A New York student was arrested over and again for going to school on days he was scheduled for online learning classes, officials say.
Maverick Stow, a student at William Floyd High School in Long Island, went to campus on Thursday despite his suspension for going to campus on a day he was supposed to be attending remote classes, according to the William Floyd School District. Suffolk County police officers arrested the teenager as he entered the building.
Stow is protesting guidelines imposed by state officials for reopening during the COVID-19 pandemic. The high school of 3,000 students is offering a hybrid of online and in person classes to abide by social distancing requirements.
“Mr. Stow continues to display irresponsible and selfish behavior with today’s latest publicity stunt,” the school said in a statement. “He arrived wearing a neon green shirt — for high visibility — with a contingent of media just outside the fence line trying to capture him getting arrested as he entered the building.”
He was arrested on a charge of criminal trespassing.
"I feel emphatically that children ought to have the option to go to class five days per week," Stow told WPIX. "I trust that me confronting the ramifications for my activities are going to prompt conceivably change in the tutoring framework and a 100% in-person learning arrangement."
The 17 year old's parent support their son's decision, WABC reported.
"Children should be in school each day. Virtual learning isn't learning," Nora Kaplan-Stow told the media source a day prior to her child's capture. "My child is being suspended on the grounds that he needs to be in school.
The school district says Stow’s actions are creating a “circus atmosphere.”
“We are still in the midst of a pandemic and will abide by the regulations set in place by our government and health officials designed to keep our students and staff safe,” the school district said. “As we have said, Mr. Stow’s rights as a student do not surpass the rights of any of our other 8,799 students; they should not have to come to school to witness this circus atmosphere each day.”