Latin School of Chicago: Ex-principal sued by mom of boy,15, driven to suicide by bullies
A mother whose 15-year-old son was driven to suicide by bullies at his private school in Chicago has called for its former principal to be fired from his new job for allegedly failing to prevent the tragedy. The mother, Rosellen Bronstein, 48, has also accused Randall Dunn, 57, of failing to discipline her son's bullies. She has filed a $100 million lawsuit against the Latin School of Chicago and its former principal, Dunn.
The mother took the step after learning that Dunn was set to be the head of the prestigious Rye Country Day School, in Westchester, New York, in July. "I am warning all the parents of (Rye Country School.) This is going to happen again. Their kids are not going to be protected in that school under Dunn..." Bronstein said, recalling her son's bullying.
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The mother told New York Post, "Dunn does not care about students. He cares about himself and his career. He’s a fraud. He is dishonest." Bronstein's son Nate killed himself in January. His family later alleged that Dunn and others “consciously disregarded” and hid the bullying and harassment Nate endured from classmates “in order to maintain their prestigious façade."
Nate Bronstein was allegedly harassed over a rumor that he was unvaccinated. Andrew Sanchez, a geometry teacher, regularly humiliated the boy, even going to the extent of telling him he was “going nowhere in life,” the family claimed in the legal filing. Nate was found hanging from a noose tied to a shower in a bathroom at the family’s home, a month after a classmate had urged him to kill himself.
Who is Randall Dunn?
According to Dunn's LinkedIn profile, he studied at Brown University and Harvard Graduate School of Education. He became the head of Latin School of Chicago in July 2011 after serving as Head of School for the Roeper School in Bloomfield Hills and Birmingham, Michigan, since 2004. Earlier in his career, he worked at the Potomac School in McLean, Virginia; the Brookline, Massachusetts public school system; Milton Academy in Milton, Massachusetts; Concord Academy in Concord, Massachusetts; and Derby Academy in Hingham, Massachusetts, National Network of Schools in Partnership reveals.
Bronstein said, after her son's death, "I am warning all the parents of [Rye Country School.] This is going to happen again. Their kids are not going to be protected in that school under Dunn." However, Latin School said in a statement that the family’s accusations are “inaccurate and misplaced". “The school’s faculty and staff are compassionate people who put students’ interests first, as they did in this instance,” Latin School said. “The school will defend itself, its faculty and its staff against these unfounded claims.”
Bronstein believes that Dunn was definitely aware of the abuse Nate was being put through. “They spent more time yelling at my son about keeping his nose covered with that f**king mask than teaching the kids to be inclusive and kind and thoughtful and caring,” she said.
The mom also claimed that the school downplayed Nate's situation because he was White. “They are very focused on their [Diversity, Equity and Inclusion] stuff and all their progressive bulls**t,” she fumed. “I can assure you that if my son was black and this happened, this would have been handled at lot differently. But my son was a white Jewish kid.” The Bronsteins said that Dunn promised to investigate Nate’s suicide, bit did not. They added that none of his bullies have been expelled.
Meanwhile, Rye Country Day School said Dunn told them about the boy’s suicide. The school claimed that it has been communicating with the principal and Latin School “to better understand the situation.” “Student safety is of paramount importance to the RCDS Board of Trustees, which is comprised almost entirely of current parents. A committee of trustees has been scrutinizing the details of this tragic case and has not found evidence that would support the aggressive claims against Mr Dunn or that would raise safety concerns for the RCDS community,” the school said. “Mr Dunn has an exemplary, 30-year track record as a compassionate and ethical educator, and we look forward to him joining RCDS.”
Tax forms reportedly show Dunn made $750,000 in the 2019-2020 year in Chicago. At Rye, his salary is expected to be over a million dollars. A rep for Dunn reportedly said, "The loss of a child is an unspeakable tragedy and Mr. Dunn’s heart goes out to the Bronstein family. While it is understandable that grieving parents would look to assign blame, that blame is misplaced and the allegations of wrongdoing the Bronsteins have made against Mr. Dunn are completely false and unfounded."
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).