WESTFIELD, Ind. — Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith criticized Westfield High School's band in a social media post — and he doubled down on his opinion during an interview with a Fort Wayne radio station.
On Wednesday, April 22, the
Micah Beckwith For Indiana Facebook page shared a video from Westfield Band. Beckwith's caption to the video reads:
"This is Westfield High School. I'm starting to get the sense that schools like Westfield LOVE giving the (middle finger emoji) to Christian Conservative families of our community.
Parents... use the VOUCHERS and get your kids OUT of our Indiana public schools like Westfield. Their futures and their lives depend on it!"
The reel shows Westfield High School's indoor percussion team in black and red costumes, wearing makeup and wishing the students luck in the state finals.
As of 11:15 a.m. Friday, April 24, Beckwith's post has been shared more than 115 times — but the page limited who can comment on the post.
In an interview with
WOWO radio personality Kayla Blakeslee, Beckwith stood by his social media post.
"Bring it on. ... I'm right, and they're wrong," Beckwith said when Blakeslee said people were fired up about his post.
Blakeslee asked Beckwith what he saw in the video that led to his post.
"I was made aware of this from Christian students who attend Westfield, and they said they felt uncomfortable but didn't want to speak out because they were afraid to speak out. They were not being seen, they were not being heard, so I didn't go looking for this — it was brought to my attention," Beckwith told Blakeslee. "When I looked at it, I said, 'Yeah, this is demonic,' and then, we looked into it even more, and their theme for the drum line — let me explain this — it's the red line, and the red line follows the journey of knowing where boundaries exist, yet feeling an urge to cross them from the restraint of the fires of Carmen, the Carmen fantasy. Now if you don't know who Carmen is, it's a fantasy novel, it's a character, and this is a woman, she's a seductive witch, this is what self-identified. Her job in this opera that they are actually playing music from is to seduce a husband and a father out of his marriage into an affair, so the music they're playing is from that opera, a seductive witch, her whole goal is to try to get a man to cheat on his wife to destroy their family, and Westfield tax dollars are promoting this, and we pay a lot of freaking money in property taxes in Westfield."
Westfield Mayor Scott Willis
issued a statement on the City of Westfield - Government's Facebook page on Thursday, April 23.
"This is what ticks me off: The Westfield mayor, Scott Willis, puts out this stupid post, and he says, 'We love our band kids. We love Westfield,' and I challenge Scott Willis right now to a debate, public debate, a public forum, and I will say, 'Your school is warping the minds of the next generation,' and I want him on record defending this crap because it's tax dollars."
For clarification, Willis' statement, included below, doesn't say either of those.
"As a city, we stand alongside Westfield Washington Schools. We work closely with our schools every day, and we’re proud of our students, educators, coaches, support staff, and administration. The strength of our schools, and the opportunities they provide, is a big part of why people choose Westfield.
Our students continue to represent Westfield at a high level, both on and off the field. The achievements highlighted by the district reflect not just talent, but a strong commitment to discipline, teamwork, and doing things the right way.
When you hear ‘from Westfield, Indiana’ announced on a national stage, it’s a point of pride for our entire community. These students have put in the work, and it shows. It’s a great example of what can happen when students are supported by their schools, their families, and their community."
Blakeslee then asked Beckwith what he would say to the percussion students who took Beckwith's comments as him shaming them.
"I would say that they don't know what they're doing, and that's what the demonic always does. They have no idea," Beckwith said. "I was a band teacher for 15 years. I love the arts. I absolutely love the arts. These kids I'm worked hard, I'm sure they're very talented, but that's the delusion. They don't know what they're giving themselves over to. It's not the kids I'm going after — it's the administration, it's the adults, it's the people who should be watching out for them because kids don't know better. That's why they're kids, that's why that God has given them adults around them to protect them, and what's happening is these adults in the administration or wherever this came from, they are setting these kids up for a huge, huge destructive path, and if you'll believe me, I have seen this in youth ministry for years. Kids give themselves over to things that parents say, 'Oh, it's harmless. Oh, it's just social media. Oh, it's just TikTok. Oh, it's just this.' And you know what? The devil gets a foothold, and their lives are destroyed, and I'm not going to sit here — I love these kids, I love those band kids. If I didn't love them, I wouldn't care if their lives are destroyed and run into the pits of hell. ... I love them enough to actually speak out."
