Ursuline President Father Richard Murphy distributes letter to school parents, students

On Wednesday evening, Ursuline President Father Richard Murphy distributed a letter to the Ursuline High School parents and students.

In the letter, Murphy addresses the lawsuits filed against the school, its officials, and members of the football team. He goes on to express support for school staff.

A first lawsuit was filed on Tuesday, Sept. 2. A second lawsuit followed on Wednesday, Sept. 10.

The entirety of the letter reads as follows:

Dear Ursuline High School community:

We want to share with you our thoughts and facts surrounding two lawsuits that now have been filed against our school, and we want you to hear this directly from us, your President and Board of Directors.

First and foremost, nothing is more important to us than the safety of our students. The situations described in these lawsuits are extremely upsetting. No students or their parents should have to deal with such challenges. At the same time, in the strongest possible terms, we want to express our support for our school leadership and in particular Principal Matthew Sammartino, Assistant Principal Margaret Damore and Athletic Director John DeSantis. We also want to express our full support for the vast majority of our Ursuline community that has been unjustly affected by these allegations.

While we have no intention of trying these cases in the media or in public, we look forward to presenting a vigorous legal defense. We are secure, based on everything we currently know, that our school leadership followed relevant policies.

We also are secure that our school leadership acted promptly upon learning of these concerns. School administration interviewed parents, coaches, a number of football players involved in the trip, and reviewed all available evidence. For example, upon learning of the allegations involving certain members of our football team, we opened an investigation and contacted the Youngstown Police Department, and the Children Services departments in both Mahoning and Trumbull Counties. The Catholic Diocese of Youngstown was also contacted.

As we’re sure you all understand, we now face active litigation, and these are extremely sensitive matters involving student confidentiality and privacy. Additional information and/or updates will be released as necessary in keeping with legal and ethical obligations.

Sincerely,

Fr. Richard Murphy, President

The Board of Directors

Warren G. Harding High School canceled its game against Ursuline on Wednesday following the second lawsuit being filed. The game was scheduled for Friday, Sept. 19.

This story was originally published September 11, 2025 at 10:22 AM.