Parents of three former students at the University of Massachusetts are moving forward with legal action against the school after the students were suspended from the university for not complying with its mask policy.
The three freshmen students at the center of this controversy posed for a photo that was then uploaded to social media. The photo shows the three girls maskless at what appears to be a large gathering. According to one of the parents, another student took a screenshot of the unmasked girls and sent the image to school administrators. Administrators deemed the photo as evidence of a violation of the school's policy regarding COVID-19 restrictions. The girls were quickly removed from the school campus and were then stripped of their access to their remote classes after the school completed its "review" of the situation.
Along with the suspension, the girls were unable to take their final exams which consequently resulted in an incomplete school year that would require them to reapply for the next year. The semester fee was $16,000, and the students would not be refunded their tuition for the moot year, according to reports.
One of the parents of the freshman, RJ, shared with reporters, “It was shocking. This all stemmed from a picture taken of three friends outside, they had their masks off for a minute.”
Another parent shared of the harsh punishment with Fox News, "It's been heartbreaking watching my well-adjusted daughter be emotionally distraught." She added, "It's been heartbreaking for my whole family."
Another mother argued about the lack of compassion the university had for her daughter’s wellbeing. The mother who identified herself only as Betsy shared, "This picture popped up and the university was swift and fierce in their actions," she said. "They gave my daughter less than nine hours to move off campus essentially making her homeless 500 miles from home with no recourse." Betsy adds, "They didn't help her. They didn't ask her if she had a place to go. They didn't ask her if she had the ability to get food for herself." She continued, "This has just been a terrible, terrible injustice and I just don't feel the punishment fits the crime."
According to the university, the girls violated the school's policy. The school released a statement that read in part, “When positive COVID-19 cases surged within the UMass community in February 2021, the university, in consultation with the state Department of Public Health, promptly imposed severe restrictions on campus activities, including the suspension of in-person classes and a prohibition on student social gatherings. It was made clear to students that those who failed to comply would be subject to discipline, including suspension.”
Siding with the outraged parents, State Senator Barry Feingold shared his thoughts stating that the punishment was too harsh. The senator explained, “I was shocked at the level of punishment that these kids received. Understand, here in Massachusetts, that if you are caught drunk driving the maximum penalty is $5,000; if you’re caught without a face mask at UMass Amherst, the penalty is $16,000. To me that is a little extreme.”
In addition to their outrage over the school's response to the photo, the parents of the suspended girls have highlighted the hypocrisy of the university’s enforcement of the mask mandates. The parents point to a celebration where members of the university’s hockey team gathered. In the gathering, some of the members were maskless.
The university responded to the claims of a double standard in a statement to the Washington Post where they explained that the incident was “regrettable.” The university also expressed that the hockey team’s gathering took place when COVID-19 rates were “much lower.” During that time, the university explained it had loosened up some of the COVID-19 protocols.
One parent shared with a local news station, "The university hosted a parade/event to celebrate the UMass hockey team's national championship win, violating every single one of violations they accuse these girls of.” The parent adds, "It also violated a standing executive order by Gov. Charlie Baker that says, 'no parades, no festivals.'”