Blakeslee asked Beckwith if he would do anything differently upon the reaction his post has been getting.
"I'd probably share it twice, maybe three times, maybe a few more times," Beckwith told Blakeslee. "I'm very passionate about this because this is the future of our nation. Abraham Lincoln said, 'The philosophy of the classroom in one generation is the philosophy of the government in the next generation.' I'm fighting for our nation, I'm fighting for the hearts, the minds and the souls, I'm fighting for goodness, for righteousness, for God, God's values in America that have made this nation great for 250 years, and this is ultimately — Kayla, I'll end with this — what's going on here is people are trying to silence Christian conservative voices in our state. Just this week, we became aware that there was a threat against me and my family — you saw that — and then you saw the redistricting thing happen in Virginia. Indiana's Republican leaders said, 'We're not going to fight fire with fire. We don't play this way.' Well, Virginia did. And then, you have a school board up in the Valpo district or a superintendent up in the Valpo district that said, 'You can't bring God into this place. You can't say what you want to say, lieutenant governor,' but I'm going to tell you right now — just for everybody listening — as the lieutenant governor of Indiana, I will refuse to be silent, and I urge you, I urge all of your listeners, anyone who has the values, traditional Christian values, stand up and say something."
When 13News reached out for comment, Beckwith's spokesperson referred us to the WOWO interview and said, "We will not be commenting further on this story at this time."
Below is a full statement from Dr. John Atha, the superintendent at Westfield Washington Schools:
"Dear Shamrock Community,
This week, I want to take a moment to talk about something bigger than any one program, performance, or opinion. I want to talk about who we are as a community.
Recently, a public official criticized our drumline students on social media and encouraged families to consider leaving our public schools. In this situation, I am reminded that we are not defined by moments of negativity. We are defined by how we respond to them.
At Westfield Washington Schools, we believe in cheering for our team versus rooting against others. Our students deserve that. Our staff deserves that. And our community deserves that.
Our music and performing arts students represent creativity, dedication, and student expression. Like so many of our programs, athletics, fine arts, academics, clubs, and extracurriculars, they are examples of students learning, growing, and finding their voice. We are proud of them, just as we are proud of every student who steps forward to try something new and represent Westfield.
I want to express my appreciation to Mayor Scott Willis, who, earlier today at the Westfield Chamber’s WHS Innovation Competition Luncheon at Chatham Hills, shared his strong support for our schools and recognized what we know to be true: Westfield Washington Schools are a driving force in this community, educationally, socially, and economically.
The numbers for our district tell a powerful story:
- 11,000 students
- 8,407 families
- 1,628 dedicated staff members
- 16 facilities
- 2.6 million square feet under roof
- 593 acres of land in the township
- $1.35 billion of community assets
The success of Westfield runs through our schools and always will.
On the matter of school choice: Parents are the first and most influential educators in a child’s life. Values are formed at home. Our role as a school district is to partner with families, support them, and help every student become well educated, well-rounded, and prepared for life. Parents have both the right and the responsibility to choose what is best for their children.
Every day, more than 8,400 families in our community choose Westfield Washington Schools.
That choice is not accidental. It reflects the work of over 1,600 incredible employees, and a community that believes in public education and in each other.
Our mission remains unchanged: High levels of learning and growth for every student.
Our vision is clear: Preparing all Rocks to be Life Ready.
We will not be distracted, divided, or deterred. Moments like this only strengthen our resolve.
We will continue to focus on what matters most: our students, our staff, and our community. We will continue to lift each other up. And we will continue to move forward together, stronger than ever.
Thank you for your continued trust, support, and belief in Westfield Washington Schools.
With Shamrock pride and appreciation,
Dr. John Atha"
