Former Coach Sues Latin School of Chicago, Alleging Retaliation for Reporting Student Safety Concerns

Jaclyn Schwieger, represented by Ellis Legal P.C., alleges in a federal lawsuit that the school terminated her coaching role and declined to renew her teaching contract after she reported concerns about male volleyball coaches' conduct toward female athletes.

CHICAGO, Nov. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- She was the only female volleyball coach working with Latin School of Chicago's middle and high school girls. According to a federal lawsuit, the girls came to her with their fears. She reported what they told her. Then she lost her job.

Jaclyn Schwieger, a former collegiate volleyball standout and physical education teacher, has filed a First Amended Complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois (Case No. 1:26-cv-06918). It accuses Latin School of Chicago of discrimination based on her sex, retaliation and firing her from coaching and not renewing her teaching contract for speaking up to protect the health and safety of students.

What the Girls Told Her

According to the complaint:

• Middle school girls told Schwieger that head varsity volleyball coach Brian Woodhouse stood very close to them, touched their lower backs and waists, and put his arms around their shoulders. They called him "creepy."
• Brian Woodhouse allegedly forced a female student into a hallway and demanded her iPad passcode, threatening to involve IT if she refused. He then allegedly scrolled through her hidden folder of private photos while laughing and smirking.
• Upper School girls said Brian Woodhouse's private conversations made them uneasy. Schwieger suggested to be present at those meetings. Brian Woodhouse said no.
• Assistant coach Matt Lawson allegedly texted female players in violation of school policy. He also allegedly wrote about freshman girls in a shared coaches' document: "worst possible pick, absolutely not her please I am so serious."
• Schwieger also reported that anonymous "coach evaluations" with disrespectful comments about the girls were read aloud to the players.
• Warnings ignored. Parents had already complained to Tray White and Middle School Director Kathleen Meade that Brian Woodhouse humiliated female students and gave boys better grades. A school counselor had heard similar concerns from three girls, and two teachers had reported to White weeks before Schwieger did. After her report, she says, no one confirmed the girls' parents were ever told.

Punished for Speaking Up

The lawsuit says Schwieger reported Matt Lawson's conduct to Brian Woodhouse at least five times and to Athletic Director Katie Johnson twice.

On Nov. 15, 2024, she met with Johnson, Director of Athletic Operations Kathy Presburg, and Assistant HR Director Derek Streater.

Less than a month later, on Dec. 13, 2024, HR Director Susan Bolon, Assistant Head of School Ryan Allen and Middle School Director Tray White handed her a nonrenewal notice. The notice also removed her from coaching, effective immediately.

The complaint calls the school's stated reasons pretext:

• a private text that called an unnamed person a "dipshit," which Matt Lawson allegedly read by taking a colleague's personal phone;
• sharing Matt Lawson's comment about a student with a veteran fellow coach, who was also that student's parent, to ask how to report it.

According to the filing, Brian Woodhouse blamed his "trust issues" with his wife for his treatment of Schwieger and told her, "It's not your fault, but it is." He had earlier told her that retaliation was hard to prove.

The complaint says Matt Lawson was never disciplined, though female assistant coach Shania Gaspard had been let go for texting players. Brian Woodhouse still coaches Latin School of Chicago's boys' and girls' varsity teams.

"Not the First Time," the Lawsuit Says

Schwieger's complaint says her firing fits a pattern at Latin School of Chicago, citing public court records and reports:

• Nate Bronstein. According to the complaint, in December 2021 Latin School of Chicago classmates, including a student on the varsity basketball team and students on the junior varsity boys' basketball teams, cyberbullied Nate Bronstein through a group text chain and Snapchat posts. Nate also received a Snapchat post directing him to go kill himself. Nate reported the cyberbullying to Dean of Students Bridget Hennessy. The complaint says Nate expressed his distress. Bridget Hennessy did not notify his parents and deliberately recharacterized his cyberbullying report as a "social media incident."
  
