It has been over a year since the world shut-down for COVID and we have been adjusting ever since. Masks, hand sanitizer, and social distancing have all become parts of our lives. We have missed out on family functions, social gatherings, concerts, movies, and sporting events. It has been stressful on us all, but even more so for children and college students. College has almost become a ‘rite of passage’ in United States and college students have missed out on over 25% of the traditional college experience. It has been an incredibly tough experience to go through this as a college student, when so much of college requires social interaction. Sporting events, dating, parties, clubs, intramural sports, you name it, have all been lost. Many young adults are struggling even more so than most of us, and understandably so. This are years these young adults can never get back.
While some of the policies put in place are necessary to stop the spread of this disease, colleges and universities throughout the state have been handing down incredibly harsh, heavy-handed, and inconsistent sanctions to students for even the most minor of discretions. For example, the University of Colorado recently suspended several students for an entire year. Their indiscretion? They had tested positive for COVID and other students in their dorm room. Doesn’t sound great, until you realize that the other students had also tested positive for COVID and were quarantining in the same dorm facility, just not the same room. A student from the University of Northern Colorado was recently suspended for TWO YEARS for violating the School’s vague COVID policies, with only one semester left before graduating.
Colleges and Universities did little or nothing to prevent the spread of COVID early on and, after receiving negative press, are overcompensating for their own discretions by blaming and taking it out on their students. While your rights as a college student are limited, they do still exist. At the Colorado Law Team, we have several attorneys who are experienced in assisting students throughout the entire process, whether it be preparing you for an upcoming disciplinary hearing, advising and/or drafting an appeal on your behalf after a hearing, or even filing a lawsuit on your behalf if necessary. If you are facing discipline or have been disciplined by your college for alleged COVID violations, or any other violation, contact us immediately for a consultation to see what we can do to help.