In recent weeks, a letter to Lyle from an MICDS high school senior has circulated widely in the school community. The senior was concerned that her fellow conservative students at the elite school were feeling “victimized or unwelcome” and being called racists and misogynists for supporting Trump.

“The bottom line is that we, as conservatives, feel that we go to a school that does not embrace the diversity of our beliefs; we are simply asking for fair treatment,” the senior wrote.

Lyle went to great lengths to accommodate the student’s concerns, posting a four-and-a-half-minute video during which she said the school had “fallen short” in supporting freedom of expression. Last week, Lyle told the Post-Dispatch in an interview: “My message to the community is that it’s not okay for any group to be marginalized.”

All four alumni who wrote letters thanked Lyle for her years of work to promote diversity in the school. Several alumni and parents agree that the school has become more diverse in recent years, countering a perception held by many that it is an inaccessibly elite school.

About 34 percent of MICDS’ students are students of color, and roughly a quarter of them receive financial aid.

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