Oswego Village President Ryan Kauffman said he is “deeply disturbed” by the allegations in a lawsuit filed by four former Oswego High School students alleging years of grooming, sexual harassment and sexual misconduct by a former Oswego School District 308 teacher and coach.

Named in the lawsuit is Sean Staffeldt and the District 308 School Board. The lawsuit was filed Feb. 25 in Kendall County Circuit Court.

“To the young women who have come forward: your courage is powerful,” Kauffman said in a post on his Facebook page. “Speaking out about abuse requires extraordinary strength. I stand firmly and unequivocally in support of you. Our community must always side with those who have the courage to speak up. It is important that we hold individuals in positions of authority to the highest possible standard, and when that trust is violated, there must be accountability. Every person deserves to feel protected, heard and respected.”

Oswego School District 308 Superintendent Andalib Khelghati said the district is committed to protecting the health and safety of students.

“The district stands firmly and unequivocally with any victims of inappropriate or offensive conduct,” Khelghati said in a letter to District 308 families following a Wednesday, Feb. 25 press conference about the lawsuit. “Let us be clear: the district does not and will never condone behavior that threatens the safe and supportive environment we aim to create in every school building.”

The 90-page lawsuit, which seeks damages of more than $50,000, was filed by Chicago-based Disparti Law Group on behalf of the former students.

Staffeldt could not be reached for comment.

“All reports of misconduct are taken seriously and are investigated in accordance with the Illinois School Code and board policy,” Khelghati said in the letter. “The district will always partner with appropriate third-party agencies, such as DCFS, as well as law enforcement, when concerns are raised. Additionally, the district is committed to taking action within the scope of our authority.”

He said the district continues to strongly encourage anyone who has experienced inappropriate or offensive conduct, harassment or abuse to report it. When the district is served with the lawsuit and has the opportunity to review it, Khelghati said the district “will communicate additional information to our community as appropriate.”

According to the complaint, the district received warnings and complaints dating back years about Staffeldt’s behavior, including reports from staff members and a written warning issued in 2017 directing him to maintain professionalism and prohibiting him from allegedly hugging and touching students.

The lawsuit alleges the district failed to take meaningful action to protect students. Staffeldt resigned from the district in July 2020 after the district initiated an investigation into his alleged behavior.

“These four brave young women endured years of grooming, sexual harassment, sexual abuse and manipulation by their former Oswego High School teacher and coach, Sean Staffeldt,” Cass Casper of Disparti Law Group said at the news conference. “This case is about holding both Staffeldt and Oswego School District 308 accountable for a pattern of predatory conduct that the district knew about, but failed to stop.”

Staffeldt was a physical education teacher and a football, wrestling and track coach at Oswego High School for about 12 years.

The lawsuit alleges that after he resigned, District 308 failed to enforce a no trespassing order banning him from school grounds.

“The district repeatedly failed to enforce this order, allowing Staffeldt to violate it with impunity in 2024 and 2025 and creating the potential for more victims,” according to the lawsuit. “In September 2025, after Staffeldt’s repeated infractions and presence on school grounds, multiple victims publicly disclosed their abuse on social media, which itself triggered dozens of additional victims to come forward,” according to the suit.

This is the second time in two years the district has faced such a lawsuit. In June 2024, the district and the Oswego School Board reached a $913,500 settlement agreement with a former Oswego East High School student who alleged in a federal lawsuit that she was sexually abused by a former Oswego East teacher.

That former student also had been represented by Disparti Law Group.