LI Student Who Violated Coronavirus Protocols Suspended For Year

MASTIC BEACH, NY — Things just got worse for a student who was arrested and charged with trespassing after he tried to attend class while under suspension for violating coronavirus protocols: The district has decided he will remain suspended for the entire school year.

Maverick Stow, 17, of Mastic Beach, is a senior at the William Floyd School District. Last week, he attended class at the school on a day when he was scheduled for remote learning. He said on Tuesday, he received the results of a superintendent's hearing held on Monday. According to the determination, he will remain suspended until June 30 and alternative instruction will be provided virtually online.

He will not be allowed on school grounds and will be unable to attend any school-sponsored functions, including senior prom or high school graduation, the district said.

According to a letter to his parents from the district, Stow was "defying or disobeying the lawful authority of school personnel."

On Thursday, the district said, he attempted to enter the school building without authorization, violating coronavirus protocols.

"I think that's a radically long suspension considering I was just exercising my First Amendment right to freedom of expression," Stow told Patch.

When asked if he would pursue legal options, Stow declined to comment, saying he had not yet spoken to his legal counsel.

"We have zero tolerance for suspended students or unauthorized people trying to enter our buildings to disrupt the educational process and/or to potentially cause an unsafe environment for our students and staff," said James Montalto, representative for the William Floyd School District. "We do not usually discuss student matters publicly, however, we will do so once again, since he shared his suspension with the media.

"This determination was made by an impartial hearing officer at a superintendent’s hearing attended by Mr. Stow’s legal counsel, as well as attorneys representing the district. The written determination of the hearing officer was made after an exhaustive hearing at which numerous witnesses testified to Mr. Stow’s repeated insubordination and disruption despite being given multiple opportunities to avoid suspension."

Additionally, the district said, as a letter Stow shared publicly stated, "if he abides by the suspension and is a student in good standing, we will revisit his suspension at the end of the second quarter to determine whether or not he will be permitted to attend in-person classes and have his senior privileges reinstated for the second half of the school year. School safety and security has been and always will be a top priority in our district."

On Friday, some students created a petition to speak out against Stow. The petition, "The Students of William Floyd High School Condemn the Actions of Maverick Stow," was created by Emilia Brandimarte and garnered 2,073 signatures by Tuesday afternoon.

"Maverick Stow's egotistical spectacle does not get to speak for what student activism looks like at William Floyd," the petition says. "We condemn Stow's actions and are embarrassed to be represented by him in any way. We do not believe that we should be deprived of our two days of in-person learning because of the actions of a single student."

Stow last week turned up for school on a day designated for Group A students, despite the fact that he was in Group B, designated for virtual instruction students. He attended, he told Patch, to protest the district's hybrid learning plan. He was suspended and when he returned the next day, he was cited with a criminal trespassing notice. On Thursday, when he returned a third time, he was arrested.

School officials warned if Stow continued with his actions, in-person instruction could be shut down for the entire high school of nearly 3,000 students. Stow did not return to campus Friday.

After his suspension, he told Patch, "The district seems to think students peacefully speaking their minds and making their voices heard is an unacceptable practice that seems to be disciplined quite harshly."

He said he realized showing up for classes was a "pretty extreme measure that requires a certain amount of risk."

The story gained national attention. The petition said students believe some media accounts portrayed Stow as a martyr "living up to his name" of Maverick.

"What they don't report on is that our school attempts to pack around 3,000 students into one building," the petition says. "Social distancing would be completely impossible if students were allowed to attend every day. To make matters worse, William Floyd is now threatening to revert to all virtual learning if Stow's arrogant excuse for a protest persists."

The petition added, "William Floyd students would like to let the public know that Maverick Stow does not represent the rest of his peers. We are a headstrong and outspoken student body, but we are not entitled and obtuse. Stow is not a hero. He is not a person to rally behind. He does not represent activism at William Floyd."

Stow declined to comment on the petition created by his classmates.

According to Suffolk County police, the 17-year-old student was arrested and charged with third-degree criminal trespassing for entering school grounds after he was notified by school officials he was suspended and barred from campus.

The district said in a statement it will abide by the regulations set in place by government and health officials designed to keep students and staff safe from the spread of the coronavirus.

"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," the statement said. "Most of our in-person classes at the high school are at maximum capacity according to the square footage of each classroom. It is just not possible to have all of our students back under the current social distancing regulations. We will not condone or allow students to flagrantly break the law in our schools."

Stow said he was aware of the risks of his actions.

"You have to take the consequences for standing up for what you believe in," said Stow, who lives in Mastic Beach.

Stow said he took the bus to school on the first day of classes, where staff performed the mandated temperature check under coronavirus protocols. He then proceeded to class.

"It wasn't my day to go to school but obviously, I disagreed, so I went into class," he said. "I wasn't on the roster so the assistant principal got involved."

Stow was called into Principal Philip Scotto's office, where he said he was told he needed to vacate the grounds. Stow said Scotto told him that the district needed to adhere to guidelines, which meant he had to leave.

"I refused," Stow said. Scotto then told him that if he did not leave as directed, he would be suspended for insubordination.

"I left his office and went back to class," Stow said. He said he attended his complete schedule of classes. At the end of the day, he was contacted by his mother, Nora Kaplan-Stow.

"My parents are fully supportive of this," he said. "She told me I had been suspended for five days and the district was taking disciplinary action for insubordination."

"Kids need to be in school every day. Virtual learning is not learning," Nora Kaplan-Stow told ABC 7. "My son is being suspended because he wants to be in school."

Stow said he made the decision to attend classes as soon as the district announced they would be following a hybrid model of in-person and remote learning.

"I didn't think it was acceptable," he said. "I figured I would go to school and it would be a 'them' problem, to figure it out."

On the first day of class, Stow said, "I didn't know what was going to happen this morning. I thought I might get carried out the front door by security guards."

Stow believes the district claims there were "opportunities for us to sit and peacefully discuss this, to talk to them about the reopening plan, but there weren't. They made this decision on their own and kept us out of the whole decision-making process."

"It was a 'them' decision," he said. "We were never given the opportunity to voice our opinions. At a certain point, you have to take a stand and make it so they can't ignore you anymore."

The district laid out its reopening plans on its website and held virtual briefings where individuals could submit questions in advance.

Stow said he, like many other students, saw their dreams derailed when the coronavirus shuttered schools last spring.

Stow said he has a message for fellow students, the school district and community. "Anyone who believes that education is valuable should want students to be in school five days a week, with extracurricular and sports activities to go along with it. Anyone who feels as strongly as I do about this should participate and make it so the administration can't ignore it any longer."

On Tuesday, he added: "I think that if people are very passionate about this issue we should collectively, as students and as parents of students, try to effect change. I have made it very clear that I think all kids should be able to go to school — and go five days a week. Clearly the William Floyd School District disagrees."