Parents and athletes urge Lockport Township High School District 205 to reinstate girls wrestling coach Nathaniel Roth

Several parents and student-athletes urged the Lockport Township High School District 205 Board of Education during public comment to reverse the district’s decision not to renew Nathaniel Roth as head coach of the girls wrestling program.

“I'm here this evening to express our profound disappointment with this decision and how it was handled,” said Mary Kellner, whose daughter has wrestled under Roth for three years. Kellner said the team and parents were “devastated,” described Roth as “always fair and just,” and told the board she had been told the nonrenewal was a building-level choice despite senior administration’s awareness. Kellner said parents believe the decision was driven in part by a threatened legal claim by a former wrestler and asked the board to “review and reverse the decision.”

Jason Kellner, who identified himself as a parent, told the board the administration “failed the test” and said the nonrenewal was not justified. “When faced with veiled threats, some…apparently, Roth did what was right,” he said, calling Roth’s approach “consistency, hard work, team concept, earning your spot, and fair play.” Sophie Kellner, a senior wrestler, said Roth helped build the program to sustained success and that losing him “will be detrimental” to the team’s environment and to nine seniors who started with him.

Speakers described Roth as a founder and long-time coach who helped the girls’ program advance quickly (the team placed second at the IHSA girls wrestling state competition in 2024, according to a student speaker). Commenters asked for clearer explanation of the decision-making process and for more direct outreach to athletes and families before personnel changes.

The district’s public speakers asserted the nonrenewal decision may have been influenced by the threat of litigation from a former wrestler, a claim the parents said was unfounded and aged more than a year. No district representative offered a detailed public defense of the personnel decision during the public-comment period; the board noted that such personnel matters may involve privacy considerations and that responses often require information gathering before the board acts.

The public-comment block concluded with requests that senior administration reconsider and reinstate Roth. The speakers asked the board to be transparent about who participated in the decision and to confirm whether the district followed its stated hiring and nonrenewal procedures.

What happens next: The board did not take a formal vote during public comment. The transcript shows several later agenda votes on administrative and personnel items, but no recorded motion or vote in open session reversing the coach’s nonrenewal during this meeting.