  There was no investigation, no discipline and no further follow-up. Shortly thereafter, Nate died by suicide. The complaint also describes a Latin School of Chicago faculty text chain in which Hennessy and mental health counselors Anneliese Kranz and Jane Knoche sent messages of disdain, disregard and hate about Nate. One of those counselors had been treating Nate, had assessed him for suicidal ideation and had identified him as depressed. All three remain employed at Latin School of Chicago, according to the complaint.
  
  
• A reported rape. Former Upper School head Monica Rodriguez testified under oath that a student reported a sexual assault by another student. She urged then-Head of School Randall Dunn to notify police or the student's parents. Randall Dunn said no. Monica Rodriguez also testified that when she reported sexually inappropriate conduct by a male colleague, Randall Dunn let him know who had reported it.
• An anonymous faculty letter. A few months after Nate's death, the Bronstein family received a letter from a Latin School of Chicago faculty member. According to the complaint, the letter called Latin School of Chicago a "no consequences school" where treatment depends on who you know. It described a long-standing practice by then-Head of School Randall Dunn of keeping parents in the dark. It also recounted the reported rape, saying Randall Dunn told Monica Rodriguez the school had no obligation to contact police or parents. That is the same silence the complaint says Nate's family faced: his parents were never told about the cyberbullying he reported.
• Antisemitic bullying. A cross-country athlete allegedly created a fake recording of an antisemitic slur. That athlete's parent was a coach and, on information and belief, made a large donation to the school. The athlete was later named team captain and allegedly targeted a Jewish teammate.
• "Survivors of Latin." A 2020 Instagram account collected student accounts of sexism, racist coaches, and a culture of silence. Posts described students afraid to report sexual assault because perpetrators faced zero consequences, and teachers allegedly sending inappropriate messages, commenting on students' appearances and taking abnormal interest in their romantic lives.
• "Hide the shady stuff." Under then-Head of School Thomas Hagerman, the complaint says, administrators diminished or dismissed antisemitic incidents, and employees reported a hostile work environment. One employee was allegedly told by a long-time colleague that Latin School of Chicago makes things look good on the outside to hide the shady stuff on the inside.
• Diplomas withheld. According to the complaint, an employee of nearly 14 years refused to take the blame for a misstatement Thomas Hagerman made to the Latin School of Chicago community. After she left, the school withheld her twins' diplomas and final transcripts, needed for college, over tuition she says she did not owe. The twins' sworn affidavits describe extreme emotional distress during their senior year.

An Investigation That Never Called Her Back

In January 2025, Boies Schiller Flexner demanded that Latin School of Chicago's board investigate the school. The board's Special Committee hired Quinn Emanuel. Schwieger notified investigators that she had relevant documents. According to the lawsuit, no one ever interviewed her.

On May 1, 2026, Quinn Emanuel found no merit to the allegations. Latin School of Chicago then announced to its community that it had been cleared.

Schwieger had already written to Board Chair Dara Milner and Vice Chair Carrie Parr. She says she never heard back. Instead, she was told by then Head of School Thomas Hagerman to stop contacting board members.

Counsel for Jacklyn Schweiger, Justin DeLuca stated that "our client, a two-time All-Midsouth Conference selection for volleyball and who earned NCCAA all-region honors, did what every school should want an educator and coach to do – speak up when she believed students' safety and well-being were at risk. Instead of addressing these concerns, Latin chose to retaliate against the person who raised these concerns. Latin has a culture where misconduct is ignored and is more concerned about its reputation than protecting students. This case is about accountability, transparency and ensuring that those who advocate for students are protected and not silenced".

The Lawsuit

Schwieger's claims include sex discrimination and retaliation under Title VII and the Illinois Human Rights Act, common law retaliatory discharge, breach of contract, and breach of implied contract.

As of October 28, 2026, Schwieger filed a response to Latin's Partial Motion to Dismiss. The determination of Latin's Motion will not be dispositive of the case and the lawsuit will still proceed.

She is represented by Justin DeLuca, Sophia Maietta and Joyce Mendoza Navarro of Ellis Legal, P.C.

Media Contact: Justin DeLuca, [email protected]

SOURCE Ellis Legal P.C.