Turning Point USA (TPUSA) spokesman and “Charlie Kirk Show” executive producer Andrew Kolvet told The Tennessee Star that Lipscomb Academy should “set things right with clear action” after students honored the organization’s founder, Charlie Kirk, by wearing red ties last Friday. The students were initially prohibited from wearing the ties and suit jackets by a school administrator on the day after Kirk was assassinated.
Lipscomb Academy confirmed last week to The Star that head of school Jesse Savage prohibited students from wearing red ties and suit jackets on September 11, citing a dress code violation, but a spokesman later claimed that students instead agreed to help faculty plan a chapel service as an opportunity to speak about their faith.
A photograph posted to X last Friday ultimately showed Lipscomb students wearing jackets and red ties, shortly after the upper school announced that Savage accepted a newly created position. Asked whether Savage will have authority over students in the new position, a spokesman told The Star he will work directly with faculty.
So proud of the brave young men at Lipscomb Academy in Nashville who tried to honor Charlie Kirk’s life only to be silenced, reprimanded, and failed by the very school that should be shaping leaders of courage and conviction.
Your school and faculty didn’t just miss the… pic.twitter.com/TcJIpg2F1s
— Savannah Chrisley (@_ItsSavannah_) September 28, 2025
Savage will remain the head of Lipscomb Academy’s upper school until his replacement is found, and Kolvet told The Star that the school appeared to be handling the issue through appeasement, after previously sharing concerns relayed to him about the political direction of the Christian K-12 school in Nashville.
“A lateral promotion is an attempt to appease, not repent and reform,” the TPUSA spokesman said. “This is not my school, nor am I directly associated with it. But given the overwhelming response I’ve received from people who are, I highly doubt this will satisfy those who are upset about this.”
He told The Star, “They tell me the school is riddled with ideologues that are hostile to the Christian values held by the vast majority of the families that make up this community. This is a time to set things right with clear action. This is their choice to make, not mine.”
Kolvet stated, “But I know many will be watching. I personally hope the school rejects half measures.”
A parent of a Lipscomb Academy student previously told The Star that families have called on Lipscomb University President Candice McQueen to terminate Savage’s employment.
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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].
Photo “Lipscomb Academy Students” by Savannah Chrisley.
