Jackson College has responded to a lawsuit filed by two parents who say their sons were expelled in retaliation after a document circulating online alleging admissions violations.
Madison residents Jason Voyles and Carolyn Voyles filed the complaint Jan. 5 in Hinds County Court against Jackson Academy and Principal Eddie Wettach.
According to the complaint, the Voyles’ son (CV) canceled enrollment in the summer of 2025. Around the same time, Jason Voyles and other Jackson Academy parents compiled a PDF identifying 11 student-athletes recruited from “Clinton, Madison Central, Pearl and Northwest Rankin,” 10 of whom later attended JA.
Recruiting student-athletes from other high schools is a practice expressly prohibited by Mid-South Independent Schools Association regulations.
The school now says the complaint was improperly filed and therefore invalid.
complaint
The Voyles allege breach of contract, bad faith breach of contract and estoppel against Jackson College, as well as intentional interference with contract against Jackson College and Wertach.
CV, a sophomore on the Jackson College baseball team, signed a readmission contract in May 2025, a month before Wertach held a meeting with the Voyles and rescinded the student’s enrollment, the complaint states.
The complaint alleges that Wertach cited the “negative impact” caused by the spread of the PDF as grounds for expulsion.
The enrollment agreement does provide that the school has the right to terminate or not renew a student’s enrollment contract if the school reasonably believes that the behavior of a parent or guardian makes it impossible to establish such a positive and constructive working relationship, or otherwise seriously interferes with the school’s ability to fulfill its mission.
However, the complaint alleges that the decision to deregister CV was not justified.
“Jackson Academy retaliated against a child by terminating Resume without cause because of Jason’s decision to share true information about inappropriate conduct at Jackson Academy,” the complaint states.
More information about complaints: Jackson Academy parents file lawsuit against school over admissions violations
respond
Jackson College responded on January 30, calling the Voyles’ claims “meaningless.”
According to the response, the Voyles had previously contacted the Jackson College administration to inquire whether the school was engaging in inappropriate admissions activities, to which the school stated “no.”
The response said the decision to deregister Resume was based on the Voyles’ “concerted efforts to harm the school and its administration through rumor, innuendo, and harassment, including overt conduct designed to disparage the administration and certain students, particularly public school transfer students.”
Jackson College also said the complaint was improperly filed under the enrollment agreement signed by the Voyles and therefore the forum could not proceed.
The enrollment agreement includes an arbitration clause stating that “any and all disputes” shall be resolved “through arbitration rather than in court,” according to a summary of a memorandum that Jackson College responded to on Jan. 30.
The memo also states that the Voyles’ “real goal” was not to receive a monetary reward.
“(The Voyles’) apparent purpose was to further damage the school’s reputation in retaliation for the actions taken against them by JA,” the memo said.
A banner displays the MAIS Athletics logo during the MAIS 3A Division I championship football game between Leake Academy and Tri-County Academy at the Brickyard in Jackson on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025.
In addition to the alleged admissions violations, according to the memo, Carolyn expressed concerns in emails to Wertach that students transferring from public schools were damaging the culture of Jackson Academy and threatening the safety of current students.
The memo contains portions of those emails, including one in which Carolyn wrote to Wertach: “Kids in public schools are receiving metal detectors. If we continue to recruit students from public high schools without knowing much about their personal beliefs, will we add metal detectors? My son’s safety is important, and we rely on JA to keep his school safe.”
“Caroline’s assertion that a ‘public school’ transfer poses a specific threat to student safety is completely unfounded, unsubstantiated, and inappropriate,” the memo states. “There is no reason to believe that a ‘public school’ transfer would pose any danger to the safety and well-being of the entire JA community.”
According to the memo, the Voyles violated several terms of their enrollment agreement, including “recording conversations between any persons related to school activities without consent.”
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The memo also provides the following excerpt from the Jackson Academy student handbook, titled “Statement of Parental Expectations”:
“A positive and constructive working relationship between Jackson Academy, the student body, and the parent group is critical to maximizing the school’s stated mission. Jackson Academy has adopted written expectations for students, faculty, and staff. The following expectations provide the same guidance to our parent groups. Taken together, these expectations provide consistent guidance and direction for the entire Jackson Academy community. Parents who violate the Statement of Parent Expectations jeopardize their children’s status at Jackson Academy.”
Jackson College said that “further litigation on this matter will not be permitted until this court determines the threshold issue for arbitration.”
In a statement to the Clarion Ledger on February 2, Jackson College said it was “extremely disappointed with the Voyles’ decision to sue JA in an attempt to damage the school’s reputation through false and frivolous accusations.”
Have a news tip? Contact Mary Boyte at mboyte@jackson.gannett.com.
This article originally appeared in the Mississippi Bugle-Ledger: Jackson College calls student expulsion complaints frivolous lawsuits