New York school district suspends student for attending in-person classes on remote day

MASTIC BEACH, New York -- A high school senior from Long Island, New York was suspended from school on Tuesday for attending in-person classes when he was supposed to be a remote learner.

William Floyd High School senior Maverick Stow, 17, said he showed up to school because he believes he should be in school five days a week.

Stow said staff took his temperature and he reported to his first period classroom. He said the teacher noticed he was not on the roster and called administrators. They asked him to go to the principal's office.

Stow said administrators asked him to leave school grounds to which he replied, "'Well, no, I think I need to go class. This is during class time.'"

Stow said he left the principal's office and went back to class.

He finished classes the rest of the day unimpeded, but at the end of the day school officials informed him he was being suspended for five days.

"I was going to school like students should be going to school. I think that a five-day suspension is out of line," he said.

Stow's parents said they support their son.

"Kids need to be in school every day. Virtual learning is not learning," said Nora Kaplan-Stow, Maverick's mother. "My son is being suspended because he wants to be in school."

Richard Stow said his son told him and his wife what he was planning to do.

"He's a very smart kid. He knows what he's doing. When he said this is how he wanted to handle things, we were like, 'Then go for it,'" Richard Stow said.

In a statement, the William Floyd School District said its hybrid learning schedule ensures the district is able to follow social distancing mandates set forth by New York State.

"In order to adhere to these guidelines, it is imperative that students attend school during their scheduled in-person days only. Students who refuse to adhere to their scheduled in-person days and/or flagrantly disregard directives to leave school grounds and cause a disruptive environment for other students, will face disciplinary actions," said the district's public relations director, James Montalto.

"The virus doesn't discriminate on Mondays or Tuesdays or Thursdays or Fridays. That's not how it works," Stow said.