A swanky Midwest community was left shaken after a $41,000-a-year Minnesota private school expelled a model student whose father allegedly criticized its principal, a lawsuit claimed.

Frustrated father Matthew Bauer is suing St. Paul Academy, a private K-12 college preparatory school, for allegedly expelling his son ahead of the upcoming tenth grade school year.

Bauer, of Roseville, claimed that St. Paul Academy also threatened to expel his older son just weeks before graduation, according to a complaint filed in the Ramsey County Court on Tuesday viewed by the Daily Mail.

The school said the suit 'has no legal merit' and that it plans to defend itself 'vigorously' against the claims.

Bauer alleged the dispute stemmed from a gathering he had organized with school community members during which concerns were raised about St. Paul Academy's embattled principal, Dr Luis Ottley.

A letter of no confidence drafted by Bauer claimed that Ottley had failed to respond to alleged sexual harassment incidents at the school, which was supposedly in a state of decline due to his leadership, per the complaint.

Ottley allegedly responded by issuing a termination letter to Bauer, effectively booting his younger son from the prestigious school and leaving him without a clear choice to continue his education next year, the lawsuit states.

Bauer alleged that the school was 'retaliating' against his family for his 'advocacy on important issues' affecting the school community.

'Neither of the Bauer children nor their parents did anything wrong,' the lawsuit claimed. 

Bauer hosted a community event at a restaurant in St. Paul on February 11 for the school's alumni, faculty, staff and broader community, according to the lawsuit.

He allegedly invited about 20 people, though more than 100 ended up attending the event.

The dinner was paid for by Bauer and was noted as 'not an SPA event,' per the complaint.

The invitation included in the lawsuit read: 'Join other SPA families and alumni for an opportunity to connect, socialize and engage in thoughtful conversation about topics related to the [SPA] school community.'

Bauer drafted the no confidence letter in Ottley after the gathering, according to the lawsuit.

The letter listed concerns about alleged 'unaddressed sexual harassment of female students,' the 'censorship' of the school newspaper and the loss of senior faculty and donations, per the complaint.

But Bauer claimed that the letter directed at Ottley did not reflect his personal opinions or 'ill-will' towards the head of school; rather, the conversations at the community gathering.

On February 26, Ottley allegedly sent a school-wide email including a document mentioning 'all the concerns' noted in the letter of no confidence. It was unclear how Ottley allegedly obtained the letter.

The lawsuit alleged that Bauer never shared the draft with anyone other than the 67 people who had RSVP'd for the community event, but that Ottley 'apparently received the letter from someone else.'

Still, the suit claimed that 'it was Dr Ottley who made all the concerns raised in the Draft No-Confidence Letter public to the entire SPA community, not Mr Bauer.'

One day after Ottley allegedly sent the email describing the allegations in the no confidence letter, Bauer re-enrolled his younger son for the upcoming 2026-27 school year for $40,940, the lawsuit states.

A few days later, Ottley allegedly reached out to Bauer via email and accused him of having 'engaged in conversations that discredit the school and its leadership,' per the suit.

Ottley allegedly wrote that Bauer had 'attempted to undermine the community's confidence in the school through social gatherings and petitions,' the complaint said.

The head of school allegedly asked to meet with Bauer multiple times, but Bauer claimed he could not as he was 'very busy at the time with his work,' per the suit.

On April 13, Ottley sent Bauer a termination letter, which read that 'the 2025-2026 academic year will be your family's last year at SPA,' according to the complaint.

Bauer's son's re-enrollment was also purportedly voided, per the suit.

One of the reasons given in the termination letter to Bauer allegedly stated: 'Your efforts to undermine community trust, and specifically your authorship and distribution of a no-confidence letter seeking other community members' signatures.'

The letter also allegedly noted that 'completion of the current school year is strictly contingent upon your cooperation and partnership.'

'If you fail to act as constructive partners or if you engage in disparaging and disruptive actions contrary to the policies set forth in the student-family handbook and in violation of the agreements articulated in your enrollment contract, your family's enrollment will be terminated immediately,' the letter continued, per the suit.

The lawsuit claimed that Bauer's son had been left with 'no comparable education alternative' for the upcoming school year as deadlines for local independent schools closed in January or February 'before [he] had any reason to apply elsewhere,' per the complaint.

Bauer suggested that the alleged expulsion was particularly disheartening because he had 'always dreamed of sending his children' to the institution.

The lawsuit also claimed that Bauer's oldest son had been 'threatened' with expulsion weeks before his graduation earlier this month.

That would have allegedly threatened his enrollment into the US Naval Academy, as he would have had to find a different school to issue him a diploma.

The oldest son, identified as Carsten, publicly lashed out against his younger brother's alleged expulsion. 

'The retaliations against families and students, including the expulsion of [my brother], are not isolated incidents,' he said, according to the Star Tribune. 

'They are warnings,' he added. 'They are signs of what happens when voices are ignored, when concerns are dismissed and when silence is allowed to take root.' 

Bauer is seeking to have his youngest son's re-enrollment contract reinstated, as well as damages of about $50,000.

One of Bauer's attorneys, Shlomo Hahn, told the Daily Mail on Thursday that they had no comment to offer at this time. 

The Daily Mail has reached out to St. Paul Academy and Ottley for comment.