As many have heard by now, a student from Long Island attending William Floyd High School was suspended and recently arrested for trespassing when he arrived at the high school for in-school learning when he was assigned to be online on a hybrid schedule. Many individuals have argued that he was being incredibly irresponsible and ignorant, yet there are some praising the seventeen-year-old for his bravery for standing up for what he believed in, which is for him to attend in-person school five days a week. I’m sure I speak for many others when I say how idiotic and entitled his actions are. The boy, Maverick Stow, was taken into custody for criminal trespassing for unlawfully entering school grounds, as expected, for his repeated defiance of the law. The ignorant boy should have known better than to attempt to go against the law, and regardless of his wishes, there are several issues that arise if he were to reach his goal. For one,the law was put in place for a reason. In order to maintain social distancing, there must be a safe and fixed amount of students entering the building each morning. Otherwise, COVID-19 would have a higher chance of spreading through the students. Not to mention, if he were to defy the law, what makes him so special that only he could do it rather than the hundreds of other students who would prefer to attend in-school classes every day? I for one enjoy in-class learning better as well, but I would not be willing to endanger my family, friends, teachers, and others just for my selfish gain. The actions of the boy are incredulously careless. Despite his aggravating and despicable actions, his mind does not seem to be changing anytime soon, as he is seen trying to host virtual learning protests. Although I strongly disagree with his course of action, I have mixed feelings about his propositions to enable better learning. He recommends schools to utilize rooms such as the lunchroom for learning while respecting social distancing. The problem with this proposal is that when there are over one-thousand students attending school each day, it is impossible to keep safe distances with everyone running around to get to each class every period. Before COVID-19 had taken hold, students were smushed together as is and bumped into each other struggling to get to their assigned classes on time. Facemasks can only do so much; they do not guarantee that COVID-19 would not spread through other means of contact. I believe that schools should use more of the room to spread out the students, not to pack them all in classrooms with more than ten to twelve students. In my personal experience, I have most prominently dealt with auditory issues with my virtual learning because it is difficult to hear everything the teachers and students say through a microphone in the front of the classroom. Also, it is pretty tough to engage in the classroom when the teacher cannot always see you tryingto engage in classroom discussions while paying attention to the in-class students. Nevertheless,I understand that school districts just opened their doors again and amendments will be made over time to improve the virtual learning so I am not worried at this time. I do not doubt that everyone is doing the best they can, and this is no excuse to rebel against the law because our learning has been interrupted by a worldwide pandemic that has not yet passed. Clearly, the selfish actions committed by this student have had just consequences, and students not just in Long Island, but worldwide should take the pandemic seriously and not display reckless behavior during this difficult time.
Great Article- Kev